Buttery brioche buns with an orange infused dark chocolate, sour cherry and walnut filling Jump to Recipe
A year ago, I first stumbled upon Julia’s beautiful blog, Ostro. I’d been searching for an apple cake recipe when I discovered her apple and hazelnut cake. This simple yet delicious cake was different to anything I’d made before and opened my eyes to the brilliance of olive oil based cakes.
Since then, Ostro has become a site I frequently visit for recipes. Julia uses the simplest ingredients to create the most outstanding uncomplicated dishes. Both her photographs and recipes continue to be a major source of inspiration. So, when Julia’s first cookbook, Ostro: The Pleasure that Comes From Slowing Down and Cooking with Simple Ingredients hit the shelves last month, I made sure I had a copy ASAP.
Once again Julia did not disappoint! Each and every recipe I’ve made from Ostro so far has turned out to be ridiculously tasty. Some of my favourites are her pasta and chickpea soup, everyday banana bread and these amazing chocolate and sour cherry brioche buns. Seriously, they are SO good!
These brioche buns were just what my family needed for our slow and sleepy Sunday. Honestly, after a chaotic Saturday night with a restless toddler I wasn’t really in the mood for any kind of Sunday baking. But having already prepared the dough the night before, I’d committed to the task at hand (a blessing in disguise). As soon as I pulled the tray out of the oven I couldn’t have been more certain that making these buns was the best decision I’d made all weekend.
As this was my first attempt at brioche, I was pleasantly surprised at just how well the bread turned out. The tender, fragrant bread paired with the rich chocolate filling is an amazing combination. The bun’s layers of chocolate are no doubt eye-catching and the brioche would be the perfect contribution to a brunch or morning tea.
- 350 g (2⅓ cups) plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting (1 cup = 150g)
- 7 g active dry yeast (1 envelope)
- 70 g ( ⅓ cup) sugar
- 100 ml (1/3 cup plus one tablespoon) whole milk, plus 1 tablespoon extra for brushing
- 4 eggs
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 150 g (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 50 g (1/2 cup chopped) walnuts
- 100 g (3.5 ounces) dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped
- 1¾ tablespoons caster sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 40 g (1/3 cup) dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
- Place the flour, yeast and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Gently warm the milk in a saucepan over a low heat until tepid, about 30°C. Turn the mixer on to medium speed and pour the milk into the dry ingredients, along with three of the eggs and the orange zest. Mix for 3–4 minutes until combined into a sticky yet elastic dough.
- With the motor still running, add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, ensuring it is incorporated before adding more.
- Once all the butter has been added, mix for another 2–3 minutes until the dough is elastic.
- Transfer to a large bowl that has been lightly greased with butter and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Knock back the dough, cover again and place in the fridge to prove for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, to make the filling, lightly toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over a low–medium heat for 1–2 minutes or until just colored. Allow to cool, then chop them finely and combine with the remaining ingredients. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured bench and, using your hands or a rolling pin, push or roll the dough out to a rectangle about 40 cm × 20 cm, flouring the dough as you need.
- Scatter the filling evenly over the rectangle of dough, then fold the short edges in so they meet in the middle, so it looks like an open book.
- Then fold the dough in half along where the edges meet (like closing a book). You will now have a long, flat shape. You can cut the buns like this, or roll gently, from the longer edge, into a log shape. Trim the rough ends, then cut the log into eight pieces about 6 cm wide.
- Arrange on the prepared tray with 4 cm (1.5 in) of space between each bun to allow them to expand. Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes for a final proof.
- Lightly whisk the remaining egg with the extra tablespoon of milk and brush over the top of the buns. Bake for 18–20 minutes until golden and risen.
- Allow to cool slightly on the tray before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm, or at room temperature on the day of baking.