Jam tarts were my favourite pastries when I was growing up. Those store-bought little tarts with perfect fluted pastry and a jam that was as thick set as jelly, were the perfect picnic treat.
The only downside was that there were only six of them in a packet. There were fights in the family over the berry flavoured tarts, the sweet raspberry and lip-smacking blackcurrant ones were always the first to go. Who knew two simple components, jam and pastry, could be so perfect together.
I would love to say I have jars of home-made preserves lining the shelves of my fridge, but I love seeking out gorgeous preserves at farmers’ markets – nowadays we have so many wonderful small producers. I love to try out more unusual flavour combinations if I can find them.
This week’s recipe is a little more refined than the jam tarts of my childhood, but there is jam involved. I learned to make brioche during my early training as a pastry chef, and I always marvelled at the shine on the dough before it went into the oven. It is so different to bread, but equally as satisfying. Brioche is enriched with butter, giving it a light and pillowy texture. This brioche isn’t sweet at all, the sweetness in the recipe comes from the jam, making it the perfect breakfast.
I am using raspberry jam here but any flavour will work. Use home-made if you have it. Once the dough is made, it needs to go into the fridge overnight. This step is crucial as it firms up the dough, making it easier to roll the next morning.
I make this recipe like cinnamon rolls, spreading the jam over the brioche before rolling and slicing into swirls. It can then be baked as is but I love to pile the swirls into a loaf tin. This really doesn’t have to be neat – the more imperfect the better, as the swirls bake into each other to create a beautiful swirly loaf. The brioche is best eaten on the day it is baked.
Recipe: Raspberry brioche loaf
