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Chocolate Brioche

Chocolate Brioche

669kcal
5 from 1 vote
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Prep 1 hour
Cook 22 minutes
Cold Fermentation 17 hours
Total 18 hours 22 minutes
An incredibly indulgent, bakery-style pastry that marries rich cocoa brioche dough with a velvety, molten chocolate pastry cream center. Topped with an artisanal chocolate crumble for a contrasting crunch, this multi-component dessert undergoes a double cold-fermentation process to develop maximum flavor and structural stability.
Servings 12 Individual Pastries
Cuisine French

Ingredients

Cocoa Brioche Dough (Day 1)
  • 500 g All-purpose flour
  • 40 g Cocoa powder
  • 200 g Eggs (~4 large eggs)
  • 110 g Whole milk
  • 60 g Sugar
  • 10 g Salt
  • 20 g Fresh yeast (or 5 g dry instant yeast)
  • 150 g Unsalted butter (softened)
  • 50 g Stiff sourdough starter (optional, for flavor)
  • Zest of 1 orange (optional)
Chocolate Pastry Cream Inserts (Day 1)
  • 375 g Milk (corrected from body text)
  • 75 g Heavy cream
  • 70 g Egg yolk
  • 60 g Sugar
  • 30 g Cornstarch
  • 2 g Salt
  • Vanilla bean (or vanilla paste)
  • 75 g Unsalted butter
  • 225 g Dark chocolate (semi-sweet)
Chocolate Crumble & Wash (Day 2)
  • 50 g Butter (cold)
  • 37 g All-purpose flour
  • 75 g Brown sugar
  • 15 g Almond powder / flour
  • 15 g Cocoa powder
  • Egg wash (1 egg beaten for brushing)

Equipment

Method

Mix & Knead Dough (Day 1 – 5:00 PM)
  1. Add all dough ingredients to your mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and knead for 15–25 minutes until gluten develops and dough cleans the bowl.
    2. Crucial: Keep dough temperature under 82°F (28°C) to prevent gluten breakdown.
  2. Staged Cold Chill
  3. 5:30 PM: Transfer covered dough to the freezer for 1 hour to instantly drop core temp and stop yeast.
  4. 6:30 PM: Move dough to the refrigerator to slow-ferment overnight.
  5. Prepare & Freeze Custard Inserts
  6. Preheat milk and heavy cream in a saucepan on low heat.
  7. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl until smooth.
  8. Temper yolk mixture with warm milk, return to low heat, and stir constantly until thickened.
  9. Whisk in vanilla, 75 g butter, and 225 g dark chocolate until smooth.
  10. Spoon custard into small silicone disc molds and freeze solid overnight.
  11. Remove cold dough from fridge and divide into 12 equal pieces (~80 g each).
  12. Roll into smooth balls and place on a parchment-lined baking tray.
  13. Cover loosely and proof for 1–2 hours at 78–84°F (24–27°C) until doubled in volume.
  14. Chocolate Crumble: Cut cold butter into flour, brown sugar, almond powder, and cocoa powder until crumbly; chill in fridge.
  15. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  16. Brush proofed rolls with egg wash. Pop frozen chocolate custard discs out of molds and press firmly into the center of each roll. Sprinkle crumble generously on top.
  17. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 10–12 minutes. Enjoy warm!

Nutrition

Calories669kcalCarbohydrates81gProtein12gFat35gSaturated Fat21gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat8gTrans Fat1gCholesterol118mgSodium461mgPotassium350mgFiber5gSugar34gVitamin A760IUVitamin C1mgCalcium144mgIron6mg

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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