While I was in college I worked for a patisserie in Rochester, NY that served a wonderful Mint Chocolate Chip Brioche on Sundays. I have made brioche before, but could never find a good enough recipe to duplicate the heavenly taste of those from Jean-Claude's Patisserie.
At 8 1/2 months pregnant, when a craving sets in, I'm bound to try to find a way to fulfill it. So, I got online and looked for a brioche recipe that I felt might be close to the one used by that fantastic french bakery. I found one by Ina Garten from the Food Network. I tweaked her recipe ever so slightly and I think it turned out fantastic.
Some of the comments that I read on the Food Network complain about the difficulty of the recipe and the overnight refrigeration. This is by far the easiest, hands-off approach to brioche that I have seen and the refrigeration allows the dough to mature overnight and improve in flavor. I do not recommend skipping this step, though it is not necessary.
You can omit the mint chocolate chips and leave the brioche plain or add fruit (such as blueberries, apples, etc).
Mint Chocolate Chip Brioche
1/2 c warm milk
1 package active dry yeast
6 tbls sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
4 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
12 tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 bag mint chocolate chips
1 egg mixed w/1 tbls milk, for egg wash
Combine the milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until well mixed. With the mixer on low speed, add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix for 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add 2 1/4 more cups of flour and mix for 5 more minutes. Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, grease 24 mini brioche tins or two muffin tins. Set aside.
Place the dough in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the softened butter in chunks, and mix for 2 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to make a ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide the dough into 1/4 and 3/4 portions. Further divide the 3/4 portion into 24 balls and place them in the tins. Using your index finger place an indent in the center of each ball. Roll the remaining dough into 24 tiny balls and place one in each indentation. Cover the tins with a damp towel and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Alternately, place the tins, uncovered, in the oven with a hot water bath for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the top of each roll with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back and it sounds slightly hollow when tapped. Turn the rolls out onto a wire rack to cool.
