Nutella-Pistachio Brioche for World Bread Day

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the fabulous baking book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. In fact, I think I would suffer actual physical pain if I were to be without it! It's a rare occasion when I don't have a big hunk of my favorite brioche dough at my beck and call, lurking in my fridge.

A few weeks ago, I broke off a lump of that dough to make one of my absolute favorite things - Almond Brioche or Bostock. I was really craving it! As I gathered the rest of my ingredients, the unthinkable happened. I was out of almond paste. Ack! After a few "sh*ts and "dammits", (which nobody heard anyway since I was all alone), I tried to think of something else to make with my lovely brioche dough. I was running low on bittersweet chocolate too, so a chocolate-filled brioche was out. Then, I spied a brand new, unopened jar of Nutella in my pantry. I don't even remember buying it, (must have been Mini SGCC), but there it was, sweetly singing my name. I raided my Mr. SGCC's secret stash of pistachio nuts (he thinks I don't know about it), and decided to use some of them too. Thus, this Nutella-Pistachio Brioche was born.

Actually, there was nothing really groundbreaking about my little invention. I used the recipe in the book for Brioche Filled With Chocolate Ganache. All I did was swap out the chocolate for the Nutella and add some chopped pistachios and turbinado sugar on top. Still, I felt pretty damn proud of myself for my resourcefulness in the face of adversity!

My end result was all I'd hoped for and more! The brioche was golden and buttery. The Nutella filling was oozey, rich and chocolatey. The whole package was devastatingly delicious! It was sticky, gooey, creamy and chewy at its best! Trust me. The pictures don't do it justice.

Since today is World Bread Day 2008, I'm sending this over to Zorra from Kochtopf, the host for the event. The original World Bread Day was created by the International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners (UIB). According to their web site, the impetus behind this event is:

"All over the world bread bears a highly symbolic power: It stands for solidarity as well as the ability to share. As a universal product, found in every civilisation, made out of various types of grain, characterised by the manifold fermentation processes and the different ways of baking, bread - even now in the third millennium - accompanies every meal.

Staple food for some, luxury or modern dietary food for others - bread in itself means so much that it deserves a World Day in its honour! The World Bread Day wants to provide an opportunity to talk about bread and bakers, to find out about their history, their importance as well as their future."

Sounds good to me!

I also want to mention that I've recently had the opportunity to meet Zoe Francois through Twitter. She is a charming woman and an incredibly talented baker. If you get a chance, go visit her at her terrific blog, Zoe Bakes and let her know how much you love her book too!

Nutella-Pistachio Brioche (Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds brioche dough (recipe here)
1 jar of Nutella
1 tablespoon butter for greasing the pan
1 egg white, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts mixed with 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

Method:

Dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut off a cantaloupe-sized piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Use just enough flour to prevent it from sticking.

Spread the Nutella evenly all over the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Roll up the dough, jellyroll-style starting at the long end, and being sure to seal the bare edges. Chill the roll in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Generously grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter. Sprinkle the pan with a dusting of granulated sugar.

Cut the chilled dough into 8 equal pieces. Place them in the prepared pan with the swirled edge facing up. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes.

Lightly brush the top of the brioche with the egg white mixture. Mix the turbinado sugar and pistachio nuts together and sprinkle over the brioche. Bake without steam until golden brown and set in the center, about 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Run a knife around the inside of the pan to release the brioche and place it into a serving dish.

Slice, eat warm and enjoy!

Here are a few other delicious recipes I've made from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day:

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No Knead Doughnuts

....

Easy Almond Brioche

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No Knead Easter Bread

And, let's not forget the original No Knead Bread (the second post I ever wrote)