Brioche Suisse Recipe
Brioche Suisse are soft and buttery pastries filled with a layer of creamy custard and chocolate. I love making these because they’re a delicious and rustic cross between a chocolate croissant and a brioche bun.
If you’re new to making brioche, my brioche dough recipe is already on the blog and works perfectly as the base here. You can also whip up this pastry cream in advance so it’s ready to spread.
As they bake, a bit of custard and chocolate will naturally ooze out the sides. It gives these pastries their rustic look. I experimented with using more filling, but it led to too much spillage. Now I think I’ve landed on just the right amount. Enough for a creamy center, but not so much that it all escapes in the oven. Bear in mind that there will be some spilling out the sides, though, but it just adds to its rustic charm, I reckon!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Buttery & fluffy texture: The brioche dough is sooo soft and fluffy.
- Chocolate & cream filling: Layers of pastry cream and chocolate chips in the center.
- Make-ahead: Make the dough and pastry cream in advance and refrigerate them until you’re ready.
Key ingredients & why
All the ingredients you need and their amounts are written in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here is a rundown of some of the important things needed and why.
How to Make Brioche Suisse
- Knead the brioche dough until it’s glossy and smooth and pulls cleanly away from the sides of your stand mixer bowl. Then let it have its first rise. You can also let it rise overnight in the fridge.
Tip: Knead the dough without the butter to begin developing the gluten, then gradually add in butter. Incorporating all the butter too quickly can interfere with gluten formation.
- Make the vanilla pastry filling. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until glossy and smooth. Gradually whisk in hot milk to gently temper the eggs. Then pop it back on the stove and cook until thickened. Then chill it in the fridge until completely cold.
Tip: To prevent slipping, balance your mixing bowl on a damp kitchen towel while whisking.
- Roll out your chilled dough into a rectangle, and spread pastry cream across half the dough surface. Sprinkle chocolate over the cream. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter to carefully slice into evenly sized long pastries.
- Proof, then brush with egg wash and bake until golden.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this dough in advance?
Can I make this dough in advance? Absolutely! You can make and then chill the brioche dough for up to 24 hours. It will be stiff and cold out of the fridge but it will warm and soften as you start rolling to shape it.
Can i make brioche dough without a stand mixer?
I don’t recommend making it without a stand mixer. Brioche dough is very rich and soft. It would take 20+ minutes of hand kneading to develop the gluten enough.
Storage
Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for about 4 days. They can also be frozen once cooled completely.
Freezing brioche dough: After the first rise, wrap it securely and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then continue with rolling and shaping.
Brioche Suisse
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp instant yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 60 g whole milk lukewarm
- 85 g unsalted butter softened and cubed
Crème pâtissière
- 240 g whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extrac
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 20 g cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 20 g unsalted butter
Filling
- 80 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 large egg (or use a leftover egg white) + 1 tbsp water
Sugar syrup
- 50 g sugar
- 60 g boiling water
Instructions
Make the Brioche Dough
- In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook, add the milk and stir in the yeast and one tsp of sugar. Leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add to it the remaining sugar, eggs, flour, and salt. Turn the mixer on low and combine until it forms a thick but slightly sticky dough. Mix this dough for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
- Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough starts pulling away from the sides.
- Gradually add the softened butter, a few cubes at a time, until fully incorporated. Knead for another 10-15 minutes until smooth and strong. Because it's only a small amount of dough, you might need to scrape down the mixing bowl sometimes.
- Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size. Alternatively, refrigerate overnight for better flavor.
Make the Pastry Cream
- Heat the milk and vanilla in a saucepan until steaming. Remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch until pale.
- Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Whisk right away or else the cornstarch will start cooking too quickly at the bottom. Once thick, keep it at a bubble while whisking for around 45-60 seconds.
- Remove from heat, stir in the butter, and transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate until completely cold.
Assemble the Brioche Suisse
- If you skipped the overnight refrigeration step, to make the shaping easier, I suggest chilling the dough for at least an hour to let the butter stiffen so it's not as soft. Roll out the brioche dough into a 30×25 cm (12×10 inches) rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Use a whisk or fork to whisk the cold pastry cream up to be able to spread it. Spread the cooled pastry cream evenly over half the length of the dough. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
- Fold the other half of the dough over the filling, pressing gently to seal.
- Cut into 6 even strips, about 5 cm (1.5 inches) wide.
- Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them slightly apart. Cover and let rise for 45-60 minutes, or until puffy.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Brush the pastries with egg wash.
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- While pastries are in the oven, mix together the hot water and sugar until dissolved. Once the pastries are out of the oven, brush them with this syrup while they're still hot.
