I can’t believe the month of December has already started. With the latest news, Christmas will be more than intimate this year for many families. To comfort yourself during this particular end of the year, I suggest you to cook this delicious brioche with chocolate, gianduja and candied pears.
Little anecdote
While thinking about recipes with a Christmas atmospheres, I told myself that making this brioche in a pretty Bundt pan would be the little touch that would bring this festive atmosphere to the recipe. It wasn’t until I had some trouble with mixing the chocolate and pears, and some research, that I realized that my brioche looked a lot like a Kouglof :D. I confess that I have never tasted it. I cannot say if my recipe looks like it. For me it’s just a nice big bun.
A few words about the Christmas brioche recipe
Candied pears: In the recipe, I suggest a way to make it yourself. I was inspired by the recipe from the Coup de Pouce website. It’s in french, but I am sure that you will be able to translate it via google trad. Anyway, You can of course buy ready-made ones or swap the whole thing for pears in syrup. If you decide to make your own candied pears, keep the syrup, it will be used to soak the brioche out of the oven. If you decide to candy the pears yourself, you will have to make them the day before.
Gianduja: I already mentioned it in my chocolate and gianduja cookie recipe. It is sold in block form. You can find some in the little Italy.
Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with the milk, wait for 15 minutes and your homemade buttermilk is ready.
Gilding: You don’t have to use egg or milk to brown the underside of the brioche. The top part will be found at the bottom during demolding.
The mold: I made this brioche in a mold. You can of course take another type of mold if you don’t have a Bundt one.
And if you are looking for a gourmet gift idea for the holidays, give these delicious cookies in a jar.
holiday gianduja, chocolat & pear brioche
Ingredients
Candied Peart
- 2 pears
- 380 g sugar
- 500 ml water
Brioche
- 520 g flour
- 70 g sugar
- 8 g salt
- 9 g traditional yeast
- 100 ml milk
- 50 ml buttermilk
- 4 eggs
- 1 cc de vanilla extract
- 2 candied pears
- 60 g chocolate chip
- 60 g gianduja
Instructions
Les poires confites
- Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and boil over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, cut the pears into pieces, taking care to remove the core. Brush them with lemons while the water and sugar boils, to prevent them from turning brown.
- Once the water boils, add the pear pieces and simmer until they become translucent. About 20 minutes.
- Remove from pan, drain, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat, then dry in the oven at 120°C / 240°F for about 40 minutes. Put the cooled syrup in the fridge.
- Remove from pan, drain, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat. Then dry in the oven at 120°C / 240°F for about 40 minutes.
Put the cooled syrup in the fridge.
The brioche
- Warm the milk, add the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar, mix and wait about ten minutes for the mixture to swell. This will allow you to see if the yeast is still active. If the mixture does not swell, another yeast should be used.
- In the bowl of the food processor, mix the flour and salt with the kneader.
- Make a well, put in the sugar, eggs, the mixture of milk and yeast and the buttermilk. Mix everything until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Add the butter, one piece at a time. Continue to mix until everything is well incorporated and the dough becomes smooth (approx. 20 min.). Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a plastic wrap (or a charlotte) and a cloth, then make a first rise of 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, the dough will have doubled in size. Butter the mold and cut the chocolate and the gianduja into pieces.
- Add the pears, chocolate and gianduja to the dough. Mix with the flat beater at the minimum speed a few seconds, the time that all the "garnish" is incorporated.
- Put the brioche dough on a surface, floured generously and give it a round shape. Make a hole in the middle of the dough, and put everything in the mold. Cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise one last time for 1 hour.
- After the second push, preheat the oven to 180°C / 375°F. Brush the top of the brioche with milk and bake for 30 minutes.
- The brioche is ready when it is golden brown on the top. Take it out of the oven for ten minutes and unmold it and place it on a rack. Brush the still hot brioche with pear syrup.
Notes
Onces et tasses
380 g sugar = 2 cups
550 g flour = 4 cups
70 g sugar = 1/4 cups
8 g salt = 1 1/4 tspn
9 g traditional yeast = 1 tbspn
150 ml buttermilk = 1/2 tasse+ 2 tbspn
60 g chocolate chip = 2.8 oz
60 g gianduja = 1.7 oz
Recipe
It is quite possible to take already candied pears or pears in syrup.
If you use a regular mold you will not need to make an hole in the brioche.
