Chocolate Chip Brioche

Light and fluffy brioche filled with chocolate chips, this Chocolate Chip brioche is perfect for snacking, breakfast, or turning the leftovers into french toast!

Can this cake be made in advance?

This brioche will last a few days in an airtight bag at room temperature! That being said it is most delicious eaten day of! You can also freeze it in an airtight bag and then defrost at room temp overnight. My favorite thing to do with the leftovers is to make french toast!

What pan should I use?

This brioche will work in almost any shape and any pan. For this recipe I’ve split it into two loaves and baked them in these 1 lb metal loaf pans. But you could also bake them in 9″ x 5″ loaf pans or shape it into one big boule and bake it in a dutch oven or a round metal pan. Either way I recommend baking it in a metal pan for the best heat distribution!

How to get a super fluffy, soft, brioche?

To create a brioche soft enough to use as a cake, you want it to include egg, butter, and milk and give it time to get nice and puffy before baking.

Which type of chocolate chips should I use?

This is one of the few times in baking where I recommend using chocolate chips instead of chopped up chocolate! We want them to hold their shape within the loaf so using chocolate chips is best. I recommend semi-sweet or darker chocolate chips, milk chocolate will make this loaf quite sweet.

You may also like…

• Pain Suisse Babka
• Cardamom Babka
• Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Tips for making a Chocolate Chip Brioche

• Make sure the egg and butter for the dough are both at room temperature and the salt doesn’t directly touch the yeast.
• The brioche can be made the night before but is best made day of. That being said you could make the dough the night before, immediately wrap it up, and put it in the fridge overnight. Then shape and bake the brioche in the morning.
• When making yeasted dough, ensure that you allow your mixer to fully knead the dough, until it forms a smooth ball and the sides of the bowl are cleaned.
• I recommend semi-sweet or darker chocolate chips, milk chocolate will make this loaf quite sweet.
• For this recipe I’ve split it into two loaves and baked them in these 1 lb metal loaf pans. But you could also bake them in 9″ x 5″ loaf pans or shape it into one big boule and bake it in a dutch oven or a round metal pan. Either way I recommend baking it in a metal pan for the best heat distribution!
• You can really shape this brioche however you want, you can twist it, do three portions like I did, braid it like challah – the options are endless!
• Make sure to bake until fully golden brown on top – if you under bake it, it may collapse.
• You’ll want to tip the brioche out no more than 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven, otherwise the steam can cause it to soften and collapse.

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
• Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough.
• Yeast: In this recipe, instant yeast is used. If you are using active dry, simply whisk it in with the warm milk and let it sit for 10 minutes first and then add in the remaining ingredients.
• Salt: Fine sea salt is used to balance out the sweetness and enhance the flavors of the dough.
• Milk: Whole milk is used for the dough, I believe non-dairy milks will work too but I haven’t tested it.
• Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. There is one whole egg in the dough as well as one egg for the egg wash.
• Butter: Butter is used in the dough to add moisture and richness into the brioche. I recommend Kerrygold salted butter for this.
• Vanilla: A little vanilla extract is used to flavor the dough.
• Chocolate Chips: Semi sweet chocolate chips are perfect for this recipe but anything darker will work too! I wouldn’t recommend milk chocolate though as they will make this loaf quite sweet.

How to make a Chocolate Chip Brioche

Chocolate Chip Brioche

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour, sugar, and yeast; whisk to combine.
• Sprinkle in the salt. Then add in the egg and egg yolk, warm milk, butter and vanilla extract.
• Use a dough hook to knead everything together on medium low speed for 15-20 minutes until the dough has smooth edges and the bowl is clean.
• Pour in the chocolate chips and knead the dough by hand. First in the bowl and then on the counter.
• Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the mixing bowl. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and set somewhere slightly warm to double in size approximately 45 min – 1 hr.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.

Shape

• Once the dough is puffy, knock the air out and divide it into two portions.
• Working with one portion of dough at a time, divide it into 3 equal parts.
• Starting with one of the 3, pat the dough into a disk with your fingers. Working in a clockwise circle, bring the edges of the dough into the center to create a round ball. Do not use any extra flour when doing this.
• Flip the dough ball over so the seam is on the counter top. Use the outer edges of your hands to cup around the base of the ball. Gently pull and turn the ball of dough towards yourself, keeping the seam side on the counter, until the surface of the dough is taught.
• Using the same edges of your hands, rotate the dough in a clockwise circle on the work surface to twist and seal the open seam of the dough.
• Repeat with the two remaining portions of dough. Place all three next to each other into a 1 lb metal loaf pan. Drape a piece of plastic or a kitchen towel over the top and set aside to proof.
• Repeat the above steps with the other half of the dough.
• They will take between 30-45m minutes to proof, the dough should reach the top edges of the pan. The dough should also not spring back if poked, if it does, leave it to proof a bit longer.

Bake

• Once the dough is puffy and the oven is hot, make the egg wash by whisking an egg with a sprinkle of salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Brush the egg wash over the top of both of the loaves.
• Bake the brioche loaves for 15 minutes. Then rotate 180 degrees and bake for another 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
• Once baked, remove the pans from the oven. Leave to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then tip them out of the pans and leave to cool completely before cutting into or storing.

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