Brioche with Crème Pâtissière

Created by Chef Caroline Achard

A traditional brioche with a pastry cream seems simple right? Well it is when you use Panibois wood baking molds. Not only do they offer immense value in the kitchen, but they also leave a very small ecological footprint. Created from natural Aspen tree farms, Panibois wood baking molds are the ideal element to creating all your cooking and baking recipes.

The ease of use with Panibois lies within its design. You aren’t heating a pan that cooks your pastries from the bottom, rather the hot air circulates throughout and does all the work. You can quite literally grab a Panibois right out of a 425°F oven without getting burned (although we always recommend you wear oven mitts). In addition, Panibois are 100% biodegradable, offer prepping, proofing, and baking, can be customized and come in many shapes and sizes. Oh, and we forgot to mention that you can bake, steam, freeze, refrigerate and microwave in your mold. Don’t worry about trying to utilize 4 different pans to create a recipe when you only need one.

We are proud to present our:

Baking with Panibois, Video Series: Featuring Chef Caroline Achard (@les_ateliers_de_caro)

Missed our other two video recipes created by Chef Caroline? Click above to check them out

Brioche is often served as a pastry or the basis of a dessert with many local variations in added ingredients, fillings, and toppings. Brioche can also be used with savory preparations, although you’ll most commonly find it paired with foie gras, it is used in other various meat dishes.

So how do you go about creating a delicious brioche?

The basics: Brioche are a yeast-raised product enriched with butter and eggs, and sometimes sweetened with sugar. This formula creates a flaky pastry-like texture. It’s a flavorful and tender artisan good that is almost at the joining point between pastry and bread.

Brioche can have several shapes such as braided, roll, and loaf-type. When first created, brioche was used for special occasions such as weddings or baptisms. What was once considered a celebration bread can now be found at almost any bakery worldwide.

Although other methods do exist, production of brioche usually follows the sponge and dough process, as chef Caroline has done for this great recipe. The brioche with sponge offers all the advantages that accompany long fermentation. This helps to boost flavor profile, improves the flour hydration, and extends the shelf-life of the finished product. Not only does this process offer all of these excellent perks, it also follows the creation process of traditional brioche. To add to the wonderful flavor profile Chef Caroline Achard included a rich pastry cream and chocolate pieces to enhance the brioche.

The final product is proofed and baked inside our Octopuce wooden baking molds. Click the link to check them out! Tag us on Instagram @Technobake if you’re re-creating this amazing recipe, we love to share!

Let’s get to it.

INGREDIENTS

BRIOCHE SPONGE

85 ml (1/3 cup) Warm Whole Milk
20g (5 tsp) fresh yeast or 7g (1 3/4 tsp) dry yeast
1 large egg
300g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) all purpose flour

BRIOCHE DOUGH

The Sponge
75g sugar (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
1 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
200g (1 1/2 cup) flour
170g (1 3/8 cup) unsalted butter - room temp, diced

CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE

16 oz (2 cups) whole milk
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
120g egg yolks (6)
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
50g (5 tbsp) cornstarch
50g (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) unsalted butter

PREPARATION

BRIOCHE SPONGE

Pour the warm milk, yeast, egg, and half of the flour into the bowl of your bread machine.
Mix the ingredients together with the machine or mixer just until everything is blended.
Turn off the kneading and sprinkle the remaining dough over the flour to cover the sponge.
Set aside for 15 to 40 minutes, or until it has risen and the flour coating has cracked
You now have your sponge base.

CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE

In a pot under medium heat, bring the milk & Vanilla to a boil.
Meanwhile, mix egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch.
Pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture and stir, then pour everything back into the pot, under medium heat.
Continue to mix without stopping to thicken the cream.
Once thickening, turn off heat and continue whisking until cream is thick and consistent.
Transfer the cream to a shallow dish, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and cool down in the refrigerator for at least an hour before use.
Before using, whisk the cream to smoothen.

BRIOCHE DOUGH

Add sugar, salt, beaten eggs, and flour to the sponge mixture.
Put your bread machine on the "dough" program and knead for approximately 10 min (or until the dough is coming off the edges of the bowl).
Gradually add diced warm butter to the dough with the kneading program on (a few tbsp at a time until completely incorporated).
Each time you add butter the dough will fall apart and come back together.
When all of the butter is well incorporated, you'll have a nice smooth dough that is coming off the sides of the bread machine bowl.
Butter a large bowl and transfer your brioche dough to it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight or at least 4 to 6 hours until it has doubled in size.
If you want to use the dough right after this rise, wrap it airtight and store it in the freezer.

SHAPE YOUR BRIOCHE DOUGH

Roll out your dough onto a floured surface with a rolling pin.
Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.
Roll the dough in a rectangle, and fold it to the middle lengthwise.
Roll the dough again in a rectangle and now fold it widthwise.
Finally, roll the dough to a rectangle approximately 16" - 12" wide.

FINISH

Spread your crème pâtissière leaving a half inch border around the edge.
Sprinkle with chocolate chunks and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log.
With the seam side down, cut the log into 8 to 12 equal pieces and place them into previously buttered Octopuce wood baking molds
Let rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

BAKING

While brioche is rising, preheat the oven to 350° F.
Mix 1 egg + a tablespoon of water in a small bowl and brush the brioche with it.
Sprinkle the top of the dough with pearl sugar.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (the cooking time depends on the shape and size of your brioche).
If you see your brioche darkens too much, cover halfway through the cooking time with aluminum foil.
To check if the brioche is baked through you can plunge a thermometer or a knife into the center of it.
Thermometer should read between 180 - 200° F or your knife should come clean.
Pull your Panibois wood baking mold out of the oven and transfer to a rack when finished and let cool before eating!

Although it may seem like a lot of hard work, the end result is worth it. Prep the dough in advance and make the pastry cream an hour beforehand to serve this beautiful pastry at your next gathering. Better yet, you can bake and package the brioche directly in a baking mold to make a great gift for family or friends. We are merely providing a foundation for an amazing brioche, feel free to add your own techniques and ingredients, share with us and be sure to comment below with questions or to let us know what you think of this great recipe!

Download PDF Recipe

Brioche with Crème Pâtissière