The Cookbook Challenge No. 4: Love
So many choices for this fortnight's theme as there are so many things food things I love including anything French, anything wrapped in pastry - anything that involves the words "High Tea" - and the list goes on and on.
But as I was heading off to watch Shakespeare in the Park's - A Comedy of Errors a few weekends back (as previously mentioned here), which involved a great night out with two of my favourite people in the world, I decided to use the opportunity to dedicate dessert to this crazy little theme called love...
Brioche with Chocolate Centres
Cookbook: Marie Claire Dining Author: Donna Hay
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2 cups plain flour | 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast | 1/2 cup warm milk | 1 tsp vanilla essence | 3 tbsp sugar | 2 egg yolks | 125g butter, softened and chopped | 8 large chunks of dark chocolate (abut 15g each)
- Place flour and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Place warm mil, vanilla and sugar in a separate bowl and mix until combined. Add milk mixture and egg yolks to flour and beat on medium speed until dough is a smooth ball. Continue beating, adding butter, a little at a time, until it is all incorporated and well beaten.
- Cover dough and set aside for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until it is soft and elastic, then divide it into 8 pieces. Flatten dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Place a piece of chocolate in the middle of dough and fold over excess dough to enclose.
- Place brioche in greased and floured dariole moulds or brioche tins, cover and set aside for 1 hour or until it is well risen. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees oven for 15-20 minutes or until brioche are golden brown. Makes 8.
I started to get nervous about half way into the process as I found the dough wasn't rising like it should have - after the first rest it was suppose to have doubled in size - mine hadn't. Arghh!
Time was running out so I decided to just go for it, and if they didn't work I'd just grab something sweet on the way into the park.
I'm so glad I kept going as they turned out beautifully. Elegant, homey, not too sweet but oh so gooey inside. A little like me some might say.....
Served warm straight from the oven with the chocolate oozing out, or cold like we did at the picnic served with a thermos of tea - superb!
A lovely little dish I intend to make again.
To view my fellow challenger's dishes, please click here
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