Swiss brioches – brioche filled with vanilla custard and chocolate chips

Ingredients

Brioche dough:

• 1 packet of active dry yeast (or 10 g fresh yeast)
• 2 tbsp warm milk (or warm water)
• 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 5.8 oz softened butter, cut into small cubes

Pastry cream:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp butter

Filling:

• ½ cup chocolate chips

Egg wash:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp milk

Syrup:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water

Materials

• 1 stand mixer
• 1 rolling pin
• plastic wrap
• pastry scraper
• spatula
• pastry brush

Preparation

• Dissolve the yeast in warm milk (or if not available, warm water). Let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
• Put the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of the mixer. Add the eggs and the yeast + milk mixture. Knead at speed 2 until the dough pulls away from the sides.
  
• Gradually add the softened butter while continuing to knead. Once incorporated, knead for another 15 minutes at speed 3, until the dough pulls away well from the sides.
• Form a ball using a pastry scraper. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rest for 1.5 hours at room temperature. Then wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  
• Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream. Mix the egg with half of the sugar, then add the cornstarch and incorporate well.
• Bring the milk to a boil with the other half of the sugar and the vanilla. Pour half of the milk directly into the bowl and mix well. Then pour this mixture back into the saucepan. Stir and return to the heat.
  
• Stir the mixture until boiling. Once boiling, cook for another 2 minutes while stirring.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter, cut into small pieces. Mix well. Cover the cream with plastic wrap pressed directly against its surface to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate and let cool completely.
  
• Take the brioche dough out of the fridge and punch it down. Generously flour the work surface and the dough, then roll out the dough into a rectangle about 4–5 mm thick.
• Spread the pastry cream over half of the surface. Add the chocolate chips over the entire surface of the cream and press them into the cream using a spatula or spoon.
  
• Fold the unfilled part over the pastry cream. Trim the edges to form a clean rectangle.
• Then cut the dough into small rectangles. Use your hand as a guide to make rectangles of equal width: place your hand next to the dough and cut rectangles three fingers wide.
  
• Place the brioches on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare the egg wash: mix the egg yolk and the milk.
  Brush the brioches with the egg wash using a brush.
  
• Bake the brioches for 12 minutes at 350°F/180°C.
• Meanwhile, prepare the syrup:
  Pour the sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil (medium heat). Let cool.
  
• Brush the brioches with the syrup and let them cool.
• And there you have it, your Swiss brioches are ready!
  

Observations

Can Swiss brioches be frozen?
We recommend freezing them before baking if you want to bake them a few at a time.

How much fresh yeast is equivalent to dry yeast?
For this recipe, you will need 1 packet of dry yeast or 0.35 oz (10 g) of fresh yeast.

Can I reduce the sugar in this pastry cream recipe?
Our pastry cream really doesn't contain much sugar, so you may be surprised by how mildly sweet it tastes. You can't reduce the sugar in the cream.

I'm lactose intolerant. Are there plant-based alternatives?
If you are lactose intolerant, you can easily make this recipe by replacing the milk with plant-based milk and the butter with margarine in the brioche dough, pastry cream, and egg wash. You’ll have lactose-free Swiss brioches :-)

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Questions

Photos of members who cooked this recipe