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Recipe Detail Page
Rhubarb and Cardamom Brioche
Spring 2022
If you make the three components—the brioche dough, roasted rhubarb and pastry cream—for these delicious pastries a day or two ahead, the final preparations come together quickly. No piping bag for inserting the cream into the brioche? No worries; you can use a zip-top plastic bag with the corner cut off. The brioche buns are best the day they are prepared.
Serves 10
1 recipe Brioche Dough (recipe follows)
1 batch Roasted Rhubarb (recipe follows)
CARDAMOM PASTRY CREAM
3/4 cup (175 mL) whole milk
6 cardamom pods, crushed
1 tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (60 mL) sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
2 tsp (10 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
1. Combine the milk, cardamom pods and butter in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Combine the cornstarch and flour together, then add to the yolk mixture. Whisk well until smooth.
3. Gradually pour the warm milk mixture over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Strain the mixture through a sieve back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat. Continue cooking, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil—it should be shiny with no lumps. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and pour into a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent skin from forming, then refrigerate to cool completely. The pastry cream can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease and flour 10 of the cups in a standard muffin tin and set aside.
5. On a lightly floured surface, divide the Brioche dough into 10 pieces, about 1 1/2 oz (45 g) each. Form each piece into a smooth ball, place it into the prepared muffin tins and flatten it out evenly. Cover the tin loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Fit a piping bag with a plain tip, fill the bag with the pastry cream and set it aside. With lightly floured fingertips, poke holes in the centre of each round of dough, pressing right to the bottom. Fill each hole with pastry cream, then top with 3 to 4 pieces of roasted rhubarb. Bake for 20 minutes or until brioche is golden brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely. Lightly dust with icing sugar, if desired, and serve.
Serves 10
BRIOCHE DOUGH
Brioche dough requires a bit of advanced planning since it has to be prepared the day before you actually plan to bake it. A strong stand mixer does most of the work, but make sure it’s not too close to the edge of the countertop, as it may jump around just a bit. Rapid-rise instant yeast need not be dissolved or “proofed” ahead of time; simply add it to the dry ingredients.
SPONGE
3/4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) rapid-rise instant yeast
2 tbsp (30 mL) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch (5-mm) pieces
5 tbsp (75 mL) whole milk
DOUGH
3/4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
3/4 tsp (4 mL) rapid-rise instant yeast
2 tbsp (30 mL) plus 1 tsp (5 mL) sugar, combined then divided in half
1 egg plus 1 yolk
6 tbsp (90 mL) cold unsalted butter, cut into
1/4-inch (5-mm) pieces
1. For the sponge, combine the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the 2 tbsp (25 mL) butter and milk, then mix on low speed until well-combined and no butter lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover the surface of the sponge loosely with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
2. For the dough, place the flour, salt, instant yeast and half the sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. In another small bowl, whisk the egg and yolk just to break them up. Add the dry mixture, along with the egg, to the sponge and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and mix the dough on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 8 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the hook one or two times. Add the remaining sugar and mix to incorporate.
3. Add the 6 tbsp (90 mL) butter in three additions, mixing until fully incorporated each time. The dough will be very soft and shiny. Wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Makes about 1 lb (455 g) dough
ROASTED RHUBARB
Roasted rhubarb is a wondrous thing. The colour becomes even more intense, and the taste is both tart and sweet. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking, using less if you prefer things on the sour side and more if you want to sweeten things up a little more. Feel free to add, as I often do, a scraped vanilla bean, pod and all, or perhaps some orange rind for a nuanced citrus note. Be sure to keep the rhubarb-infused syrup from the pan—the best by-product of the roasting. It’s a delicious addition to a glass of soda water along with a splash of lime juice. Note: Some of the recipes in this collection call for 1 recipe’s worth of roasted rhubarb. You may not use it all, but anything left over is delightful over yogurt or ice cream. Hothouse rhubarb (sometimes called “forced rhubarb”) is grown indoors over winter and available in early spring. The stalks are tender and pink, unlike rhubarb grown outdoors which can be stringy and red-green in colour.
1 lb (455 g) trimmed Ontario hothouse rhubarb, cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) pieces
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
2. Place rhubarb in a single layer in a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking dish. Add the sugar and toss to combine.
3. Bake the rhubarb for 15 minutes, stir gently and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until tender but not falling apart. Cool completely, then refrigerate, along with the syrup. The rhubarb can be roasted and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Makes about 2 cups (500 mL)
