Bubble Buns

These are delightful, fun little buns.  Just make sure that the 3 pieces are all of equal size.  From Food and Drink Holiday 2015.

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 recipe Brioche (recipe at bottom)

• Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
• Grease and flour 10 cups of a standard muffin tin and set aside
• On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 10 pieces, about 45 g each.  Place in the fridge and working with 1 portion of dough at a time, dived into 3 smaller pieces, about 15 g each.  Form each piece into a smooth ball.  Brush lightly with water, or mist with a spray bottle and coat well with the cinnamon brown sugar.  Place 3 rounds of dough into each muffin cup.  Repeat with remaining dough portions.  Cover the muffin tin loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place.  Allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Bake the buns until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and remove from muffin tin while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.  To reheat, place in a preheated 100C oven until warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes.

BRIOCHE

Sponge

3/4 cup bread flour

1/4 tsp rapid rise instant yeast

2 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

5 tbsp milk

Final Dough

3/4 cup bread flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp rapid rise instant yeast

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar

2 medium eggs

6 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

• For the sponge, combine the bread flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.  Add the butter and milk, and mix on low speed until well combined and no butter lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes.  Cover the surface of the dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes.  The fermentation will begin during this time, but the sponge will not expand to any noticeable degree.
• For the final dough, place the flour, salt, instant yeast and half the sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up.  Add the dry mixture along with the eggs to the sponge and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute.  Replace the paddle with the dough hook and mix the dough on low speed for 5 minutes.  Increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 8 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the dough hook 1 or 2 times.  Add the remaining sugar and mix to incorporate.
• Add the butter in 3 additions, mixing until fully incorporated.  The dough will be very soft and shiny.  Wrap in layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• The dough can be held in the fridge for 2 days or frozen for 2 weeks.  Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.