Brioche with Blueberries and Coconut Crumble

This coconut and blueberry brioche brings back a lot of memories. It reminds me of the time when getting to work before dawn to prepare baked breads used to feel truly effortless. It is also something that makes the additional sleep sacrifice a worthwhile sacrifice because I get to be the first person to taste test these babies.

This brioche recipe is a sure keeper since I use it a LOT in many recipes that I have shared and will be sharing. It is extremely buttery and light and stays soft for longer compared to most brioches that goes rock hard pretty quickly, and this is thanks to the large volume of butter used in the recipe. The secret to keeping the brioche bread soft for longer is to wrap them up well in cling wrap while it is still slightly warm - not hot.

To find out more about making a delicious brioche, check out my page on "Basic Brioche Loaf".

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RECIPE

Yield: 12 individual brioches

Preparation Time: 2 hours

Proofing Time : Overnight Retarding in fridge or 1 - 2 hours room temperature bulk proofing, 1- 2 hours Final Proofing

Recipe by Christean Ng

BRIOCHE DOUGH

300 g 60% Baker's flour 12% protein

200g 40% Plain Flour 10% Protein

120 g 24% Full Cream Milk

9 g 1% Instant Yeast

200 g 40% Eggs

20 g 4% Yolk

60 g 12% Caster Sugar/ granulated Sugar

10 g 2% Salt

250 g 50% Unsalted butter - soft

VANILLA PASTRY CREAM

40 g Yolks (2 medium size Yolks)

20 g Corn Starch

30 g Caster Sugar (A)

30 g Caster Sugar (B)

240 g Full Cream Milk

60 g Butter

1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

COCONUT CRUMBLE

60 g Unsalted Butter - softened

60 g Caster Sugar

40 g Plain Flour

20 g Desiccated Coconut

2 punnets Fresh Blueberries

EGG WASH

50 g Eggs

50 g Full Cream Milk

SUGAR SYRUP

50 g Boiling water

35 g Granulated/ Caster Sugar

*Mix the boiling water with the sugar until the sugar fully dissolved. Set aside until ready to use. Sugar syrup can be made days ahead. Store in a container in the fridge.

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Method

For the pastry cream

1. In a medium saucepan, mix the milk, sugar (B) and vanilla bean paste and bring to a boil.

2. Place the sugar (A) and corn flour into a bowl then whisk in the egg yolks to create a smooth slurry. Do not prepare this step too far in advance or the sugar will start to absorb the water from the yolks causing the yolk protein to agitate and cook. Start whisking all the ingredients together when the milk is almost ready.

Stream in half of the milk mixture while continuously whisking the yolk mixture to temper (slowly heating the yolk as a sudden shock of heat on the eggs can cause the egg to scramble).

3. Return the custard base back into the rest of the milk mixture in the pot and cook over low to medium heat while continuously whisking until it starts to boil and thicken. Ensure to constantly whisk and scraping the side and base of the pot to prevent them from catching and burning. Once the custard has come to a boil, continue to cook for another minute before turning the heat off and whisking in the room temperature butter until they are well combined.

4. Transfer the pastry cream into a clean bowl and place a plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream then place it in the fridge to fully cool.

The pastry cream can be made a day ahead. When the pastry cream has cooled, transfer into a piping bag ready for assembly.

For the coconut Crumble