Whether it’s a start to a new year, or you’re thinking about your habits and lifestyle, you’d be relieved to know that you’re not alone on that journey. It’s all about introducing and then maintaining a balanced diet that you can stick to for the long haul.

Brioche breads are meant to be indulgent and there’s nothing wrong with an occasional treat when you get the balance right. I’ve snuck a little extra dairy into this recipe to give it that extra something special. The added butter and berry yogurt really serve their purpose and make this bread taste truly amazing. I’ve also packed this recipe full of blueberries and the sweet hit of fresh basil, adding extra flavour to this French favourite.

Without further ado I introduce my fruity and fresh Blueberry and Basil Brioche, a delicious way to welcome in the new year.

Note: I suggest you make the preserve the night before!
P.S. see below for details on a special giveaway you won’t want to miss out on!

Blueberry and Basil Brioche

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

2 hours 25 mins

Serves: 8-10 Segments

Ingredients

Preserve
350g Fresh Blueberries
350g Sugar (Use your preference)
8g Fresh Basil (Diced or Minced)
2 T Lemon Juice
Brioche
500g High Grade Flour + Extra for making dough
80g Sugar
160ml Berry Yogurt - Room Temp
140ml Lukewarm water
2 Large Eggs - Room Temp
50g Butter - Room Temp
½ Teaspoon Salt
3 Teaspoon Surebake Yeast
Milk - For Brushing

Instructions

Start by making the Blueberry and Basil Preserve in advance by placing fresh blueberries in a large pot and mash slightly with a potato masher.
On a high heat wait for the juices to appear before adding the sugar. Bring to the boil stirring regularly.
Boil for approximately 5-8 minutes or until a small amount of preserve solidifies slightly on a cold plate. Remove from the heat and stir through lemon juice and basil.
Pour preserve into a clean jar or bowl and allow to cool before using.
For the brioche we need to start with the yeast mixture. Add yeast, lukewarm water and sugar to a small jug and mix frequently until a foam forms on top, roughly 5 minutes.
While the yeast is doing its thing, sift the flour and salt into the bowl of a freestanding mixer. Pour in the yeast mixture and using a dough hook, mix on a low speed for a couple of minutes then allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Back on a low speed, add the eggs and mix them through until well incorporated.
Still on a low speed, add the yogurt and butter and mix for 20-30 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape yogurt from the sides with a spatula then continue.
Finally add small amounts of flour bit by bit until dough comes together and can be handled. Dough may still be a little sticky, perhaps dust your hands with some flour first.
Mould dough into a ball and place inside a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for roughly an hour or until it doubles in size (I like to leave it in a hot water cupboard if you have one).
After an hour, remove from board and knead several times on a floured surface to remove the air bubbles. Return dough to the bowl, cover with tea towel and allow to rise again for another hour or until it doubles in size.
Flick oven to 190 degrees. This is where we want the oven to be nice and prewarmed. Also grease a roughly 30cm skillet or baking tin and set aside
After another hour, remove dough and give one last knead to remove any big air bubbles. Flooring your work surface, roll dough out into a rectangle shape, roughly 45cm by 30cm.
Using the blueberry and basil preserve, cover the surface of the dough before rolling it up into a log. Cut into even segments (8-10) and stand then up sideways in your skillet or baking tin (so spiral faces upwards). When arranging segments, make sure the opening folds face inwards.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops have started to brown.
Remove brioche from oven and quickly brush with milk before returning to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. You can either turn the oven down to 120 degrees or simply turn the oven off and allow the residual heat to continue baking.
Take brioche from the oven and allow to cool, either in skillet or baking tin. Remove and enjoy!

GIVEAWAY TIME! – CLOSED

To celebrate the new year, I have a Prezzy card valued at $150 to give away to one lucky reader.

To enter, simply leave a comment below with your ultimate treat to welcome in the new year.

Entries to this giveaway end on Saturday 14th January and the winner will be drawn at random on Sunday 15th January. Open to New Zealand readers only. Best of luck!

WINNER ANNOUNCED

Thanks to all those who entered and shared their New Year’s treats, Whether it was food or R&R related, there were plenty of neat things happening!
Congratulations to – Emma Jackson
Emma, if you could please email me with your postal details and I’ll make sure this Prezzy Card gets sent out to you! Thanks again for entering.

dane@bakergatherer.com

Thanks to Fonterra for making this post possible.