Chocolate Brioche by Colin Wood

The day after we left NYC, our neighbour and friend, Daniel Eddy opened his cafe/bakery “Winner” in Park Slope, Brooklyn. A kind and caring person, Danny’s food, personality, and care for his community is inspiring, and we were saddened that we wouldn't see it flourish and get to eat the amazing ham and cheese croissants that he and his team baked daily.

 

As a homage to what they are doing, I made a brioche version for my family and with a niece and three nephews, it seemed highly appropriate to make a Pain au Chocolat version much the same as they do at “Winner”

Ingredients

250gm Cake or OO Flour
5g Salt
25g Sugar
8g Fresh yeast
45ml Milk
125g Egg
50g Butter in small cubes + 145g butter
300g Hunted & Gathered 76% Chocolate buttons

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Warm the milk to blood temperature and activate the yeast. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mix and start the mixer. Add beaten eggs one at a time until a dough forms. Slowly add cubed soft butter until incorporated, and the dough is glossy.

2. Prove the dough for 1 hour. Deflate the dough slightly and place it in the fridge overnight.

3. Form a butter block with 145g of butter. Fold the butter block into the dough. Perform 4-5 folds, with at least 45 minutes of rest between each fold. Rest the dough overnight.

4. Roll out the dough until it is about 4mm thick. Cut the dough into rectangles about 9cm wide by 18cm long. Place around 25g of chocolate at the bottom of each rectangle. Roll up the dough, keeping the chocolate inside, and brush the top with egg wash to seal. Place the pastries in the freezer for around 2 hours or keep them frozen until needed.

5. Remove the pastries from the freezer and prove them on a bench for around 6 hours, or overnight so they are ready to bake in the morning.

6. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly brush the pastries with egg wash, being careful. Bake the pastries for 8 minutes, then turn the tray and bake for another 8 minutes. Pull out the pastries and rest them on a rack.

To Serve:

Once slightly cooled, dust the pastries with Hunted & Gathered cacao. Enjoy the pastries still warm with a little whipped cream.