This Chai Spiced Brioche Loaf was snaffled so quickly by my family. Aromatic, still warm from the oven I had it with just a little extra butter - simply divine. This recipe is a conversion of a wheat based recipe that appeared in the August 2016 edition of Taste magazine.

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour.

Ingredients

Chai Infusion

300 g Milk

1.5 tbs Chai tea (I used one with vanilla)

6 Cardamon pods

1 Cinnamon stick

2 Star anise

2 tsp Orange zest

 

Brioche

285 g Strained chai milk

2 tsp Yeast (dried)

70 g Raw sugar

2 Eggs

325 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

75 g Maize starch

1 tsp Salt

125 g Butter (room temperature & in cubes)

 

Filling

150 g Macadamias (the original used pistachios)

150 g Butter (cold)

70 g Raw sugar

55 g Brown sugar

80 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

2 tsp Ginger (ground)

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Cardamon

1/4 tsp Poppy seeds

1/4 tsp Cloves

 

Glaze

50 g Raw sugar

50 g Boiling water

2 tsp Chai tea (loose leaf)

 

Method

Combine the milk, chai, cardamon, cinnamon, star anise & zest in a saucepan over medium - low heat. Bring the milk to the boil, reduce heat & simmer for 2 mins. Turn off heat & set aside for 15 mins.

You will need 285 g of the infused milk to make the brioche. I usually put an empty bowl on my digital scales & zero it, then strain the milk through a sieve into the bowl. Add water to 285 g.

Add yeast & 20 g of the sugar into the infused milk. Set aside for 10 - 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until slightly frothy.

Lightly toast/roast the macadamias or pistachios.

Transfer nuts to a food processor & whiz until finely chopped. Add in the remaining filling ingredients (except the poppy seeds) & process until just combined. Set aside nut mix.   

Stir the eggs into the infused milk.

Mix together Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour, maize starch, remaining sugar & salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Pour in the infused milk & mix until the dough is uniform. 

While the mixer is on low add in the butter a couple of pieces at a time. Continue mixing until all butter has been added.

Grease a 27 cm x 12 cm (base measurement) loaf pan. 

Transfer the brioche dough to a lightly oiled piece of baking paper. Oil your hands a little & spread the dough to be a rectangle ~50 cm x 30 cm. Spread the filling on top & sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Starting from one of the long sides roll up into a log. The first bit is the hardest - use the baking paper to start the roll & then peel the baking paper off. When it is rolled into a log wrap the baking paper around it, transfer to a baking tray & put it in the fridge for 30 mins. Putting the dough into the fridge firms it up a little & makes it easier to cut in half & twist the pieces together. 

Bring the log out of the fridge & unwrap it. Leave the baking paper underneath. Cut the log in half lengthways. With the cut sides up, criss cross the halves over each other to create a twist effect. 

Place in the prepared loaf pan (this can be a little messy). I picked up the baking paper & "poured" the start of the log into one end of the loaf pan tucking the start under the next bit of log. The rest sort of "plopped" in & I tucked the other end underneath.

Cover & put in a warm moist place for ~45 mins to prove.

Preheat oven to 160 C (fan forced).

Bake for ~50 - 55 mins.

While the brioche is baking make the glaze. Put the sugar & tea in a small dish, cover with the boiling water. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. 

Bring the brioche out of the oven & brush the top of the loaf with the sugar syrup. Set aside in the pan for ~15 mins.

Serve warm & enjoy!