Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns
These Apple Cheesecake Brioche Buns are filled in the center with a sweet cream cheese and apple pie filling, then topped with a crumble, making them a delicious treat.
Equipment
- 1 Large baking sheet
Ingredients
Sweet Brioche Dough
- ¾ cup (202 g) +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉ (see notes)
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 cups (360 g) bread flour
- ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter softened
Apple Filling
- 2 large apple* peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- 1¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Sweet Cream Cheese
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup (30 g) all purpose flour
Instructions
Brioche Dough
- In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, packet of yeast and a teaspoon of sugar and let sit and foam for about 5 minutes.¾ cup (202 g) +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉, 1 package active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add flour, sugar, salt, 2 egg yolks, vanilla extract, and the activated yeast mixture and let knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough comes away from the bowl and forms a sort of ball.3 cups (360 g) bread flour, ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Start adding the softened butter slowly until all is incorporated and knead for an additional 12-15 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. When touching with your finger, the dough should not stick at all. The dough will be tacky and a lot smoother/silkier than a regular dough.Humidity: If you live in an area with high humidity, you may need to add extra flour or reduce the amount of milk added to the dough. I've had readers have success with either adding more flour or reducing the milk. I've had to add more flour during the summer months when humidity is high.6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover and let rise for at least an hour.
Apple Filling
- In a pan over medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar.2 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- Once the butter and brown sugar are melted and combined, add the diced apples and spices and let cook until tender.2 large apple*, 1¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- Set aside to cool
Sweet Cream Cheese
- In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract and mix until completely smooth.8 oz. cream cheese, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
- Melt the butter, then add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and all purpose flour and combine.2 tablespoon (28 g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ cup (30 g) all purpose flour
- The mixture will be wet but let it come to room temperature completely before using. Once you're ready to use it, stir the mixture and it should be a crumble consistency.
Shaping the Sweet Brioche Buns
- Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Once dough has risen, remove from bowl and divide into 10 equal pieces using a kitchen scale. Roll each piece into a ball. Once all have been formed, transfer them to a baking sheet, cover with saran wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes. Try to make sure there is enough space between them so that they aren't touching when rising. I like to have 5 on a baking sheet at a time.
- Preheat oven to 375°
- After 30-45 minutes, the buns should now be doubled in side. Take a cup or a small bowl (make sure it's floured so it doesn't stick) and create an indent in the center (I used a ¼ cup initially, but found that a ⅓ cup was better).
- Add the sweet cream cheese to each bun. Then top with some apple filling, then sprinkle the crumble topping over it.
- brush the sides of each bun with egg wash or milk. This will create a deeper color.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until the buns become golden brown and the bottoms have a color.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes, then top with powdered sugar.
- These Sweet Brioche Buns are delicious warm, but taste great at room temperature as well.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
Notes about apples:
- I originally used one apple when I developed this recipe, but have updated it to two apples and added more spices.
Reader Feedback
Since developing my first brioche bun recipe in 2022, I've had many people remake them, with such great feedback. I have, however, had people mention that the dough can be a little too sticky/wet and they needed to add more flour. For this reason, I went back to the drawing board to test the recipe with ¼ cup less milk, so only ¾ cup total milk instead of 1 cup, and it turns out great! However, this is with my controlled environment, and with using a scale to weigh my flour. If you're a long-time reader who has had success with a whole cup of milk, then keep making the recipe that way. Tips for the best results:- Measure Flour Correctly: As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
- Don’t Skip Kneading: Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes before adding the softened butter. This will ensure the dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Then once you add the butter, knead for another 10-20 minutes until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough has pulled away from the bowl again.
- Don’t add too much flour: This dough will be tacky, but shouldn’t stick to your hands. It will also be very silky (this due to all the butter added). If while kneading, the dough doesn’t come together after 15 minutes, you can add one tablespoon of flour at a time. But be patient before adding the flour. You don’t want a dry dough.
- Make Ahead: You can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time by letting the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. When you’re ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and continue with the recipe. You won’t need to let the dough come to room temperature because you’ll still need to proof a second time, so it will have plenty of time.
- Proof in pre-heated oven: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I’m in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it’s especially cold.
- Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
- Humidity: Due to reader feedback, I've updated the recipe to reduce the amount of milk to ¾ of a cup instead of a whole cup. See Reader feedback for more info.
Nutrition
Calories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 8gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 260mgPotassium: 163mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 758IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 1mg
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