Brioche Buns
·The dough base
In a bowl, combine the milk, yeast, egg and half of the flour. Mix together, then sprinkle the remaining flour on top. Let it rest for 30–40 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the layer of flour on top starts to crack.
The main dough
Add the sugar, salt, egg and one cup of flour to the base. This is where it really helps (unless you're a bodybuilder) to bring in some kitchen tech – ideally a stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix for a minute or two, until everything comes together nicely.
Mixing in the butter
Add the rest of the flour and let the mixer work for at least 10 minutes, until the dough reaches the right consistency. Then start slowly adding the butter, a little at a time. For a moment it'll look like a total mess, but you'll end up with a gorgeous, butter-scented dough.
First rise and knock-back
Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then knead it briefly by hand again.
Overnight rise
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, pop it in the fridge, and off to bed you go! It needs at least 5 hours to rise. In the morning, take it out of the fridge and it's ready to use.
Chocolate-filled balls
The first time, I chose to tear off small pieces of dough, roll them into balls, and place them in a prepared muffin tin. I filled some of the balls with pieces of milk chocolate.
Tip: swirl buns
I rolled out the dough, sprinkled it with cocoa and sugar, and scattered bits of butter over it. Then I rolled it up and sliced it into swirls. I placed the prepared "swirls" onto a baking tray scattered with a mixture of 150 g brown sugar, 100 g chopped almonds and 150 g melted butter.
Baking
Let the buns proof a little longer in the tin, then bake for 10–15 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C. Brioche is best fresh – still warm, with butter and jam.
