No matter how crazy life has been lately, and how poorly I’ve been staying on top of making regular posts, there is nothing that could make me miss out on celebrating World Bread Day. What could be more glorious than a whole event created simply to celebrate all that is baked and doughy? This occasion calls for something special, and I have just the thing…

Chocolate brioche, anyone? Inspired by my initial success with basic brioche some time ago now, I couldn’t help but push the envelope just a little bit further, and delve deeper into this decadent bread that tastes like cake. There’s no mistaking this loaf for a hearty breakfast bread, much in contrast to my most recent offering, but the lure of that voluptuous ribbon of pure chocolate swirled within is almost too much to resist; it may very well end up on the breakfast table all the same!

Even if you don’t drop everything and bake this beauty today, take some time to celebrate your “daily bread.” Happy World Bread Day, everyone!

Yield: Makes 1 Loaf; 10 Servings

Chocolate Brioche

Name: Chocolate Brioche
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 1
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1/4 Cup Chocolate Non-Dairy Milk; 1 (1/4-Ounce) Packet Active Dry Yeast; 1/2 Cup Bread Flour; 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar; 3 Cups Bread Flour; 2/3 Cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder; 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt; 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon; 1 Pound Silken Tofu; 1/4 Cup Vegan Butter, at Room Temperature; 6 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Chopped; 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

If you're craving bread that tastes like cake, this could be the loaf of your life. You get a ribbon of pure chocolate swirled through every tender cocoa-infused slice for double chocolate bliss.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours

Ingredients

Sponge:

1/4 Cup Chocolate Non-Dairy Milk
1 (1/4-Ounce) Packet Active Dry Yeast
1/2 Cup Bread Flour
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

Dough:

3 Cups Bread Flour
2/3 Cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Pound Silken Tofu
1/4 Cup Vegan Butter, at Room Temperature

Chocolate Swirl:

6 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

Instructions

To begin the sponge, briefly warm the non-dairy milk for just 30 – 60 seconds in the microwave, and then sprinkle in the yeast. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, and then mix in the sugar and flour. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow the sponge to rest for 30 – 45 minutes until it appears bubbly.
When the sponge is ready, move it into the bowl of your stand mixer, and add the flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for a minute, and add in the chocolate silken creations. Continue to stir slowly until the dry goods seem to be mostly incorporated, and then increase to medium speed, beating the dough for 5 minutes.
Switch to the dough hook attachment, and continue mixing on a low speed. Slowly begin to incorporate the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until no pieces are visible throughout the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and dough hook as needed to make sure that the dough is completely homogeneous.
Let rest for 10 minutes before turning the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Kneed by hand for approximately 10 minutes, adding flour as needed, until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place for 2 – 3 hours, until doubled in volume.
Once risen, punch the dough down, scrape it out of the bowl and onto a lightly floured surface. Press it out gently but firmly with your knuckles into a rectangle, about 15 x 7 inches.
For the chocolate swirl, place the chocolate and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until you achieve a coarse but fine meal. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the rectangle of dough, leaving an inch of one of the short sides clear. Press the chocolate in lightly, and roll the dough up, ending at the clear strip to seal the roll. Pinch the edge together, and place the loaf, seam-side down, in a lightly greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Place in a warm area, and let rise once more for 45 – 60 minutes.
As the loaf nears the end of its second rise, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until well-browned and has an internal temperature of 200 degrees.
Let cool completely before slicing.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 410Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 339mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 4gSugar: 21gProtein: 12g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

Had you read through the last post carefully, you may have noticed where I casually mentioned brioche croutons. Yes, such a detail could easily be overlooked, uninteresting as it sounds on the surface, but there is really much more to it than just a few token cubes of stale bread. Brioche is a baker’s best friend, capable of applying itself in so many dessert applications that I couldn’t begin to list them all; a true work horse of the pastry kitchen. Of course, such versatility comes at a hefty price- About half a dozen eggs and a half pound of butter, minimum, for traditional recipes.

Well, after avoiding this delicious dilemma for so long, I could no longer stand having such a gaping hole in my recipe box, and I decided it was high time to tackle this challenge. After all, I’m no newbie with yeast, and how different could it be from any other bread?

When the first brioche à tête came out of the oven, well-browned and smelling amazing, I was ready to call it a day and make some serious french toast. Waiting impatiently until it was merely warm to the touch, the first slice revealed a soft, golden interior, locked within a flaky, buttery crust. Completely unlike any bread I had previously tasted, it was truly like a yeasted cake with a tender crumb. What fantastic luck, to have created vegan brioche so easily!

Oh, but then, it was that second slice that put the brakes on my rejoicing. Cutting away closer to the center, it was not merely moist or somewhat under-baked, but the core of this rounded loaf was positively raw. Gooey beyond repair, and completely inedible. So much for my marvelous brioche.

Luckily, all was not lost and that’s not the end of the story. I had taken out some extra insurance and baked a standard loaf alongside at the same time! Much to my relief, the loaf had no sad streaks to speak of, and was just as delicious. So while I may not have used a standard recipe or form for this brioche, what matters most is the taste, and let’s just say that this cake-like bread didn’t last the weekend!

Should you still want to make brioche à tête, you will need to modify this recipe by baking at a lower temperature for a longer time, but I can’t give you specifics on that just yet. If you attempt this, let me know how it goes!

Yield: Makes 2 Loaves; 16 Servings

Brioche

This vegan brioche has a soft, golden interior, locked within a flaky, buttery crust, without any eggs or dairy in the mix.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 12 hours

Total Time 13 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea) Flour
1 3/4 Cups Plain Non-Dairy Milk
1 .6-Ounce Cake Fresh Yeast or 1 (1/4 Ounce) Packet Active Dry Yeast
4 Cups Bread Flour
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Black Salt (Kala Namak)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Plain Vegan Creamer or Plant-Based Cream
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Vegan Butter, Cut into Small Cubes

Instructions

Place the garbanzo bean flour in a medium saucepan and stir in a small amount of the non-dairy milk to form a paste. Once smooth, add in the rest of the milk, and whisk thoroughly. Cook over medium heat for about 5 – 10 minutes, until bubbles begin to break on the surface and the mixture feels significantly thickened. Turn off the heat, and continue to whisk occasionally for the next 10 minutes to help it cool down without forming a skin on top. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the garbanzo mixture, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes, until just barely warm to the touch.
In your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, crumble the yeast into the flour, and mix briefly to incorporate all the pieces. Add in the sugar and salts, and mix once more. Once cooled enough that it won’t kill the yeast, (less than 120 degrees) scrape the garbanzo and milk “pudding” in and begin to mix on low speed. Combine the creamer and vinegar together before introducing them to the main mixing bowl as well.
Once you have all of the dry and wet ingredients incorporated but the dough is still weak in structure, begin to add in the butter, a few cubes at a time. They should get folded in to a point that you can’t see them any more, but be patient because it takes time. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes once it seems smooth.
After it has rested, dump the dough out onto a clean surface. DO NOT use extra flour here, despite how sticky the dough is. Simply use a bench scraper if you can’t get it off the counter. Kneed it briefly by hand, stretching and folding it to strengthen the structure, for about 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, and cover it lightly with a towel. Place it in the fridge and let it rise overnight, between 8 and 12 hours.
In the morning, cut the dough in half, and then cut each half into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball, and then place 3 balls all lined up evenly in a lightly greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a towel again, and let the loaves rest in a warm place for around 2 1/2 hours, until doubled or tripled in volume. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees as your loaves near the end of their rising time, and lightly brush them with vegan egg wash. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until well-browned and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the loaves rest in the pans for 5 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool.