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Chocolate Pan Brioche

17/11/2023

I will be happy to share with you a delicious recipe for chocolate pan brioche. It’s a recipe that requires a bit of patience during the rising phases, but the result is a soft and tasty sweet bread, perfect for breakfast and snacks.

Ingredients

  • 500 g of manitoba flour
  • 100 g of sugar
  • 200 ml of warm milk
  • 100 g of soft butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 25 g of fresh yeast or 7 g of dry yeast
  • Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
  • 150 g of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
  • 1 egg yolk for glazing
  • Powdered sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk along with a teaspoon of sugar taken from the total amount.
  2. Add about half of the flour to the milk and yeast mixture and start kneading until you get a smooth dough. Let this “pre-dough” rest covered with a damp cloth in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until it doubles in volume.
  3. When the pre-dough is ready, add the remaining sugar, the remaining flour, the eggs, the soft butter in pieces, a pinch of salt, and the grated lemon zest (if you decide to use it). Knead all the ingredients until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
  4. Once you have a uniform dough, gently incorporate the chocolate chips, trying to distribute them evenly throughout the dough.
  5. Let the dough rise in the same warm place, covered with a damp cloth, for another 2 hours or until it doubles in volume.
  6. After the rising time, take the dough and shape it into buns or braids, or place it in a loaf pan, depending on the shape you prefer.
  7. Brush the surface with a beaten egg yolk to give the brioche a nice golden color during baking.
  8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and well baked.
  9. Once baked, let the brioche cool on a rack before dusting them with powdered sugar, if desired.

Curiosity

The pan brioche is versatile and lends itself to multiple variations. You can also personalize it by adding essences or aromas such as vanilla to the dough or by replacing the chocolate chips with candied fruit or custard. Moreover, this sweet bread has French origins but is also highly appreciated in Italy, where it is served as both a sweet treat and in savory versions.