Sliced open and filled with gelato, with cream, or even with both, the brioche with gelato is a typical Sicilian speciality which has recently been exported to the rest of Italy; it is becoming increasingly common to see gelato shops offering this delicacy, with regional variations such as croissants and buns or the truly Sicilian “tuppo” brioche.
The commonest way of serving it is with a lemon granita, maybe at breakfast. Here is the recipe for 15-20 brioches:
Ingredients:
500g plain Manitoba flour (or extra strong bread flour)
15g fresh yeast (or beer yeast)
70g caster sugar
80g whole milk
180g whole egg
180g butter, softened
15g honey
7.5 g Marsala wine
8g salt
An egg yolk for glazing
Directions:
Mix together the flour, yeast and sugar. Slowly trickle in the milk at room temperature. Add the eggs until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Add the butter in chunks. Meanwhile, mix the Marsala with the honey and add to the mixture and lastly add the salt. Place the dough in the refrigerator for an hour. When the time is up, pull off pieces of dough the size of a small orange (about 50g) and place on an oven dish lined with baking paper. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it breathe for about two hours in a warm place. Brush the surface of the brioches with beaten egg yolk and place in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes.
A few ideas: brioche with hazelnut gelato and cream, brioche with gelato, yogurt and berries; brioche with cream and black mulberry granita.