Brioche (Grolet)
- 500 g flour T45
- 9 g salt
- 75 g sugar
- 27 g fresh yeast
- 6 g vanilla extract (liquid)
- 325 g eggs (~6–7 eggs)
- 400 g butter, room temperature
- 25 g dried vanilla powder
- 70 g pearl sugar
Orange pastry cream
- 450 g whole milk
- 50 g double cream
- 5 vanilla pods
- 90 g egg yolks
- 90 g sugar
- 25 g pastry cream powder (or cornstarch)
- 25 g plain flour
- 30 g cocoa butter
- 5 gelatin sheets (soaked)
- 50 g butter
- 30 g mascarpone
- zest of 4 oranges
Assembly
- icing sugar, for finishing
- extra orange zest
The Tropézienne is a brioche tart — the brioche is baked as a flat disc, sliced horizontally, and filled with a lightly set pastry cream. Grolet's version uses orange zest throughout the pastry cream and a small amount of dried vanilla powder in the dough, which gives it a more complex fragrance than a standard brioche. The cream is set with gelatin, which gives it enough structure to hold a clean slice without being dense.
Method
Brioche dough
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and vanilla extract on low speed until combined. Add eggs in several additions. Mix on medium speed for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Add the softened butter in three additions. Continue mixing until the dough is glossy and pulls cleanly from the bowl.
- Bulk ferment 30 minutes at room temperature. Fold once. Film and refrigerate overnight.
Shaping
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1cm thickness. Cut a circle of 18cm with a ring mould — do not press with the ring to cut, use a knife.
- Brush with egg wash. Proof 2 hours at 27°C with humidity (oven with a bowl of hot water). Apply a second egg wash. Scatter pearl sugar over the top.
- Bake at 180°C for 20–25 minutes until golden. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Orange pastry cream
- Infuse milk and cream with split vanilla pods and orange zest over gentle heat for 10 minutes. Strain.
- Whisk egg yolks with sugar, pastry cream powder, and flour. Temper with the hot infused milk. Return to the pan and cook, whisking, until thick. Remove from heat.
- Add cocoa butter, squeezed gelatin sheets, butter, and mascarpone. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap on the surface and cool.
- When the cream is cold and set, beat briefly until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag.
Assembly
- Slice the cold brioche disc in half horizontally. Pipe the orange pastry cream generously onto the base — large rosettes with a large nozzle.
- Place the lid on. Dust with icing sugar. Scatter orange zest. Serve at room temperature — remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.
Background
The brioche for a Tropézienne is baked differently from a standard loaf brioche — rolled flat rather than moulded, it bakes more quickly and has a relatively tender, even crumb with a thin top crust. This structure is important: the brioche must be sliced cleanly without the layers compressing, and must hold the filling without collapsing.
The orange zest in the pastry cream is the defining element of Grolet's version. A standard Tropézienne uses fleur d'oranger (orange blossom water), which gives a more perfumed, floral note. The zest gives a brighter, more citric flavour that reads clearly through the richness of the cream and brioche.
Cocoa butter in the pastry cream is a stabiliser — it sets at room temperature and gives the cream more body without making it grainy or rubbery the way too much gelatin would. Combined with a small amount of gelatin, it creates a cream that slices cleanly when cold and melts correctly at room temperature.
Mistakes I've Made
- Slicing the brioche warm. The crumb compresses and the brioche becomes flat and dense. It must be completely cold before slicing.
- Pastry cream too soft. Without enough setting agent (gelatin + cocoa butter), the cream runs out the sides when the lid is placed. Both elements are needed.
- Proofing too hot. The butter in the dough runs out if proofing temperature is above 28°C. The brioche sweats and the layers disappear.
- Pearl sugar added before the second egg wash. The sugar absorbs moisture from the egg wash and dissolves before baking. Always egg wash first, then sugar.
Sources
- Tropézienne —