Tender Chocolate Chip Brioche Rolls are a decadent treat, chock full of delicious chocolate.
Saturday was one of those days when I just needed some chocolate. It was sunny and reasonably warm, which meant that everyone would be out running their errands. The grocery store was especially exasperating. The Kroger where I shop crams as much into that store as possible, leaving narrow, barely two-cart-width aisles.
This is the source of much shopping irritation and blood pressure spikes.
Parents, here’s a secret that folks who are small-child-free never have the chance to talk about: your child having a meltdown in the tuna aisle is not really a problem. It happens. (Geesh, sometimes *I* want to have a meltdown in the tuna aisle, and I would, if the outcome was someone handing me a bribe bag of oreos or string cheese.) When you see me cringe at your screeching child, it’s because the sound is like someone dragging a sharp knife across the eardrums, not because I think you’re a bad parent. It’s a reflex, okay? Not a judgment.
But here’s what does stick in my craw at the grocery store: cart rudeness.
Parents and the child-free alike, please don’t park your cart in the middle of the aisle so that no one can pass you, left or right. And don’t mutter [bitch] under your breath when I say, very politely, “excuse me,” because a line is forming on both sides, while you casually read the label of every brand of canned corn.
It’s super busy on Saturdays, okay? And we just need to work together, show some consideration, and we’ll all get the heck out of the chaos a little faster with a little more sanity intact. Okay?
Chocolate. Good God, where’s the ever-lovin’ chocolate?
Yup, I made an unplanned turn down the baking aisle on Saturday to grab a bag of flour. I had seen a recipe sometime back for rolls stuffed with chocolate, and if anything sounded good at that very moment, it was rolls stuffed with chocolate.
Brioche rolls, in fact. I love brioche dough, with its soft, stretchy, butter-drenched nature. It totally looks like it’s going to kick your breadmaking ass, but as soon as you pick it up and give it a few turns on the board, it tames right down like a soft, purring kitten. Therapeutic, I’d say.
These babies might look like overgrown cookies, but the crumb is soft and pull-apart tender, as only brioche can be. Reheat the chocolate chip brioche rolls briefly in the microwave to get that melty-chocolatey thing going.
In this case, I used three kinds of chocolate — bitter, semi-sweet and white — because it was just one of those days. And did it ever hit the spot!
Happy Leap Day!
Karen xo
Chocolate Chip Brioche Rolls
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 2 eggs , divided usage
- 8 ounces chocolate chips (I used a mix of dark, semi-sweet and white)
Instructions
- Add flour, yeast, sugar and salt a bowl (the bowl of your stand mixer, if using one). Heat the cream and buttermilk gently in the microwave until 100° - 110°Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix (using the paddle attachmenuntil blended. Leave the unit running and add the butter and the egg, mixing until just blended. Switch to the dough hook.
- Knead for 6-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough clings to the bowl, add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl as the dough hook rotates. (I needed 2 tablespoons.) At the end, add half of the chocolate chips and mix briefly, just to incorporate.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl (I left mine in my mixing bowl). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm draft free place for 90 minutes, or until doubled in size. You may also refrigerate the dough and let it rise slowly overnight. If you do, let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour before working with the dough the next day.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a 10" by 12" rectangle. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the rectangle. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg along with a tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash down one of the long edges. Working from the other long edge, roll the dough up like a jelly roll. The egg wash will glue it together (reserve remaining egg wash). Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into twelve 1-inch slices and place on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place for about one hour, or until the rolls are puffy.
- Towards the end of the last rise, preheat the oven to 350°Using a pastry brush, brush the tops and sides of the rolls with the remaining egg wash. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.