Chocolate Nutella Brioches

I actually really enjoy baking bread. But due to time limitations, I don't really take the time to bake bread as often as I would like to. And also, there's also the factor that I have an innate fear of yeast.

Oh. Oh. And the fact that bread equates carbs. Going low carbs is probably the way to go for losing weight, but I'm in love with everything carbs-y, thus even though I've been exercising regularly for the past few months, I'm just not seeing any weight loss. Sigh. Perhaps it's time to sever loosen my relationship ties with carbs.

Anyway, here is a recipe for the most buttery brioche, that is filled with awesome chocolate, AND nutella. What can I say? These are definitely NOT diet friendly, to say the least.

Chocolate Nutella Brioches

New brioches molds

These were actually very very buttery. I'm not sure if I had proofed it in a too warm environment (in an oven I had preheat then switched off), but pools of melted butter started forming after the first hour of proofing. I removed it from the oven and knead part of the melted butter back into the dough successfully and the dough seemed fine after refrigeration. But I wonder if the stage of kneading melted butter back into the dough had altered the texture of the brioches.

 

The brioches were tasty of course, but it was just a touch buttery. I was expecting more of a fluffy soft texture but it wasn't as fluffy soft as I had wanted it to be. I'm not sure if I should retry the recipe, or just go with a new recipe when I next make brioches.

Those who tried the brioches seemed to like it though. I didn't quite had enough chocolate to wrap the dough with, thus I decided to add Nutella too. It is best to eat these brioches warm, together with a glass of cold milk to offset the sweet filling nestled deep within.

Chocolate Nutella Brioches(adapted from Sari at Cook Your Dream)
(makes 12)

1/3 cup warm milk
1/3 cup warm water
10g instant yeast
450g plain flour
2 tsp (10g) salt
3 large eggs
55g sugar
300g butter, cut into small cubes, softened
60g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
nutella,
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash

In a large bowl mix warm water, warm milk, 1 tsp sugar and yeast. Stir until yeast dissolves and let proof for 10 minutes.
Add flour and salt and mix with a wooden spoon until flour is moistened. Beat in eggs, adding one egg at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding another one.
Add sugar and keep kneading dough until it comes together.
Mix in butter, adding a few cubes at a time, kneading well until each cube is incorporated before adding another cube. This can takes about 10 minutes or more before all butter is fully incorporated. (Dough is fully kneaded when it pulls away form sides of your bowl.)
Transfer the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a towel  and let it rise at room temperature for 1 hours or until double in size. Lift up dough around edges and allow it to deflate.
Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours. Punch the dough down to deflate it every 30 minutes until it stops rising. Cover bowl with a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When you are ready to make brioche, butter the brioche moulds you want to use.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and scrape it out on a floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your palms to form a ball. Flatten each ball of dough and put a few pieces of chocolate together with a small dollop of nutella in the middle of each one. Roll up into a ball shape and place in the buttered brioche mould.
Cover the moulds loosely with a plastic wrap and let rise for two hours at room temperature.
Brush each ball with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven to 180C for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.
Allow brioche to cool for a couple of minutes in the moulds and then transfer onto the cooling rack.