Blueberry Cream Brioche Buns

Imagine biting into a blueberry cheesecake cloud…it sounds too good to be true but they’re real! The brioche bun is rich, light, sweet and savory all at once. It is a force to be reckoned with. 

A cheese and fruit danish was always my go to as a kid growing up. My Dad used to buy this tray of Danish style pastries from Costco, because he’s a coffee-with-cake-for-breakfast kind of guy. The blueberry was always my favorite.

Now, my Mom always bought this gigantic cream cheese Danish with a sweet crumb topping from a local family bakery (that is no longer in business *crying*) called Lauck’s in downtown Fresno. When you saw a pink box from Lauck’s bakery coming through the door, you knew it was gonna be a great weekend.

Basically I’ve combined the best of both in these delicious Blueberry Cream Brioche Buns. Make them for a special brunch, or make a regular brunch feel extra special! 

Love this recipe? Then you absolutely must check out:

Pumpkin Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Berry Buckle Coffee Cake

Chai Spiced Scones with Maple Glaze

3 Things you Need to Know about Brioche Dough

1. Brioche dough is sticky! It is an “enriched dough” which means that it is full of soft butter and eggs that make it super tacky to the touch. We’re using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment for this recipe because the dough needs to be kneaded quite a bit to develop the gluten. Flour your hands and work surface well when handling it.
2. This enriched dough may take longer to rise. The extra fat in the dough delays the rising time, and a colder kitchen may slows things down too. Make sure to keep the proofing dough in the warmest part of the your kitchen until it has doubled in size.
3. Brioche is so versatile! Once you make one this recipe, you can adapt it easily to make a brioche loaf, strawberry and cream buns, chocolate brioche buns, the possibilities are endless!

The perfect balance of flavors

1. Brioche is one of life’s pleasures. Does it really make sense to put that much butter and that many eggs into a loaf of bread? Not really. But the French did it anyway, and also managed to somehow make it pillowy soft and light. Don’t take my work for it, try it and see for yourself.
2. The cheesecake-like filling is tangy and sweet, and just rich enough. I love a creamy filling with fruit moment. It’s so simple, and it’s been a done million times, but you know why that is? Because it is delicious, and it will always be delicious.
3. Blueberry preserves + fresh bluebs – Maybe you’re thinking this is redundant, but I assure you it is not. Hot take but raw blueberries are OK. Not bad, but not incredible. But the second you put those blueberries in a saucepan over a low heat, maybe with a pinch of sugar and a squeeze of lemon, they become incredible! Like, almost eat a whole pint of hot jammy cooked blueberries right out of the pan. I said ALMOST. The combination of good fruit preserves with the juiciness of fresh fruit is important. One echos the other, and they compliment each other well.

INGREDIENTS

• grass fed butter – and plenty of it! The butter is the main character in this maple pecan cookie story, so go with the high quality grass fed butter – my go-to brand is of course Kerrygold Irish butter. The higher butterfat content in the butter makes my bakes rich and super flavorful.
• unbleached all purpose flour – in all of my bakes, I like to use King Arthur Baking Company’s flour. I like what the company stands for, it is 100% employee owned, and the high quality flour always gives me consistent, professional results, 10/10.
• kosher salt – kosher salt is my go to in both baking and cooking. I like Morton’s Kosher salt. If you’re using Diamond Crystal, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the recipe. 
• Cream Cheese and Sour Cream – go with full fat, k sis? I like the full fat version because it usually has more flavor, and isn’t filled with gums… as fillers.
• blueberry preserves – see above, but either make it yourself or get the best quality jam you can – I like Bonne Maman and Dalfour brands.
• fresh blueberries – the fresh berries add a freshness and juiciness that is the perfect balance to the mix brioche and cream filling.

How to make Blueberry Cream Morning Buns

Pretty straightforward morning bun process:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the warm milk, dry active yeast, sugar, melted and cooled Kerrygold salted butter, and egg. Whisk to combine, and let rest for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
• Add the unbleached all purpose flour and the kosher to the bowl. With the mixer on medium low, knead the dough for 12-15 minutes until it comes together, and forms a smooth ball. Remove the dough hook, then place the dough in a very lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, make the cream cheese filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar, egg, and lemon zest. Use a handheld mixer or a whisk to combine the ingredients until very smooth. Place the mixture into a piping bag, or a zip top bag, then set aside.
• Generously flour your work surface, and pour the risen dough out onto the work surface.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Each piece should weigh about 100 grams.
• Pinch the edges of the dough under, and roll each piece of dough into a round ball. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. Cover the baking sheet loosely with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Press the bottom of a drinking glass, or a measuring cup into the center of each dough ball to create an indentation. Pipe the cream filling into the center of each bun.
• Spoon a scant tablespoon of blueberry jam into the center of the cream filling. Then top each buns with 6 or 7 blueberries. 
• Brush the beaten egg around the perimeter of each bun, and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle the warm buns lightly with powdered sugar.

The recipe

4 from 1 vote

Print

Blueberry Cream Brioche Buns

the morning bun of your dreams! sweet pillowy brioche topped with vanilla bean sweetened cream cheese, blueberry preserves and fresh berries

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Keyword blueberries, brioche, Cheesecake

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Rise time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 9 large buns or 12 smaller buns

Author LeAnne Yaakubov

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 cup whole milk warm
• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast 12g
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 55 g
• 5 tablespoons Kerrygold Salted 70g melted and cooled
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour 400g
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Cream Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• ½ cup full fat sour cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 cup blueberry preserves
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 egg for egg wash
• ¼ cup powdered sugar for garnish

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the warm milk, dry active yeast, sugar, pure vanilla extract, melted and cooled Kerrygold salted butter, and egg. Whisk to combine, and let rest for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.

2. Add the unbleached all purpose flour and the kosher to the bowl. With the mixer on medium low, knead the dough for 12-15 minutes until it comes together, and forms a smooth ball. Remove the dough hook, then place the dough in a very lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar, egg, and lemon zest. Use a handheld mixer or a whisk to combine the ingredients until very smooth. Place the mixture into a piping bag, or a zip top bag, then set aside.
4. Generously flour your work surface, and pour the risen dough out onto the work surface.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Each piece should weigh about 100 grams.

6. Pinch the edges of the dough under, and roll each piece of dough into a round ball. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. Cover the baking sheet loosely with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 350℉.

8. Firmly press the bottom of a drinking glass, or a measuring cup into the center of each dough ball to create an indentation. Pipe the cream cheese filling into the center of each bun.

9. Spoon a scant tablespoon of blueberry jam into the center of the cream filling. Then top each buns with 6 or 7 blueberries.

10. Brush the beaten egg around the perimeter of each bun, and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Optional: sprinkle the warm buns lightly with powdered sugar.

The post Blueberry Cream Brioche Buns first appeared on Lion’s Bread Blog.