Tarte Au Sucre (Sugared Brioche)

Tarte au sucre is a hidden gem of French pastries, featuring a tender and buttery brioche bread base, brushed with heavy cream, then dotted with butter and generously sprinkled with sugar. This version incorporates fragrant vanilla bean into the dough and a tangzhong technique, keeping the bread extra soft and moist. Tarte au sucre is a not-too-sweet treat that blurs the line between breakfast and dessert, between bread and cake.

Ingredients:

For the tangzhong:

• 75 grams milk
• 15 grams all purpose flour

For the dough:

• all of the tangzhong, slightly cooled
• 60 grams whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
• 250 grams all purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 40 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 60 grams granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For topping:

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream, for brushing
• 50 grams unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Make the tangzhong: In a small saucepan over low heat, cook the flour and milk, stirring constantly, until a thickened white paste forms. Remove from heat to cool. (This can also be done in the microwave – mix the flour and milk in a small bowl and microwave on high for 10 second increments, mixing in between, until thickened.)
2. Make the dough: Place the cooled tangzhong in the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the rest of the dough ingredients (If you’re using active dry yeast, start by mixing the yeast and milk and letting it sit for 10 minutes to activate). Knead on low-medium speed for 10 minutes, or until a smooth and slightly sticky dough forms. If kneading by hand, this will take about 15 minutes.
3. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1-1.5 hours or until doubled.
4. Shape:
   • Punch the air out of the dough and shape it into a ball. Press it down to create a disc, and place in a parchment lined cake or springform pan (see notes on pan sizes). Pull the edges slightly to stretch it out as needed.
   • Let rise, covered, for 40-60 minutes, or until the dough has puffed up significantly and bounces back slowly when poked. About 10 minutes before fully risen, set oven to 375 Fahrenheit (190 Celsius).
   • Brush the dough with the heavy cream.
   • Place the cubes of butter evenly on top of the dough, and press them down into the dough with your finger or a chopstick.
   • Sprinkle generously with the sugar.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. (You can test doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center – it should come out free of dough.)
6. Let cool slightly, and enjoy while still slightly warm.
7. Brioche is best the day it is made, but can be stored, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for a few days or frozen for longer storage. Gently reheated in the microwave it will be delicious, almost identical to fresh bread.

Instructions:

• Pan sizes: The brioche in these images was baked in a 21cm (8 inch) round pan which makes for a tall slice, but it can be baked in almost any similar sized pan, or even freeform on a large baking sheet. Just keep in mind that the thinner the brioche is, the faster it will bake. If you are baking with a springform or cake pan with a removable bottom, I recommend placing a sheet pan underneath while baking just in case some butter leaks out.
• Dough refrigeration: After the first rise, the dough can be covered and placed in the fridge for up to 2 days. The second rise may take a bit longer if you are working with cold dough.