Chocolate Chip Brioche

5 from 3 votes

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

Prep Time45

Cook Time25

Proofing1 30

Total Time2 40

Course: Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Keyword: brioche, chocolate chip

Servings:

Calories: 361kcal

Equipment

Stand Mixer
8.5" x 4.5" metal loaf pan same as a 1lb loaf pan!

Ingredients

Brioche

500 grams all purpose flour
60 grams granulated sugar
12 grams instant yeast
300 grams whole milk
1 egg large, room temp
1 egg yolk large, room temp
60 grams salted butter soft
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
250 grams semisweet chocolate chips

Egg Wash

1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

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.

Notes

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.

Nutrition