Chocolate Brioche
Chocolate brioche with a soft custard center is a delectable pastry that combines the richness of chocolate with the pillowy texture of brioche dough, all complemented by a deliciously creamy custard filling in the center. It is a delightful treat that is perfect for any chocolate lover.
When baked, the chocolate brioche dough turns beautifully golden brown, developing a delicate crust while remaining soft and fluffy on the inside. The custard center becomes warm and luscious, creating a perfect balance of textures and flavors.
Chocolate brioche dough with a soft custard center is best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, when the aroma of cocoa fills the air and the custard oozes out with each bite. It is a delightful treat that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth and is perfect for indulging in with a cup of coffee or tea.
The contrast between the fluffy brioche and silky filling creates an incredibly comforting and indulgent pastry experience. Lightly dusted with powdered sugar or served slightly warm, it becomes an irresistible treat perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or an afternoon coffee break. Whether shared with guests or enjoyed quietly at home, this chocolate brioche is guaranteed to satisfy any sweet craving.
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g all purpose flour
- 200 g eggs about 4 large
- 60 g sugar
- 10 g salt
- 150 g soft butter
- 20 g fresh yeast or 5g dry instant yeast
- 110 g milk
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 50 g stiff sourdough starter (optional)
- Zest of 1 orange (optional for more flavor)
Pastry Cream
- 75 g heavy cream
- 375 g milk
- 70 g egg yolk
- 60 g sugar
- 30 g corn starch
- 2 g salt
- 1 vanilla bean
- 75g unsalted butter
- 225g dark chocolate
Chocolate Crumble
- 50g butter
- 37g flour
- 75g brown sugar
- 15g almond powder
- 15g cocoa powder
Directions
Day 1
- 5 pm in a bowl of mixer add all ingredients for the dough and knead on slow speed until combined, then increase speed to medium high and continue kneading until gluten will develop and dough comes together. About 15-25 min total.
- Note: make sure the temperature of the dough won’t go higher than 82F/28C, otherwise gluten will start to break apart.
- 5.30 pm Cover the dough and transfer it to freezer for 1 hour.
- 6.30 pm Transfer the dough to fridge and let it rest until next morning.
Pastry Cream
- Meanwhile prepare the pastry cream by preheating milk and cream on low heat.
- In separate bowl combine yolks, sugar, cornstarch, mix until no lumps remain.
- Temper yolk mixture with warm cream mixture, whisk, put it back to a low heat. Keep stirring constantly, until the cream will get thicker, add vanilla paste or vanilla bean. Add butter. Mix well.
Chocolate Pastry Cream
- Add chocolate to warm custard, melt x well until all incorporated and smooth.
- Let cool down.
- Fill our small silicone molds with pastry cream. Freeze until next morning.
Day 2
- Remove the dough from refrigerator.
- Divide the dough in 12 pieces, about 80g each.
- Cover baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roll each piece of the dough into a ball. Place them on prepared baking tray.
- Cover and let it proof for 1-2 hours at 78-84F /24-27C until they doubled in volume.
Chocolate crumble
- Prepare chocolate crumble by mixing all ingredients together. And keep it in the fridge.
Shaping
- Preheat the oven 375F
- When brioche rolls doubled or more in volume, spread egg-wash all over each roll.
- Press frozen pastry cream into a center of each brioche roll .
- Sprinkle chocolate crumble on top.
- Bake at 375 for 10 min, lower temperature to 350F and continue baking for 10-12 min more until ready.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Brioche
497kcal
Ingredients
The Cocoa Brioche Dough (Day 1 – 5:00 PM)
- 500 g All-purpose flour
- 40 g Cocoa powder
- 200 g Eggs (approx. 4 large eggs)
- 110 g Milk
- 60 g Sugar
- 10 g Salt
- 20 g Fresh yeast (or 5g Dry Instant Yeast)
- 150 g Unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 50 g Stiff sourdough starter (Optional, for flavor depth)
- Zest of 1 orange (Optional flavor pairing)
Chocolate Pastry Cream (Day 1 Custard Center)
- 200 g Milk
- 50 g Heavy cream
- Egg yolks
- 40 g Sugar
- 15 g Cornstarch
- Vanilla paste or vanilla bean pod
- 15 g Butter
- 60 g Semi-sweet dark chocolate chips (or finely chopped chocolate)
Artisanal Chocolate Crumble (Day 2 Topping)
- 50 g Butter (cold)
- 37 g All-purpose flour
- 75 g Brown sugar
- 15 g Almond flour/powder
- 15 g Cocoa powder
- Egg (beaten, for egg wash)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (with dough hook attachment)
- Small Silicone Disc Molds (Crucial for freezing the pastry cream inserts)
- Saucepan & Whisk (for the custard)
Method
Day 1 – Dough & Custard Inserts
- Mix & Knead Dough: At 5:00 PM, add all the cocoa brioche dough ingredients into your mixer bowl. Mix with the dough hook on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and knead for 15–25 minutes. The dough must form a smooth, elastic ball that completely cleans the sides of the bowl. Keep internal dough temp under 82°F (28°C) to prevent gluten breakdown.
- The Staged Chill: At 5:30 PM, transfer the covered dough to the freezer for exactly 1 hour to instantly halt fermentation. At 6:30 PM, move the dough to the refrigerator to rest and slow-ferment overnight.
- Cook Custard: Meanwhile, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan on low. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly stream the warm milk mixture into the yolks to temper them, return everything to low heat, and stir constantly until thick. Stir in the vanilla, butter, and dark chocolate until fully melted and velvety.
- Freeze Inserts: Spoon the warm chocolate pastry cream into small silicone disc molds. Place the molds in the freezer to freeze solid overnight.
Day 2 – Shaping & Assembly
- Portion & Round: Next morning, remove the firm dough from the fridge. Divide it into 12 equal pieces (approx. 80g each). Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Warm Proof: Cover the dough balls loosely and let them proof for 1 to 2 hours at 78–84°F (24–27°C) until light, airy, and completely doubled in volume.
- Make Crumble: While checking on the proofing dough, cut your cold topping butter into the flour, brown sugar, almond powder, and cocoa powder. Mix with your fingertips until crumbly, then store the mixture in the fridge to keep cold.
- Assemble: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush your puffy, proofed brioche buns generously with the egg wash. Pop the frozen chocolate pastry cream discs out of their silicone molds and press one disc firmly straight down into the exact center of each brioche roll. Heavily sprinkle the cold chocolate crumble on top.
- Staged Bake: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 10–12 minutes more until the edges are baked through and the custard centers are warm and luscious. Enjoy fresh out of the oven!
Nutrition
Calories497kcalCarbohydrates71gProtein9gFat21gSaturated Fat13gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat4gTrans Fat0.4gCholesterol38mgSodium133mgPotassium228mgFiber3gSugar29gVitamin A460IUVitamin C1mgCalcium120mgIron3mg
Notes
- Why the 1-Hour Freezer Step Matters: As reader Christina pointed out, this step might seem unusual! Putting the highly enriched, warm dough into the freezer for exactly 1 hour instantly drops its core temperature. This stops the yeast from over-proofing upfront and firms up the butter matrix, allowing the dough to transition smoothly into a flawless, long, uniform overnight refrigerator rise.
- Can You Freeze the Brioche Unbaked?: Yes! You can easily freeze these rolls for future baking. Follow the recipe up through Step 5 (shaping the dough into 80g balls). Place the shaped balls on a tray and freeze them solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to a month. To bake, thaw the balls in the refrigerator overnight, pick up at Step 6 (warm proofing until doubled) the next morning, and assemble with fresh custard inserts and crumble!
- Dough Temperature Warning: Because chocolate dough absorbs and retains ambient friction heat very easily, monitor your stand mixer closely. If your dough passes 82°F (28°C) during the 20-minute knead, the butter will break its emulsion and ruin the gluten network. If it feels warm to the touch, wrap a frozen gel pack around the base of the mixer bowl.
- Managing the Custard Center: Make sure your silicone custard inserts are frozen completely solid before pressing them into the proofed dough. If the pastry cream is too soft or warm during assembly, it will collapse the delicate air bubbles built during the 2-hour proof, resulting in a dense, flat pastry rather than a tall, light brioche envelope.
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Hi Natasha, what is the use of putting the dough in the freezer for 1 hour. Can we freezer the brioche without baking?
Thank you
Wow! Looks amazing! Just wondering if I could omit the yeast and use just the sourdough starter?
Hi,
I know you are expecting Natasha to answer… and I apologize for intruding but I think I can help you a bit while she gets the chance to get back to all the questions. Using regular sourdough starter in an enriched dough is challenging. Fat and sugar are two ingredients that directly interfere with gluten development.
You can use only sourdough but you need to work with a stiff starter, probably adding a little sugar too.
Your starter needs to be quite active, in order for it to be able to ferment the dough. There are so many ways to make a stiff starter and recommendations for a feeding schedule.
Something important is to make sure your stiff starter triples its volume in a 4hr period for it to be ready to be used successfully in an enriched dough. That’s the key factor.
Hi, I have used my sourdough starter with success on a few of her recipes. I also use high mountain flour. I just increase the rise time to overnight.
Would it be possible to wrap the brioche dough over the frozen pastry cream before the final proof so that the pastry cream is in the center of the bread instead? Thanks!
HI MAMA
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