Leopard brioche with cornstarch

Name: Leopard brioche with cornstarch
Ingredients: 25 g cornstarch; 250 ml milk; 50 g butter; 70 g sugar; 1 tablespoon dry yeast; 15 ml warm water; 375 g flour; 5 g cocoa powder; 15 g cocoa powder; 90 g dark chocolate; 30 ml milk; 20 g chopped pistachios or hazelnuts

Dessert - Leopard brioche with cornstarch by Simona I. - Recipia

Leopard brioche is made with milk thickened with cornstarch and has stripes in two shades of cocoa. The crumb is a little sweet, and the pattern shows in each slice beneath the chocolate topping; I use cornstarch often, but this was my first time trying it in a brioche. Preparation: 40 minutes. Cooking: 43 minutes. Resting: 220 minutes. Total time: 303 minutes. Servings: 10. Approximately 300 kcal and 7 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

25 g cornstarch
250 ml milk
50 g butter
70 g sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
15 ml warm water
375 g flour
5 g cocoa powder
15 g cocoa powder

For the topping

90 g dark chocolate
30 ml milk
20 g chopped pistachios or hazelnuts

Preparation

1. Mix the dry yeast with 15 ml of warm water and leave it for 10 minutes, until it puffs up. 2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold milk. Put the mixture over the heat and stir for 5 minutes, until it thickens. Take it off the heat, stir in the butter and leave the cream to cool for 30 minutes. 3. Put the cooled cream in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour, sugar and activated yeast. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth. 4. Divide the dough in two, then divide one half into two equal pieces. Work 5 g of cocoa into one smaller piece and 15 g into the other. Cover the three pieces and leave them to rise for 2 hours. 5. Gently press the dough to release the air and dust the work surface with flour. Divide each piece into 7 parts. 6. Roll the 7 pieces with less cocoa into thin logs of equal length. Flatten the pieces with more cocoa and wrap them around the lighter logs, then flatten the plain dough and wrap it around the logs you have just made. 7. Roll the 7 white logs and stretch them to 35-40 cm. Cut each in two and place the 14 logs in a silicone mold or a greased 20 x 10 cm pan. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes, until puffed up. 8. Bake at 180°C for 35 minutes, until browned on top. Leave it to cool for 30 minutes. 9. Put the dark chocolate and milk in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring until the chocolate melts and the glaze is glossy. Pour it over the brioche and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios or hazelnuts.

Notes

Keep it in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days; slices dry out faster than the whole brioche. For decoration, you can swap the pistachios for the same amount of hazelnuts; the dough contains gluten, and the milk and butter are dairy. I serve it with black tea. The part I don't rush is shaping: logs of very different thicknesses make uneven stripes in the slices. I use cornstarch often, but this was my first time trying it in a brioche. If the dough shrinks as you roll it out, leave it to rest for 5 minutes and carry on. The 20 x 10 cm silicone mold is easier to move if you set it on a rigid tray before filling it.