Cherry Brioche

Hey foodies!

This week, I'm sharing a cherry and chocolate brioche recipe with you. :o)

A perfect recipe for summer. Whether it's for an afternoon snack or breakfast.

Here are my 2 brioches!

I made one in a 26 cm long loaf tin and the other in a 22 cm tart tin in the shape of a crown.

To make 2 brioches you will need:

Brioche

- 120gr of milk

- 27gr of water

- 5gr of yeast

- 325gr of flour

- 1/4 tsp of salt

- 50gr of sugar

- 1 tsp of vanilla extract

- 2 eggs

- 60gr of butter

Cherry compote

- 490gr of fresh cherries

- 80gr of brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

- 30gr of water

- 20gr of lemon juice

- 2gr agar-agar

- 50gr of chocolate chips

- 1 adjustable loaf tin and/or a 22 cm tart tin

Brioche dough

In a bowl, pour 120gr of milk and 27gr of water. Heat these two ingredients in the microwave at 600Watt for 30 seconds.

Then weigh 5gr of dry yeast using the spoon scale and pour the yeast into the warm milk.

Be careful, the milk should be warm and not boiling hot. Otherwise the yeast may die.

In a large bowl, pour 325gr of white flour and 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix the two ingredients together with a spoon.

Make a well in the centre of your flour and pour in 50gr of sugar, the milk/yeast mixture and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Add 1 egg.

Then knead everything for a few minutes (1-2 minutes max). Just until the dough starts to come together.

Don't let it become a nice smooth ball. Stop before that, as in photo N°3.

Finally, add 60gr of butter to the dough and knead it for 10 minutes at medium speed.

Once the 10 minutes are up, shape the dough into a nice ball in your bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth.

Let your dough rise for 1h30-2h at room temperature.

Cherry compote

While our brioche dough is rising, we'll prepare the cherry compote.

Start by pitting 490gr of cherries.

Here, I used a (reusable) plastic straw. This technique is super quick and practical.

Cut 240gr of cherries into quarters, as in photo N°2.

Set aside the remaining 250gr. We'll use them later.

In a small saucepan, pour 80gr of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 30gr of water, 20gr of lemon juice and 2gr of agar-agar.

For the lemon juice, I used lime juice from Alnatura (Migros).

And for the agar-agar, be careful! You need to be very precise with your measurement. I recommend using the spoon scale, because if you add too much agar-agar you'll end up with a jelly that's too firm... Agar-agar is extremely powerful. :o)

Heat everything over medium heat until it boils.

Once the mixture is boiling, let it cook for 2 minutes so the cherries soften and the agar-agar can do its job afterwards.

Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to let the mixture cool down.

I recommend placing cling film over your bowl. Personally, I let it cool at room temperature.

Once your dough has doubled in size, knock it back by punching it with your fist.

Then place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (it can stay overnight in the fridge without any problem). This way it will be easier to work with.

Cut the remaining 250gr of cherries into small pieces (6 or 8 pieces per cherry).

As mentioned above, I made two types of brioche. One brioche in a 26 cm loaf tin and another brioche in the shape of a crown made in a 22 cm tart tin.

So divide your dough in two. This will give you two dough portions of approximately 315gr each. Place one of the two portions in the fridge while you work on the first one.

Roll out your first dough portion into a rectangle/oval of approximately 35 x 25 cm using a large rolling pin.

Lightly whisk your cherry compote. It doesn't matter if it has already set a little.

Pour half of the compote onto your dough and spread it out well.

Then add half of the cut cherries and 25gr of chocolate chips.

For this recipe I used dark chocolate chips but if you prefer, you can easily use milk chocolate chips instead.

Roll your dough lengthways. Then cut this log in half using a sharp knife.

Grab a loaf tin set to 26 cm long and some non-stick baking spray.

Spray your tin generously. To be safe, you can even place a sheet of baking paper at the bottom of your tin. Personally I didn't, but unmoulding was a little tricky.

Then braid your two half-logs, making sure to keep the cherries on top (as in my photo N°3).

Place the brioche in your loaf tin and cover it with a damp cloth. Let your brioche rise for 20 minutes at room temperature.

During this time, preheat your oven to 160°C, fan-assisted.

Now let's make my second brioche in crown version. :o)

Grab a 22 cm tart tin. Spray it with non-stick baking spray and place a sheet of baking paper at the bottom of the tin.

Then weigh 8 dough portions of 35-40gr each.

Roll each portion out thinly. Then fill your portions with compote, fresh cherries and chocolate chips.

Fold your logs in half lengthways, then roll them up to get pretty flowers.

Place all your flowers in the tart tin.

Then place a small bowl or coffee cup in the centre of your tin. This way the crown shape will stay nice and pretty, even after baking.

Place a damp cloth and let it rise for 20 minutes.

Bake both brioches in the preheated oven at 160°C, fan-assisted for 35-40 minutes for the loaf and 30-35 minutes for the crown.

Personally I baked them separately. The loaf first and the crown second.

And make sure to leave the small bowl in the centre of the crown during baking.

And there you have it! An ultra indulgent seasonal brioche. :o)

You can of course make two loaf brioches or two crown brioches instead of one of each.

It keeps for 1-2 days max at room temperature in a cardboard or metal box.

I hope you'll try out this new recipe.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Karin

P.S.: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.