Blueberry, Cream Cheese Brioche Breakfast Buns

These beautiful, rustic breakfast buns are similar to an Eastern European Vatrushka bun. The light, buttery brioche is dimpled in the middle before being filled with a cream cheese mixture and glossy blueberry compote. They’re then topped with a oat and brown sugar crumble before being baked.

This recipe makes 8 quite large buns. For me; they’re a good size since the brioche texture is so light, but feel free to divide the dough into more buns if you wish.

Although this recipe has quite a few elements, once you’ve mastered a smooth brioche dough, the rest is really simple and quick. I loved making these as much as I enjoyed them with my morning cuppa. You have bouncy brioche, punchy blueberry, tangy cream cheese and sweet crunchy oat crumble. They’re simply quite charming.

I used my Kenwood Cooking Chef XL to make these. A stand mixer is a must with brioche dough and the Kenwood’s built in induction meant I could prove the dough in the bowl. It’s honestly been a life saver! If you use my code ‘BAKINGWITHAPASTRYCHEF’ you can get two free attachments when purchasing the Cooking Chef XL, up to the value of £370. Follow the link here. #ad

Ingredients - makes 8 buns

Brioche dough: dough recipe originally from The Boy Who Bakes
180g plain flour
180g strong white flour
20g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
7g fast action dried yeast
85ml whole milk
3 eggs
150g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg, for egg wash

Cream Cheese Filling:
200g cream cheese
1 egg
40g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon

Blueberry Compote:
125g frozen blueberries
25g caster sugar
1/2 tbsp cornflour
squeeze of lemon

Oat Crumble:
40g oats
60g plain flour
65g soft light brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
55g unsalted butter, melted
pinch of salt

Method

The day before:
Place the flours, sugar, salt, yeast milk and eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 5-10 minutes until you have a smooth dough. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add in the butter in small pieces making sure the butter is incorporated before adding in more. Once all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and knead for 10 minutes until elastic and smooth. Leave to prove at room temperature for 30 minutes-1 hour or until doubled in size. Knock back the brioche and place into an oiled container, cover and leave to rest in the fridge overnight.

The next day:
Note: I like to shape my dough and, while the buns are proving, make all the other components. If however, you’re worried about getting all the bits made before the brioche is ready, go ahead and make the blueberry compote and/or oat crumble before hand to ensure you’re ready when the dough is proved.

Take the brioche dough from the fridge and tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces (they should be approximately 93g each.) Roll each piece into a ball and put onto two baking trays lined with baking paper. Make sure they are well spaced apart as they will grow a lot during proving and baking. Cover and leave to prove for 1 hour, at room temperature, or until just under doubled in sized. If it is particularly hot, they may only take 30 minutes. If so, place the buns into the fridge until you’ve prepared the fillings and prove after.

For the cream cheese filling; place all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. Cover and place to one side until needed.

For the blueberry compote; place all the ingredients into a saucepan and place over low heat, stirring occasionally. As the blueberries defrost, they should release their juices and create a shiny compote as it cooks. Cook until just bubbling and glossy. Remove from the heat and pour into a container. Cover and place in the fridge to cool.

For the oat crumble:
Mix all the ingredients into a bowl, apart from the melted butter. Add in the melted butter and mix until combined. Place in the fridge until needed.

Assembly:
Pre-heat your oven to 170°C.
Take a small cup that fits in the middle of the buns but leaves a thick boarder of dough. Dip the base of the cup into flour and press into the centre of the proved buns. Lift the cup off to leave an indented circle. If needed, dimple the indents with floured fingertips so you have a deep well in the middle of each bun.

Brush the edges of the buns with egg wash. Spoon in a few tbsp of the cream cheese mix before adding in a few tsp of the compote. Liberally sprinkle each bun with the oat crumble, focusing on the edges. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Best enjoyed on the day they’re made.