Double Chocolate Brioche Bread

Name: Double Chocolate Brioche Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour; 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/4 cup of granulated sugar; 2 1/4 teaspoons of active yeast (1 packet); 1 teaspoon of salt; 3/4 cup of whole milk; 1 large egg; 4 tablespoons of butter; 4 tablespoons of butter, room temperature; 1/3 cup of brown sugar, packed; 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon of espresso powder; 2 ounces of dark chocolate, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons of butter, softened (for loaf pan prep); 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar (for loaf pan prep)

November 18, 2021

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My love for bread is no secret and if I were to find myself in some horrible situation in which I was forced to chose between bread and dessert, I would chose bread every day of the week, but now I can have both…

This braided loaf of double chocolate brioche bread is quite special. Chocolate bread dough filled with a chocolate filling that is both beautiful and decadently delicious. The breads texture is dense and moist and the filling creates pockets of melted, gooey chocolate that are simply perfect.

This bread can be served smothered in butter as a sweet breakfast treat, crisped up in a skillet and topped with a scoop of ice cream for a luscious dessert or dipped in an egg custard to make a decadent french toast. However you decide to enjoy this chocolatey loaf, you are going to absolutely love it.

Let’s get it started…

To get started, you will need 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (plus a little extra for dusting your work surface), 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of active yeast (1 packet), 1 teaspoon of salt, 3/4 cup of whole milk, 1 egg and 4 tablespoons of butter.

Begin by warming 4 tablespoons of butter with 3/4 cup of whole milk until the butter had fully melted. You can do this in the microwave, using a double boiler situation or in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, let it cool until it reaches somewhere between 100-110 degrees.

Once the melted butter and milk cools to between 100-110 degrees, sprinkle 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 packet of active dry yeast into the bowl and let it sit for about 10 minutes or until the yeast is bubbly and frothy.

See how frothy the surface is? This is exactly what we are looking for! These bubbles mean that the yeast has been activated and is ready to go to work. If your mixture does not look like this after 10-15 minutes, your yeast was not healthy and you will need to start again.

Whisk a large egg into the yeast mixture and then add the dry ingredients…

Use a mesh sifter to sift 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of salt into the bowl. Sifting the dry ingredients with help to combine them and work out any lumps.

Mix the ingredients until everything is fully combined and a dough begins to form. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes.

Once the dough is smooth, form it into a ball and transfer it into a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 90 minutes or until the puffs to about twice its original size.

Now that the dough is nice and puffy, transfer it back onto a floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle…

Spread 4 tablespoons of softened butter over the entire surface of the dough.

In a small dish, combine 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of espresso powder and sprinkle this evenly over the butter.

Now sprinkle 2 ounces of finely chopped dark chocolate over the entire surface. The layers should be chocolate brioche dough, softened butter, brown sugar mixture and then finely chopped dark chocolate…

Now roll the dough as you would a cinnamon roll starting on the long end of the rectangle and tightly rolling the dough working your way up and down like an old fashioned typewriter.

Once the roll is complete, pinch the end to seal and place the roll seam side down.

Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll in half down the center, as in the photo below…

To braid the loaf, cross the two halves over each other in the center…

Then cross the halves over each other at the top and the bottom, pinching the halves together at the ends.

Carefully work the braid to create even spacing throughout the loaf and pick up any chocolate that fell out and add it back into the loaf.

Prepare a loaf pan by buttering the interior and sprinkling the butter with some granulated sugar.

Once the pan is prepared, carefully transfer the loaf into the pan and tuck the ends under. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Once the loaf is done resting, remove the plastic wrap and transfer it onto the center rack on a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake the loaf for 25-30 minutes or until the edges feel firmly set to a light touch.

Transfer the loaf onto a heat proof surface, such as a wooden cutting board or a cooling rack and let the loaf rest for about 10 minutes before transferring it out of the pan to continue cooling.

This bread does not need to fully cool before slicing, but I would suggest letting it cool enough to set up a bit before slicing into it. Don’t worry, the chocolate filling in the center will stay warm and gooey for a good 30 minutes after removing it from the oven.

Once you slice up the loaf, pick out your favorite slice and smother it with butter. If you have any chocolate shavings left over, toss them on too. The more, the merrier!

This bread is dense, rich, chocolatey and just sweet enough. I love that you can enjoy this bread for breakfast, a mid day snack or a full fledged dessert. It pairs well with a big cup of coffee, some softened butter or even a scoop of chocolate ice cream… it all depends on how serious your sweet craving is at the moment.

Have fun with it and let me know what your favorite way to enjoy this decadent loaf ends up being…

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