I will unashamedly admit to being a chocoholic. I find it very difficult to resist the stuff, though there are exceptions to this rule. If you do want to put chocolate in front of me and ensure I do not touch it, then give me liqueur filled chocolate or very, very sweet chocolate. These are the two types of chocolate I will not touch! Otherwise, if it’s chocolate (and vegetarian) then I’m game.
You all would know that the HBin5/ Abin5 group bakes bread according to a pre-determined schedule twice every month. Since the middle of this month is celebrated as Valentine’s Day, one of the breads on the schedule was bread with beets! I think it was the colour pink/ red that prompted Michelle to make this suggestion and not the vegetable itself!
The two other breads on the schedule for the first half of this month were a Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread and Chocolate Tangerine Bars.
Now, this bread baking group is pretty flexible and we don’t have to stick to that schedule suggested, which is a very brilliant thing in my opinion. We HBin5/ ABin5 bakers are free to bake any bread of our choice from the books, if we prefer to.
Now we hate beets here and it is one vegetable I have bought only twice in my whole life! Worse still, I really cannot imagine celebrating anything at all with beets, but then that’s just me. So what would I celebrate with? Chocolate of course!
We are a chocolate loving family and we also love bread. Luckily for me, Abin5 doesn’t have a recipe for the Red Beet Buns (that’s in the HBin5).
In keeping with the spirit of the breads on the schedule, I found an alternative in the recipe for “Brioche With Chocolate Ganache” on page 195 of Artisan Bread In 5 Minutes A Day.
I halved the given recipe and then made some changes, mainly reducing the eggs to 3, also reducing the butter a bit and using milk instead of water. I thought these changes would make a difference to the texture of the brioche, but I was very pleasantly surprised to say otherwise.
This dough produces the softest and flakiest brioche I’ve ever eaten, which is not saying a lot as I haven’t eaten very much brioche so far. That aside, I know good bread when I eat it and this is going to be my brioche dough till such time I find a better one.
Can you show me another brioche recipe that doesn’t require you to knead dough at all, yet gives you such a flaky and cake-like brioche? All I used to stir everything was a wooden spoon!
Never having seen this bread before, I’m not sure if mine looks like it ought to. When my brioche came out of the oven, the top layer had split a bit in places to reveal chocolate ganache. I thought this gave my loaf a rustic look, so I decided not to drizzle the loaf with more ganache and left it as it was.
This recipe is adapted from the original recipe in Abin5 and the measurements of various ingredients are as I used them to make my bread. You can find the original brioche recipe from the book on the Abin5 site.
Brioche With Chocolate Ganache: Baking From Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes
Ingredients
For the Brioche dough:
- 3/4 cups milk lukewarm (3% fat)
- 3/4 tbsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 tbsp salt
- 3 eggs , lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup honey
- 150 gm unsalted butter , melted
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
For the Ganache filling:
- 110 g chocolate bittersweet , chopped fine
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter greasing , plus more for pan
- 4 tsps cocoa unsweetened powder
- 4 tbsps honey
- tbsp milk bread a couple of for brushing over the
- sugar granulated for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter with the milk in a 2 1/2 litre bowl or lidded (not airtight) food container. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon. (You can also use a 14-cup capacity food processor or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook.)
- If youu2019re not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour. The dough will be loose but will firm up when chilled. Donu2019t try to work with it before chilling. You may notice lumps in the dough but they will disappear eventually when the bread is baked.
- Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
- The dough can be used as soon as itu2019s chilled after the initial rise. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze the dough in 450g portions in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. When using frozen dough, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before using, then allow the usual rise and rest times.
- To make the Ganache melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave on low, until smooth. Remove from heat, add the butter and stir until incorporated.
- Stir the cocoa and the honey and mix until smooth. Add to the chocolate and butter mixture.
- To shape the bread, lightly butter a 9x4x3-inch nonstick loaf pan (I used a regular 26x10x5cm pan lined with baking paper). Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a grapefruit-sized piece (about 450g)
- Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape in into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Using a rolling pin, roll out the ball into a xbc-inch thick rectangle, dusting with flour as needed.
- Spread 1/2 cup of the ganache evenly over the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch (2.5cm) border all around. Starting at the short end, roll up the dough, being careful to seal the bare edges. Gently tuck the loose ends underneath, elongate into an oval and drop into the prepared pan. Allow to rest 1 hour and 40 minutes.
- Using a pastry brush, paint the top crust with milk. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar.
- Bake the brioche at 180C (350F) for about 35 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the sugar caramelizes. Remove from the pan and cool slightly, then drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup ganache over the top crust. Cool completely and slice.
- This recipe makes two 450gm loaves while the ganache is enough for 1 such loaf. I used half the dough to make 1 loaf and the remaining dough to make mini-brioches.
- I made one loaf with chocolate ganache and left the top without drizzling any more chocolate on it. So what did I do with the remaining ganache? You can guess.......
- This delicious bread goes to this monthu2019s Monthly Mingle which Jamie is hosting with the theme u201cBread and Chocolateu201d. My brioche is also being Yeast Spotted!
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
Yet to bake Brioche, looks lovely with chocolate.
The Brioche looks irresistible!!!! I am a big chocoholic and love dark chocolate like crazy…
This is the second bread I made it from the book and loved it. This looks so so yummilicious.Oh yeah i am a chocoholic, but then ulike you i love liqueur filled chocolate.
It looks fantastic!!!!! I really, really want to mkae my own brioche as I HATE what we get in the stores (though my 4 year old ♥s it), not to mention it costs 2-3Xs the regular price of bread!I am inspired!
This bread looks delicious and so professionally made.Lovely click too.
Always wanted to bake these..With chocolate is a great combination.But I wanted to try those individual brioches, made in a deep flutted tins(like muffin cups).
wooowww….i recently found a recipe for brioche from about.com and noted it down cos i lovvvvvvvvvvvvve brioche…..They are silky smooth and buttery rich!!!And with chocolate, ts simply wowww…….these are my faves and urs has come out better than the store bought ones!beautiful pics aparna!
Oh MY!! that is so yummy looking.. i can SEE the lovely texture!! You are doing pretty well with bread making schedule :)) Kudos to you!
Who can resist chocolate?I sure can’t!!The bread looks divine!
Brioche with chocolate looks simple amazing!
looks fantastic… would love a slice of that for my breakfast now!! you want something that will cure you of your chocolate cravings?? start making chocolates… i am telling you from experience!!
Yum..the bread looks so divine Aparna..:)
That looks so unbelievably good I had to bookmark the recipe right away! Thanks!
hello beautiful. and that’s to you both – brioche and YOU. so gorgeous my dear. I wanna eat it!
Chocolicious..
I am game too, What ever be it chocolate I am there and the dish is gone for good… I always argue, chocoholic is not bad as alcoholic so brioche is my kind now!!!http://memoryarchieved.blogspo…
Yum,yum.. love anything with chocolate…
Oh my word, that looks good. Wow.
Oh wow that looks incredible. am tempted to try this but wish my yeast this time is obedient and rise when instructed 🙁
Love brioche with choco! I like only bitter choco probably like you!
Oh I wish I wasn’t so baking challenged. It looks heavenly. Thank you so much for sharing, Aparna…I’ve heard using beets as an ingredient in cakes disguises their flavor. I wonder…
This is great! I so wanted to try this recipe from the book but the number of eggs scared me away. So glad you made these changes – now I’ll definitely be making it. Love the chocolate swirl! Thanks so much for making this fabulous brioche for my Monthly Mingle!
The bread looks just great
Hmmmm, chocolate! I am with you, if it is chocolate, I can’t resist, but in my case I can drink very limited chocolate liquors, not very many though. That brioche looks amazing, nothing says I love you better than chocolate, right?
Hello Pratibha…This Chocolate Ganache looks gr8!I have some awards waiting for you at my blog. Pls collect
Süper lezzetli bir ekmek!
I loved the Brioche oozing with chocolate. What better way to pamper one taste buds. Yummy!
Just twice in your entire life, beets? Amazing!
Ozoz, didn’t know they were so expensive in stores there.Sumi you could do this in mini moulds too. Just put the ganache in the middle.Thanks, Asha. :)Really, Arundati? Maybe chocolate making will cure me of my addiction. And have to put those moulds to use!Louise, just made Red Velvet Cakes with beets. Couldn’t taste the beets at all.My pleasure, Jamie.You said it, Ben.Thank you, Vaishali. Btw, think you got names mixed up. I’m not Prathiba. :)Yes, Sra. Unbelievable?
A great recipe to keep me busy this weekend!!!! Thanks Aparna, this brioche looks delicious…And Happy Valentine’s Day!Sawadee from Bangkok,Kis
I’m delighted to hear you made made Red Velvet Cakes with beets. I saw the most colorful beets in Wegman’s this morning. They were almost orange but not quite deep red. I picked them up and questioned myself so I put them back. Dang!!! I’m off to check to see if you posted your recipe. Thanks for letting me know, Aparna…
Wow that is just amazing! It is making me think I need to go buy ABinFive as well! You know what would go great on this? Peanut butter.
OH MY GOSH Aparna! This Brioche with Ganache looks super fantastic! Just so pretty!
What a great looking brioche! Love the way it split on the top to reveal the ganache! Until I made the WW brioche I had never tasted and certainly never made any brioche…now you have me wanting to try the one in my ABin5 as well!
mhm, yum, ….dripdripdrip…I am on my way for an early breakfast!
I think the split on the top made the bread look very delish. butter,brioche and ganache oh my!
I love your bread! I’ve made this from the first book as well and added their almond paste and you think you just stepped into a cafe in Paris.
Wow, just gorgeous! Thanks for the tips on cutting down on the eggs. I was tempted to do that, but unsure if it would work.I’d love to know how you put the title of your blog on your picture. Maybe you will post that to the group? I am new at blogging, and so are some others.THANKS!!!!
Wow, just gorgeous! Thanks for the tips on cutting down on the eggs. I was tempted to do that, but unsure if it would work.I’d love to know how you put the title of your blog on your picture. Maybe you will post that to the group? I am new at blogging, and so are some others.THANKS!!!!
YUM!! I mean you have some serious yummy stuff going on there. I haven’t seen that recipe in my ABin5 book but you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be looking it up now.
i am like you, aparna, i hate liquer filled chocolate and over-sweetened chocolate, too. i had a hand injury a while back so I cannot knead, so thank you thank you for posting this recipe. i’d love to make this. x shayma
Thanks, once again, for all your comments here.Louise, here we get only the very red kind of beets. Not our favourite but it worked well in the cupcakes.Peanut butter and chocolate is good, Joanne.Almond paste? Should try that, Christie.Judy, I halved the recipe so that bbrought down the eggs to half and then reduced them some more. :)Have posted the info at the forums.The recipe’s there Danielle, at the back.Shayma, Don’t let that stop you from baking bread. I tend to use my food processor for most doughs. You can too.
Wow! That looks yummy! I may have to try that. Beautiful photo!
I loved the chocolate espresso bread and thought about making it again but I think you just changed my mind. This looks amazing and I want(need?)some now.
This looks so good! I also bake often from ABinFive. I have been enjoying getting acquainted with your blog.
Your brioche looks truly delicious. I was thinking about making a loaf too when I’d planned on making brioche, but decided to go with individual muffin size ones. Great photo.
I’ve never baked bread! But this looks completely like a loaf cake. A delicious one, at that. I’m confused!