Apricot brioche

When toasted and buttered this delicately flavoured bread is a breakfast in itself

  • Prep:40 mins
    Cook:20 mins
    Plus overnight proving and 3 hours for final dough
  • More effort

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 216
  • fat 11g
  • saturates 6g
  • carbs 25g
  • sugars 3g
  • fibre 1g
  • protein 5g
  • salt 0.8g

Ingredients

  • 375g strong white flour
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 7g sachet fast-action yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 100ml milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 175g butter, softened
  • 140g dried apricots, diced

Method

  1. In a mixer or large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt, then add the milk and 3 of the eggs and continue mixing to make a smooth dough – 5 mins in the mixer or 8 mins by hand. Add the softened butter and mix for a further 5 mins in a mixer or 10 mins by hand. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and leave in the fridge overnight. Your dough will then be stiff and easy to shape.

  2. Grease 2 x 500g bread tins, then divide the dough into about 16 pieces and prod some apricots into each piece. Seal them up and shape into little balls. Place the balls in a tin in sequences of 2 until the tin is full. It should take no more than 8 pieces to fill each tin. Leave the brioche for 3 hrs to prove until doubled in size.

  3. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush with 1 beaten egg and bake for 20 mins until golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

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