Rhubarb-vanilla brioche recipe

Hello food lovers!

I think you're starting to know us – as soon as spring arrives, we love working with rhubarb. Personally, I find the season way too short! ;-P

Discover our wonderfully soft brioche, filled with vanilla cream, rhubarb compote and rhubarb slices.

A recipe that perfectly combines the tartness of rhubarb with the sweetness of vanilla.

To make this brioche in a 26 cm tart tin, you will need:

Vanilla rhubarb

- 250gr of rhubarb

- 40gr of sugar

- 2 vanilla pods

Brioche dough

- 300gr of flour

- 150gr of milk

- 50gr of sugar

- 50gr of butter

- 15gr of yeast

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp of salt

Rhubarb compote

- 260gr of rhubarb

- 50gr of sugar

- 50gr of water

Vanilla cream

- 250gr of milk

- 2 vanilla pods

- 2 egg yolks

- 20gr of sugar

- 20gr of cornstarch

- 1 egg yolk

We'll start with the vanilla rhubarb as it requires some macerating time. This way, the rhubarb can absorb the vanilla flavours while we prepare the rest. :-)

Vanilla rhubarb

First, trim the ends off the rhubarb – we need long stalks for this recipe.

Cut 250gr of rhubarb in half lengthways.

Place the rhubarb on a large baking tray lined with baking paper.

In a bowl, combine 40gr of sugar and the seeds from 2 vanilla pods.

Mix the sugar and vanilla well, then sprinkle over the rhubarb stalks.

Place the scraped vanilla pods on top of the rhubarb and cover everything with cling film.

Leave the tray at room temperature while you prepare the brioche dough and vanilla cream.

We will now prepare the brioche dough.

Brioche dough

Start by heating 150gr of milk in the microwave for 30 seconds at 600W. The milk should be lukewarm (maximum 35°C).

In a large bowl, pour 300gr of flour and add the lukewarm milk.

Add 50gr of sugar then crumble in 15gr of yeast. Cut 50gr of butter and add it to the other ingredients.

Finally, add 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Use measuring spoons to ensure an accurate dose. ;-)

Knead the dough using the dough hook of your mixer for 5 minutes on low speed.

After 5 minutes, add 1/2 tsp of salt and knead again for 5 minutes on low speed. Then increase to speed 2 for 5 minutes.

There you go, the brioche dough is ready! :-)

Shape it into a nice ball, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise for 1h30 at room temperature.

In the meantime, we can make the rhubarb compote. It will add a lovely zing to the brioche! :-)

Rhubarb compote

First, cut 260gr of rhubarb into pieces and place everything in a saucepan.

Add 50gr of water and 50gr of sugar, then cook the rhubarb over medium heat for about 7 minutes.

Stir occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Once you have a lovely compote, transfer it to a bowl and cover with cling film. Place the compote in the fridge.

It is now time to prepare the vanilla cream.

Vanilla cream

In a large bowl, combine 2 egg yolks and 20gr of sugar.

For this recipe we won't need the egg whites. You can freeze them for a future preparation or use them to make pistachio financiers or meringues. It's an excellent way to avoid waste and add variety to your baking! ;-)

Add 20gr of cornstarch and whisk everything together until frothy.

Bring 250gr of milk and 2 vanilla pods split lengthways to a boil.

Then pour 1/3 of the hot milk over the egg yolk/sugar/cornstarch mixture while stirring.

Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat while stirring constantly until the first bubble appears. The cream will thicken – this is normal.

It is important to keep stirring so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the vanilla cream to a large bowl and cover it with cling film pressed directly onto the surface. The cling film must touch the cream to prevent a skin from forming on top.

Place the bowl in the fridge until the brioche dough is ready.

After 1h30, the brioche dough will have risen sufficiently. Give the dough 2-3 punches to knock the air out of it.

Use a large rolling pin and roll out the brioche dough, trying to keep it as round as possible.

Shape a disc of dough about 28 cm in diameter.

For this recipe, use a 26 cm diameter tart tin.

To make the brioche easy to unmould, spray the tin with non-stick baking spray. This step will save you any unpleasant surprises when unmoulding. ;-)

Place the dough in the tin and adjust the edges so the dough is level with the rim.

Cover everything with a damp cloth and leave to rise again at room temperature for 1 hour.

15 minutes before the end of the proofing, preheat your oven to 180°C, fan setting.

After 1 hour of proofing, we can fill the brioche with rhubarb compote.

Pour about 200gr of rhubarb compote onto the tart base and spread it evenly with a small spatula.

Take the vanilla cream and whisk it to loosen it up.

Pour the vanilla cream into a piping bag and pipe it in a spiral over the compote.

Spread it evenly with a small offset spatula.

Take your macerated rhubarb slices and cut them to fit the brioche, then lay them on top of the vanilla cream.

There will be a little sugar left on the tray – sprinkle it over the rhubarb.

Finally, using a pastry brush, glaze the edge of the tart with a little egg yolk or milk.

Bake the brioche in the middle of the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 170°C and continue baking for 10 minutes.

Once baked, let it cool completely before unmoulding to avoid damaging it.

Be patient before enjoying it – I recommend leaving it overnight in the fridge so the vanilla cream sets nicely.

And there you have it – a magnificent rhubarb-vanilla brioche!

It will keep for about 2 days in the fridge, well wrapped.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Wishing you a lovely Sunday, food lovers!

Sophie

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