Easy Chocolate Brioche Buns (with Pumpkin)

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This recipe makes incredibly soft and easy chocolate brioche buns with pumpkin. The pumpkin gives them a great consistency and a nice flavor. They are perfect for breakfast and brunch, but also delicious to your coffee or as a snack to go!

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I have a huge weakness for good bread and buns. I grew up with bread that my mom baked. She still does. And so do I :) That's why recipes like this always have a very special place in my foodie heart.

These easy chocolate brioche buns with pumpkin are not only delicious during the classic pumpkin season in fall, but ALL YEAR ROUND. They are fluffy, have a great texture and are a delicious change from classic rolls.

This is why you'll love these easy chocolate brioche buns:

• First and foremost: these chocolate brioche buns with pumpkin are SO fluffy! Because the dough rises for a few hours the rolls get a very soft, great texture.
• The pumpkin puree (steamed, baked or boiled pumpkin, strained, and finely pureed) gives these easy chocolate brioche buns a delicious taste and also ensures a wonderful bite.
• The brioche buns are filled with chocolate chips. In my opinion, it is rarely wrong to knead chocolate into dough. 🙂 You can alternatively (or additionally) use raisins, too.

Ingredients to make easy chocolate brioche buns with pumpkin

• Flour. If possible, use a wheat flour, type 405. This flour gives the breakfast rolls a great texture. Alternatively, all-purpose wheat flour also works great.
• Sugar. Light brown sugar or granulated sugar.
• Yeast. If possible, I always use fresh yeast as it makes the dough very soft and allows it to rise nicely. But I know that especially in Canada and the the States it's hard to get. Dry yeast works as well. Instead of 15 grams of fresh yeast for 600 grams of flour, use 5 grams of dry yeast.
• Yogurt. For the chocolate brioche buns you need plain yogurt or greek yogurt.
• Pumpkin puree. You can either use store bought UNSEASONED pumpkin puree or make it yourself. To do this, you bake, steam or boil the pumpkin in water. Once it's cooked and cooled, all you have to do is puree it.
• Water. Use warm, plain tap water or filtered water. It must not be hotter than 35°C, otherwise it will destroy the activity of the yeast.
• Egg. The egg should have room temperature.
• Butter. The butter should have room temperature as well.
• Salt. Salt is essential in this easy chocolate brioche buns recipe. It provides a full aroma. Without salt or with too little salt, the breakfast rolls would taste boring.
• Chocolate. Use either semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.

How to make these easy chocolate brioche buns with pumpkin

The dough for these easy chocolate brioche buns takes about 4 hours to rise. PLEASE. Don't let that stop you from making this recipe. The preparation is very simple. All you need is a little patience to wait for the dough. 🙂

To prepare the breakfast buns, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.

Then mix the pumpkin puree, yogurt and egg in the bowl of a food processor. Together with flour, salt, butter and the yeast mixture, everything is kneaded into a smooth dough for 5-8 minutes. Finally, knead in the chocolate pieces by hand.

The dough must rise, covered, in a warm place (ideally 25-30°C / 75-85°F) for 3 hours. In the meantime, you can “fold” or knead the dough one time to make it even smoother.

After the rising time, cut the dough into 10 equal pieces, shape into a round balls, place in a baking pan or on a tray with parchment paper and set aside to rise for another 30-60 minutes.

After the yeast rolls have been brushed with an egg wash, they are baked for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown.

Easy chocolate brioche buns with pumpkin - tips & FAQ

Can I make this recipe for chocolate brioche buns ahead?

Yes, you can easily prepare the brioche buns the day before so that you can enjoy them for breakfast or brunch.

Simply follow these steps:

• If you prepare the dough the evening before, you only use half of the yeast, i.e. only 8 grams instead of 15 grams (or if you use dry yeast, only 3 grams instead of 5 grams).
• Make the dough according to the instructions up to the step BEFORE you let the shaped brioche buns rise again in the baking pan.
• Cover the buns with cling film to prevent them from drying out. Then you put them in the fridge overnight.
• In the morning you let them rise for 1 hour at 25-30°C /75-85°F and then bake them.

How do I know that the chocolate brioche buns are finished baking?

The brioche buns should be golden brown. The safest way is to measure the core temperature. At 91°C / 195°F the rolls are PERFECT. At this temperature they are done and have a great texture.

If you don't have a thermometer, you can use a toothpick to test whether they are fully baked. If dough sticks to the toothpick, they need to be baked for a few more minutes.

Can I freeze these easy chocolate brioche buns?

The easy brioche buns are ideal for freezing. To do this, you have to let the buns cool completely after baking and then freeze them in an airtight bag.

If you want to eat them, take them out of the freezer 1 hour beforehand, let them thaw and place them in a preheated oven at 120°C / 248°F for about 5 minutes before eating.

This way they taste like freshly baked.

Here's more delicious bun recipes for you

• Easy Brioche Rolls
• Breakfast Buns (dough rests over night) - SO good!