The Baked Bite: Chocolate Chip Brioche Buns

I absolutely love cinnamon rolls, morning buns, and chocolate chip cookies. I not only love to eat all of these delicious things, but I also quite enjoy baking them. There is something supremely satisfying about the thump — thwack of the dough hitting the sides of the mixer, of rolling out dough into a flat rectangle and then transforming it into a cinnamon-ey log, of watching chocolate chips melt perfectly into a scrumptious cookie. I decided to combine all of these loves into an incredible morning treat: chocolate chip brioche buns.

The brioche dough for this recipe was adapted from Joanne Chang’s incredible cookbook- Pastry Love, but the rest of the recipe comes directly from my own imagination (and/or tastebuds!) This recipe requires a stand mixer (seriously, do not try to do this by hand), but otherwise it’s relatively easy. You MUST follow the directions to a T, however. If you do, I promise you’ll pull off something super delicious and impressive.

These buns do require a bit of prep time, so here is my recommended schedule:

• Night before you want to have the buns: begin the recipe (i.e. prepare the dough). Then chill overnight.

• 7 AM (the day you want the buns): Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out, add filling, and set out to rise for two hours.

• 9 AM-10 AM: Bake the buns, let cool, and then glaze.

• 10 AM onwards: ENJOY!!

The Recipe: Chocolate Chip Brioche Buns

Note: This recipe is relatively small batch, but you can double the recipe easily. If you do this, I recommend using a bench scraper to split the dough in half, right before you roll it out, so you have enough counter space. Then place one half of the dough back in the fridge while you roll the first half out and prepare the buns. Use one recipe worth of filling for this first half. Repeat the steps with the second half.

Ingredients:

For the buns:

• 2 cups/275 g all-purpose flour

• 1 & 1/8 tsp active dry yeast

• 1/6 cup/32 g granulated sugar

• 1 & 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 9 tbsp/128 g unsalted butter (1 & 1/8 stick)

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup/57 g unsalted butter, softened

• 1 & 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

• 2/3 cup/135 g light brown sugar

• 1 orange, zested (optional)

• 1 cup/170 g chocolate chips

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup/113 g unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup/80 g whole milk

• 1/4 cup/50 g light brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Making the Brioche Dough (adapted from Pastry Love by Joanne Chang):

1. About an hour before you want to start baking, remove the butter and eggs from the fridge. Cut the butter into square pieces. Allow to rest for one hour at room temperature.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, eggs, and 1/4 cup (60g) cold water. Attach the dough hook.

3. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl to ensure the ingredients are fully combined.

4. After the ingredients are combined, mixed for another four minutes.

5. With the mixer still on low, one by one add the butter pieces to the bowl and continue mixing for about 5-8 minutes. Ensure each piece is fully integrated until you add the next one.

6. Once the butter has been fully integrated, increase the mixer speed to medium. Mix the dough for 15 minutes. The dough will be sticky and shiny.

7. After 15 minutes, increase the speed to medium high and mix for one minute.

8. Pull some of the dough with two fingers, towards you. The dough should stretch a bit. If it breaks off immediately, continue to mix it for two minutes and try again. If it has no stretch and resembles pancake batter, add a few tbsp of flour and mix until it comes together and try the stretch test again.

9. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface of the dough so a skin does not form. Let the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight (at least six hours). After this overnight proof, the dough will be ready.

Preparing the Buns:

1. Make the dough and allow it to proof overnight in the fridge.

2. Take a slightly softened stick of butter and rub it all around the bottoms and sides of the cups in a standard, 12-cup muffin tin. You will only need six spaces, however, so if you have a half-size muffin tin, you can use that.

3. Make the filling: mix together the cinnamon and light brown sugar in a small bowl. Add the orange zest if using, and rub together with your fingers until fragrant.

4. Spread flour over a clean work surface. Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap it, and place it on the floured surface. Roll it into a rectangle about 10 inches wide, 12 inches long, and 1/4 inch thick.

5. Using an offset spatula or knife, spread the softened butter all over the rectangle. Then, using your fingers, flick the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the buttered dough. Finally, drop the chocolate chips evenly over the rectangle.

6. Beginning at the top of the rectangle, roll the dough toward you creating a log, until the entire rectangle is rolled up. Trim about 1/4 inch off of both ends of the roll.

7. Cut the roll into six even pieces, about 2.5 inches wide. For this step, you can use either a very sharp chef’s knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss (my preferred method). If you use the floss, carefully slide it underneath the log and then pull the sides up together to cut the log. If you use a chef’s knife, just work quickly when you cut so you do not smush the rolls.

8. Place each roll into a muffin tin cup, cut side down. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a draft-free place for two hours. Though you will only need 6 of the cups, I recommend baking the buns next to each other (so fill up one side of the tin).

9. About 30 minutes before the buns are done proofing, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

10. When you are ready, bake the buns for 10 minutes. At this point, quickly open the oven, rotate the pan. At the same time, use a long metal spatula to push firmly down on the centers of the buns, so they flatten and are prevented from popping out. Bake for another 12 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown. The chocolate may bubble up and spill over in some tins, but do not worry about it.

11. When the buns are ready, remove them from the oven. Place the muffin tin on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes or so. While the buns are cooling, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, carefully turn the muffin pan over so the buns fall out and are upside down on the parchment paper. Then, using a clean towel or your fingers if you’re brave, carefully flip the buns back over so they are upright. At this point, prepare the glaze.

12. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add all the ingredients for the glaze and whisk the mixture softly, until it begins to simmer. Once it simmers, immediately remove from heat and pour over the buns. Ideally, you will do this when the buns are still slightly warm, so the flavor of the glaze gets absorbed.

13. Once the buns have fully cooled, serve immediately. The buns will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for one day, but they are best right after they are prepared.