Brioche is a rich, light French bread made with eggs and butter, giving it more in common with pastry than with sandwich bread. The pastry-esque quality of the brioche makes it well-suited to dessert panini made with sumptuous fillings like chocolate, bananas, caramel, Nutella, almond butter or jam. The possibilities are endless. Brioche also makes a rich package for savory panini such as those with smoked salmon and Gruyere.
Step 1
Cut the bread into ¾ to 1 inch thick slices. Brioche is most commonly available in the rounded "head" shape, so some slices will be taller than others, but the panini will still match if you use adjoining slices for each sandwich. Some bakeries prepare brioche in loaf form, which alleviates the difficulty of different sized slices.
Step 2
Preheat your panini press according to the manufacturer's directions.
Lay a piece of chocolate between two slices of brioche, leaving a small perimeter of about ¼ inch around the edges of the chocolate so that it will not run out as it melts in the panini press.
Step 3
Place the chocolate-stuffed panino in your press and close the lid, cooking for three to five minutes or until the bread is golden brown. Remove the sandwich and enjoy your panino à la pain au chocolat.
Tips and Warnings
- Spread jam, cream cheese or mascarpone, and chopped nuts on the brioche for a creamy breakfast sandwich. Whisk 1 egg with 2 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla, and dredge the brioche in it before grilling to make a stuffed French toast style panino.
Things You'll Need
- Serrated bread knife
- 1 bar milk or dark chocolate
References
- "Panini Express: 70 Delicious Recipes Hot Off the Press"; Daniel Leader, et al.; 2008
- "Michael's Genuine Food"; Michael Schwartz and Joann Cianciulli; 2011
- "Raichlen's Indoor! Grilling"; Steve Raichlen; 2004
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