Chocolate Brioche

This chocolate brioche recipe takes several steps to ensure the bread is as moist as a regular brioche loaf: it uses the tangzhong method to gelatinize some of the starches, a blooming method to incorporate the cocoa and extra fat. The result is a brioche as good as a regular but tastes of cocoa!

This isn’t a sweet bread (even though it has sugar) it’s basically a brioche that tastes like an unsweetened hot cocoa. It’s great for french toast and anything you’d use a regular brioche for! 

Recipe Origins 

This double chocolate babka has been on the site for over five years now, but it is rooted in more of a challah bread rather than a brioche. It was a great starting point for me in developing this recipe: I kept the extra egg yolk and of course, the step of blooming the cocoa in boiling water. The blooming not only enhances the cocoa flavor but it also helps incorporate the cocoa into the dough with extra moisture. 

But for this recipe I wanted a brioche base which meant instead of oil, we’re using butter. The other recipe I consulted to develop this was this brown butter brioche . Like I do for that bread, I use the tangzhong (a chinese method to make japanese milk bread) method here which is important for getting the flour to hold onto its moisture so it stays softer longer. Cocoa easily dries out a dough and since butter has less moisture than oil, this step is necessary. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Flour: all purpose flour of a medium protein content. If you have bread flour you can use that too. 

Milk: whole milk. 

Water: we will boil the water in order to bloom the cocoa. 

Yeast: active dry yeast or rapid rise (instant) yeast. 

Cocoa: dutch process cocoa. I have not tried this with natural cocoa or black, the acidity levels and fat content in those can lead to changes in the flavor, structure and texture of the bread. 

Sugar: like or dark brown sugar, but fine granulated is fine too. 

Egg and yolk: two whole large eggs plus a yolk from a large egg. Ideally these are at room temperature. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. 

Salt: fine sea salt or kosher salt. If using table salt, halve the amount. 

Butter: it can be salted (if so you may want to reduce the salt in the dough) or unsalted. 

How to make a chocolate brioche 

Make the dough 

Start with the tangzhong: in a small pot add a half of a cup of milk with a quarter of a cup of flour. Set the pot over medium heat and whisk. Keep stirring as it begins to cook and thicken. Once you have a paste consistency (it might be a thick paste) set aside. 

Measure the cocoa into a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Whisk so the cocoa dissolves into the water. Set aside to cool. 

Heat half of a cup of milk until it’s warm to touch then pour it into the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over it and stir gently so it all dissolves. Leave it to bloom for about 5 minutes, it should start to look foamy. 

To the bowl add the flour first, then the sugar, egg and yolks, salt and vanilla. Add the tangzhong and the warm chocolate water and immediately affix the dough hook and start kneading. 

The dough will take some time to come together but once it starts to form around the dough hook, start adding in the softened butter: one pat at a time. Once all the butter is in, knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it clears the sides of the bowl (it will still look wet and shapeless in the bottom of the bowl). 

First Rise 

Oil a large bowl and transfer the dough into it. Toss the dough around a few times to coat it in oil. Cover with plastic wrap to seal. 

Ideally this will rise for around 30-45 minutes at room temperature then be transferred to the fridge for an overnight rise. This gives the dough a longer fermentation for better flavor but it’s also easier to handle it once it’s time to shape. 

If you’re in a hurry though, the dough can rise at room temperature for 2-2.5 hours, until almost doubled. You’ll need to use more flour to help shape it as it will be stickier. 

Shape the Dough 

When the dough has doubled, divide it into two halves. Each half will be make one loaf. 

Divide each half into eight pieces, shape and roll each piece into a small ball. 

Alternatively, roll the pieces out with a rolling pin then roll them up into little logs. 

Oil two loaf pans and arrange the eight balls of dough in the pan: 2×4.

Second Rise 

Cover with a tea towel and let rise at room temperature until you can gently poke it and it doesn’t immediately bounce back but leaves a small indentation and slowly resumes its initial shape; about 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.  

Preheat the oven to 375 F. 

Beat or whisk together an egg yolk and a tablespoon of milk. Brush this over the tops of the loaves, it gives it a lovely sheen. 

Bake the loaves until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 190 F; the loaves will have risen and be dark in color although this is hard to tell with the dark dough so a thermometer is best for accuracy. Baking time will take around 30 minutes or more. 

Once baked, transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. 

How to store leftover brioche 

In a bread box or wrapped with aluminum foil at room temperature the brioche will keep for about two days. 

If you’d like to store it longer, freeze it. Rewarm the bread before serving. 

Chocolate Brioche Recipe 

Chocolate Brioche

Soft buttery brioche made with dutch cocoa powder. This chocolate brioche benefits from a cocoa bloom (for a richer flavor) and a tangzong base, leading to a fluffier bread that stays soft longer.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Rest Time: 12 hours hrs

Yields: 2 loaves

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

• 30g or ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 120g or ½ cup whole milk
• 40g or ½ cup dutch process cocoa
• 120g or ½ cup boiling water
• 1 packet rapid rise or instant yeast
• 120g or ½ cup warm whole milk
• 100g or ½ cup brown sugar
• 620g all purpose flour
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 113g or ½ cup butter softened
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk for the eggwash

Method

• In a small pot or skillet make the roux (tangzhong): add the 30g flour and 120g of milk. Set over medium heat, whisk well, and cook until thickened - a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm 120g of milk and the yeast. Whisk and set aside to bloom (after a few minutes it will turn foamy and bubbly).
• Sift the cocoa into a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it, whisk well.
• Into the bowl of the stand mixer, over the yeast, add the remaining flour, the sugars, salt, vanilla, eggs, cooled tangzhong, and chocolate mix. Affix the dough hook and begin kneading on medium speed until the dough starts to come together around the hook.
• One tablespoon at a time, with the mixer working on low speed, add the butter, waiting about 10 seconds before adding another tablespoon. Leave the mixer to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it is gathering around the dough hook and starting to clear the bowl.
• Oil a large bowl and transfer the chocolate dough into the bowl. Toss the dough around to coat it in oil. Cover with a tea towel or bowl cover and let rise for about half an hour at room temperature then transfer to the fridge to rise overnight. In the morning it should be doubled in size. Alternatively you can do the entire first rise at room temperature though the dough may be harder to work with (stickier).
• When doubled, transfer the dough onto a floured surface. Oil two loaf pans in preparation for the bread.
• Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then place them in the pan so you have eight (in two rows of four balls) balls of dough in each loaf pan.
• Cover the pans with a tea towel then let rise until puffy; when you poke the dough it won’t immediately bounce back but will slowly move back into shape and leave a slight indentation.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Mix an egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or milk. Brush this on top of the doughs. Bake the bread until an instant read thermometer reads 190 F, for about 35 minutes.
• Chocolate brioche keeps well at room temperature, in an airtight container, for a few days.

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