Chocolate Brioche Buns (Soft, Fluffy & Bakery-Style!)
CHOCOLATE BRIOCHE Chocolate filled Brioche, is a soft and fluffy brioche bread filed a sweet chocolate spread and baked to perfection. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar for that bakery appeal.
These pillowy buns are rich with milk, butter and egg but light enough to eat as a snack or sweet breakfast.
The chocolate in the middle thing creates these little surprises, and especially when served warm with a hot coffee or tea it makes every bite extra special.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, fluffy, bakery-style brioche texture
- Chocolate-filled center in every bun
- Ingredients in today’s Chinese hot and sour soup recipe that you can find at most US grocery stores
- Excellent Make-ahead idea (freeze and rewarm)
- Great for breakfast, brunch or dessert
Ingredients
Dough
- Milk: 1 1/2 cups (340 ml)
- Instant yeast 1 tablespoon(10 g) or less.
- 6 tablespoons (80 g) granulated sugar
- Vanilla Sugar: 1 tablespoon (12 g)
- Neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola) 3½ tablespoons, 50 g
- Egg: 1 large
- Fine salt: 2 teaspoons (12 g)
- All-purpose flour: 4 cups (500 g)
- Baking powder: 1 tablespoon (14 gm)
- Butter (at room temperature): 2 tbsp (30 g)
Filling + finishing
- Chocolate paste: Approx. 1/3 cup (100 g)
- Egg yolk (for brushing tops): 1
- Confectioners’ sugar: for dusting, as needed
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Milk: Whole milk enriches the dough, but 2 percent is also fine.
- Yeast: I like to stir the yeast into my dry ingredients and then warm my milk slightly.
- Vanilla sugar: Replace with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (stir it in with the milk).
- Oil: I used a neutral oil (canola/vegetable). Do avoid the very strongly flavored olive oil here.
- Chocolate spread: Any nut-chocolate spread is fine; also consider thick chocolate ganache or cookie butter.
- Baking powder: Contributes to a lighter crumb. You want it to be fresh for best lift.
How to Make BRIOCHE WITH CHOCOLATE
- Activate the yeast. In a bowl, mix together the milk, yeast, sugar and vanilla sugar. Whisk and let stand until slightly foamy.
- Add egg + mix. Stir in the egg, oil and salt until a smooth mixture forms.
- Form the dough. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Mix until you get a sticky dough.
- Knead in butter. Mix in the softened butter and knead until dough looks smoother and more elastic (it will still be soft).
- First rise. Dough should be puffy and more than doubled in bulk.
- Divide. Transfer the dough out, punch down lightly and divide into sections.
- Fill + shape. Flatten each of them, place a little chocolate spread at the middle, then pinch it to close and roll into a ball shape.
- Second rise. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart, and let rise again until visibly puffy.
- Brush + bake. Brush the tops with egg yolk. Bake until deep golden brown.
- Finish. Let cool a little bit, dust with powdered sugar,
- serve warm for the most oozy chocolate center.
Expert Tips
- The warm milk should feel lukewarm to the touch, not hot — if it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast.
- If the dough seems sticky, gently oil your hands rather than sprinkling on loads of flour.
- Seal the buns firmly or the filling may leak out when you bake.
- For rolls of a consistent size, you might want to use a kitchen scale to divide the dough.
- Allow the buns to rise until they are soft and puffy—under-proofed dough will bake up dense.
- Then, very gently use a brush to egg yolk paint the buns so they won’t deflate.
- Bake until the tops are deep golden so that the inside cooks through entirely.
- Dust with powdered sugar after the buns have cooled somewhat, so that it doesn’t immediately melt.
Storage & Freezing
- Room temp: In an airtight container up to 2 days.
- Fridge: 3–4 days (warm them before eating so they’re soft once more).
- Freezer: Freeze buns (un-dusted) for up to 2 months.
- Thawing + reheating: Thaw at room temperature and reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 8–10 minutes or briefly in microwave.
Variations
- Trade chocolate spread for cookie butter.
- Toss in mini chocolate chips with the spread.
- Grab an orange and stir some zest into the dough for chocolate-orange flavor.
- Spread with peanut butter (or PB + chocolate spread).
- Do a cinnamon-sugar variety (butter + cinnamon sugar filling).
BRIOCHE WITH CHOCOLATE
Soft brioche-style buns filled with chocolate spread, baked until golden, and dusted with powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a bowl, mix milk, yeast, sugar, and vanilla sugar. Whisk and let sit until slightly foamy.
- Whisk in the egg, oil, and salt.
- Add flour and baking powder, then mix until a soft dough forms.
- Add butter and knead until smoother and elastic.
- Cover and let rise until puffy and expanded.
- Turn out the dough, deflate gently, and divide into equal portions.
- Flatten each portion, add chocolate spread in the center, seal tightly, and roll into a smooth ball.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rise again until puffy.
- Brush tops with egg yolk and bake until deep golden brown.
- Cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar, and serve.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- If the dough feels sticky, oil your hands instead of adding lots of flour.
- Seal the buns well so the filling doesn’t leak during baking.
- Vanilla sugar can be replaced with 1 tsp vanilla extract (mix into the wet ingredients).
- For best texture, rewarm leftovers before serving.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!FAQs
Can I use instant yeast rather than active dry yeast?
Yes. Instant yeast is fine — just mix it with the dry ingredients and choose lukewarm milk.
Why is my dough sticky?
Brioche dough is naturally soft. Oil your hands very slightly and continue kneading until a softer dough forms.
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Cover the dough and refrigerate after the first rise, then shape and do the second rise before baking.
How can I prevent the filling from running out?
Do not overfill, and pinch the seam very taut. Lay so the seam is on the bottom of the tray.
Can I use salted butter?
Yes — slightly decrease the amount of added salt for a balanced taste.
How can I reheat them to make them soft again?
Reheat in the oven if you can (best way) or hit it with short bursts in the microwave until warmed through.
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