Fluffy brioche swirled with a chocolate-hazelnut filling

Chocolate Hazelnut Brioch

We've filled our fluffy brioche with a chocolatey, nutty filling. You can make this recipe either as two braids or 24 adorable brioche muffins, making them perfect for brunches, special events, as well as beautiful gifts.

prep time:	40 minutes
rest period:	5 hours
baking time:	25-30 minutes
difficulty level:	medium
Rating:
Autor:	Friessinger-Mühle

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Ingredients
Preparation

Dough:

530 g Küchenmeister Wheat Flour T405
100 g sugar
20 g fresh yeast
1 tsp lemon zest
3 large eggs
120 ml lukewarm milk
Pinch of salt
150 g soft butter

Filling:

130 g dark chocolate
120 g butter
120 g ground hazelnuts
30 g cocoa powder

Sugar Syrup:

80 ml water
75 g sugar

Recipe can make 2 loaves, or 24 muffins (alternatively 1 loaf and 12 muffins)

Crumble the yeast into a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar. Pour the milk over the yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Cover and leave to proof for ca. 10 minutes, or until the yeast has become foamy. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and lemon zest, and form a well. Pour the milk and crack the eggs into the well, before mixing well with an electric mixer. Add the salt. Add the butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing well with each addition. Work all the ingredients into a smooth dough. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, for best results overnight.

Melt the butter and the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in the ground hazelnuts and the cocoa. Mix until it forms a thick but spreadable paste.

Grease and lightly flour two loaf pans (alternatively you can line two muffin trays with muffins cups). Take the dough out of the fridge and divide into two equal parts. Leave one half in the fridge while you prepare the other half. Briefly knead the first half of dough. On a well floured surface roll the dough out to a rectangle (40 cm x 30 cm) and spread with half of the chocolate hazelnut mixture, making sure to leave an edge around the outside free of filling. Roll the dough up lengthwise, before cutting the log lengthwise in half (leave 4 cm on one end together). Now twist the two strands together, gently stretching the dough, and making sure the filling is always facing upwards. Curl the log into one of the prepared loaf pans. Prepare the other half of dough in the same way. Cover both loaf pans with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for one hour.

If you want to make brioche muffins, again begin by diving the dough in half. Roll one half out on a well floured surface, and spread with half of the filling. Roll the dough up lengthwise and then slice into 12 equally sized portions. Place each brioche muffin into one of the prepared muffin trays. Prepare the second half of dough in the same way. Cover the muffin trays with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for ca. 40 minutes.

If you are making loaves, preheat the oven to 190°C. Remove the plastic from the loaves and bake for 30 minutes. If the loaves appear to be browning too fast, cover with aluminium foil. For the muffins preheat the oven to 175°C and bake the trays one after another for 25 minutes.

When the loaves/muffins are baking, prepare the sugar syrup. To do so heat the water and the sugar in a small pot until the sugar is fully dissolved. When the loaves/muffins are baked, remove them from the oven and immediately brush with the sugar syrup. Let the loaves/muffins cool in the pans for ca. 15 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack.