Chocolate Cramique comes from northern France and Belgium. Bakers there have made it for generations. It is part of daily life, not a festive dessert.
Cramique is a soft, lightly sweet bread. It sits between brioche and milk bread. Eggs, butter, and milk give it a rich texture. Bakers add chocolate chips, raisins, or pearl sugar to the dough.
In Belgium, cramique is especially popular in Flanders and around Brussels. People eat it for breakfast or in the afternoon. They slice it thick and spread butter on it. Many enjoy it with coffee or hot chocolate.
In northern France, near the Belgian border, cramique shares the same roots. French bakers usually make it a bit less sweet. The bread still serves the same purpose: comfort and simplicity.
Today, chocolate cramique stands as a small but delicious example of how regional food traditions ignore political borders, evolving instead through local tastes, ingredients, and habits—warm, simple, and meant to be eaten fresh.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- This recipe is simple, but success depends on following two key rules precisely. First, use a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Second, do not rush the proofing (rising) time of the dough. Start by warming the milk until it is lukewarm. Do not make it hotter, as too much heat will kill the yeast. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and the dry yeast. Let it stand for 10–15 minutes, until it becomes bubbly. This process is called blooming the yeast. Set aside.
- Using the bowl of your mixer, add the flour and sugar and stir until combined. In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk them. Add the milk and eggs to the flour. Turn on the mixer and knead for about 3 minutes. Add salt and continue kneading for about 2 min.
- Cut the butter into small cubes. While kneading, add a couple of cubes at a time. Wait until the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next few cubes. Continue this process until all the butter is incorporated. Do not rush this step by adding too many cubes at once or by not allowing them to fully blend in. Continue to knead on high speed for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and very stretchy.
- To know the dough is ready, perform the windowpane test. Take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, the dough is properly kneaded. If it tears easily, continue kneading and test again. Proofing the dough
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for 1½–2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. Do not proof the dough in the oven, as the heat may damage the yeast.
- Punch down the dough to deflate it, then transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Gently flatten the dough with your fingers to form a rectangle. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the dough, then fold the edges toward the center to create a ball. Flip the ball upside down, seam side down. Stretch it gently with your fingers.
- Lightly butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Gently place the dough inside, then dot the top with chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 40–50 minutes.
- Preheat your oven on 350F (180C) then when ready, bake the Chocolate Chip Brioche Bread for 20 to 30 minutes or until risen and golden. Leave to cool down completely before removing from the loaf pan.