Chocolate Swirl Brioche

I baked these chocolate swirl rolls 8 years ago when I was still a newbie at both baking and blogging. I used a recipe for sweet bread but couldn't recall the chocolate filling ingredients. They were good but not as pillowy soft and satisfying like these rolls I made following Peter Reinhart's Poor Man's Brioche recipe. Just perfect. Totally addicting.

Chocolate Swirl Brioche

POOR MAN'S BRIOCHE

recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart's THE BREAD BAKER'S APPRENTICE

sponge

½ cup unbleached bread flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

½ cup lukewarm whole milk

dough

4 large eggs at room temperature

3¼ cups unbleached bread flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ cup room temperature unsalted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces

• Stir together flour and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment. Stir in milk until flour is hydrated. Cover with plastic wrap and let ferment for 45 minutes. 
• Add the eggs and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the rest of ingredients except butter and mix on low speed for 2 minutes until all the ingredients are hydrated and evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes. 
• Replace paddle attachment with dough hook. On medium speed, gradually add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, letting the butter get absorbed before adding the next tablespoon. 
• Continue mixing on low speed for 6 minutes or until the dough clears the sides and bottom of bowl. Transfer dough into a lightly oiled rectangular container. Lightly oil the top of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and lid. Refrigerate overnight. 
• Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Place the chocolate on top of 2/3 of dough, leaving 1/3 to fold over onto 1/3 of dough with chocolate, then fold over the second third like a letter. Roll into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds a second time and let rest in refrigerator for 1 hour. 
• Roll out into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle and roll up, starting from the long side, like jelly roll. Pinch seams well to seal, and let rest, seam side down, for 5 minutes. Slice with a sharp knife into 12 equal pieces. Place each in lightly buttered muffin rings set on a parchment lined sheet pan/s. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Chocolate Filling

1 cup milk

1 whole egg 
1 egg white

6 tablespoon - to ½ cup sugar

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa powder

3 tablespoons butter

• Whisk all ingredients except butter. Heat mixture over medium-low heat while whisking constantly, until thickened. Turn heat off and whisk in butter. Beat until smooth. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with plastic wrap and spread filling evenly. Refrigerate overnight. 

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Here are the measurements for recipes adapted from Peter Reinhart's Rich Man's and Middle-Class Brioche if you are interested. Follow the procedure as above up to refrigerating overnight, skipping chocolate swirl, and shape as desired.

Rich Man's Brioche

sponge

½ cup unbleached flour

1 tablespoon instant yeast

½ cup lukewarm whole milk

dough

5 large eggs

3½ cups unbleached flour

2½ tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups unsalted butter

Middle Class Brioche

sponge 

½ cup unbleached bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
½ cup lukewarm whole milk

dough

5 large eggs

3 cups unbleached flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter