Brioche star bread with chocolate
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Makes: 1 bread 25 cm acrros
 
Ingredients
Dough
  • 70 gr milk
  • 14 gr dried yeast
  • 50 gr sugar
  • 8 eggs
  • 670 gr white bread flour
  • 12 gr salt
  • 400 gr soft butter
Extra
  • 200 gr chocolate spread
  • 1 egg
Instructions
Dough
  1. Combine the lukewarm milk with the yeast and sugar. Mix to combine.
  2. Add the eggs and mix to combine using a hand held mixer with the dough hooks.
  3. Add the flour and salt and mix for a couple of minutes until you’ve got a smooth dough.
  4. Add the soft butter in portions while continuing to mix until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  5. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, let the dough rest and rise for 1 hour min covered with cling film.
  6. Knock the dough back and store the dough in the fridge until needed and cold enough to handle, preferably overnight.
Shaping
  1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and gently warm the chocolate spread in the microwave to make it easier to spread.
  2. Divide the dough in four. While keeping the other three dough balls in the fridge, roll out the first ball to a circle measuring 30 cm in diameter. Place on the baking paper an spread with the chocolate spread, making sure to leave about 1 cm of free border all around.
  3. Roll out the second circle, place on top of the first one and press the border with your fingers to join them together. Cover again with chocolate spread (always leaving a little border).
  4. Repeat with the third dough ball. Roll out the remaining one and use it to cover the stack but do not spread it with chocolate.
  5. Position a cup in the middle to avoid cutting too far. Divide the dough in four, cut them again half and in half again to have sixteen sections that all are the same size. It's extremely important that you don't cut the centre of the disc.
  6. Take two sections that are next to each other and turn them twice in opposite directions and pinch the edges. Repeat the operation with the remaining sections.
  7. Cover the star loosely with a clean cloth and let the dough rise, about 1.5-2 hours, in a draft free spot until doubled in size
  8. Preheat in the meantime the oven to 160˚C. Beat the egg, brush it gently onto the bread and bake in the oven for 40 min or until golden brown and fully cooked.
  9. Remove from the tray and let cool down slightly before cutting.
Stuff to know
Brioche is a classic French bread that is rich in eggs and butter. Use a hand held mixer to knead since the dough is too soft and sticky to handle. Cooling the dough in the fridge until really cold makes it easier to handle.
Use for instance a dinner plate to cut circles that all have the same diameter.
The milk is at the right temperature when it is not hot nor cold to the touch or it will kill the yeast.
The dough should not be too warm during proving to keep the butter from oozing out.
It is possible to freeze the dough after the first rise or the keep it (overnight) in the fridge.

Recipe by Jeroen Valkenier Recipes at https://jpvalkenier.com/brioche-star-bread-with-chocolate/