Sourdough Chocolate Brioche

Make the Tangzhong
In a small saucepan over medium heat, constantly whisk the cocoa powder, bread flour, and whole milk together until the mixture comes together into a thick chocolate pudding-like consistency, a few minutes.
Set aside to cool.
20 grams Dutch-process Cocoa Powder, 15 grams Bread Flour, 170 grams Whole Milk
Mix the Chocolate Brioche Dough
Add the bread flour, salt, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
Then, add all of the cooled tangzhong, sourdough starter, egg, whole milk, and vanilla extract to the bowl.
Mix on low speed for a few minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough is very sticky.
250 grams Bread Flour, 5 grams Kosher Salt, 50 grams Dark Brown Sugar, Tangzhong, 70 grams Whole Milk, 1 Egg, 90 grams Sourdough Starter, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Add the Butter and Mix
Slice the room-temperature butter into pieces and while continuing to mix the dough on medium speed, add one piece of softened butter to the bowl at a time until each piece is fully incorporated into the dough.
Continue to mix the dough for 10-15 more minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test, is smooth, tacky, and easily slides off of the dough hook. If the dough is still too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour while mixing at a time.
85 grams Unsalted Butter
Bulk Fermentation
Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover, and place it in a warm location for bulk fermentation. At 78ºF, bulk fermentation takes about 4.5-5 hours (longer if cooler).
Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough is doubled, domed in the bowl, and smooth.
Overnight Proof (optional)
Cover the bowl and place it into a refrigerator to proof overnight and up to 48 hours.
Shape
Butter or grease your bread loaf pan and set aside.
Punch down the cold dough and weigh the total amount and divide that number by 8. This is how much each roll should weigh (mine are usually about 92g each).
Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 pieces. Then, use the palm of your hand to shape them into round spheres.
Final Proof
Tightly pack the 8 rolls into the prepared bread pan and cover for the final proof.
At 78ºF, the final proof takes about 3.5-4 hours. The dough is finished proofing when it's doubled in size and puffy. If you poke the dough with a floured finger, it should leave a slight indentation and feel full of air.
Bake
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC).
Beat an egg with a splash of water in a small bowl and brush the top with egg wash. Sprinkle optional pearl sugar on top.
Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the top is deep, shiny chocolate brown and the internal dough temperature reads 190-200ºF (88-93ºC). Cover with foil if it's browning too quickly.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn them out of the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack before pulling apart, slicing, and serving.
1 Egg, Pearl Sugar

Equipment

Ingredients

Tangzhong

Sourdough Chocolate Brioche Dough

Instructions

Notes