chocolate brioche

I was craving chocolate croissants this week.  Most of my chocolate bread type things are not as simple as a chocolate croissant.  I admit that I have tried chocolate croissant recipes.  Tasty but not quite right.  This time I decided to go with a chocolate brioche.  But I wanted it simpler then my brioche au chocolat.  No pastry cream added. 

I decided to play.

A simple sugar chocolate brioche.  Small so not to overwhelming.  Because I have come across brioche and croissants now that are as big as your face.  Not good.

I also played with rising times.

They turned out decadent.  I will have to make these again.

chocolate sugar brioche

sourdough starter

3/4 cup water

1 cup flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

11 tablespoons butter at room temperature

about 3 cups flour (I used all purpose)

1 cup chocolate chips, mini one

sugar for topping, about 1/2 cup

The night before (or at least eight hours), put the sourdough, 3/4 cup water, and 1 cup flour in a large bowl.  Mix well, cover, and leave over night or until bubbly.  Pull out a couple of tablespoons of starter and put in the refrigerator for next time.

Into the sponge, add the sugar, eggs, butter, and 2 cups of  flour.  Mix well.  Cover and let sit until bubbly.  It should be about an hour or two.

Mix in the salt and 1 cup of flour.  It should be a stiff dough.  Knead it until smooth.  Sometimes this takes a tad extra flour, but try not to add too much.

Cover and let rise until double.  Punch down and let rise until double again.  Gather up into a ball, put in a ziploc, and let rise at least twelve hours if not twenty four.  I seemed to get a better end product doing this.

A half hour to an hour before shaping, pull the dough out of the refrigerator so you do not break your hands.  That is how stiff the dough will be.

Butter eighteen mini muffin pans.  Mine are the cast iron ones.  Take a golf ball size lump of dough.  Flatten.  Place 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips in the middle.  Bring the dough up over the chocolate and make sealed ball.  Roll in sugar.  Place in the muffin cup.  Continue until all the dough is gone.  Cover and let rise until puffy.

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or golden.  I just popped them in without preheating.

Add tea.  Yum.