APPLE BRIOCHE TART

Apple Brioche Tart image

Light and buttery, brioche makes a lovely base for fruit in baked pastries-so why not a tart? You can use any fruit or nut here, but this version, with thin slices of apples and plenty of cinnamon, is a fall favorite. If you like, you can fold the edges of the crust over the fruit, like a galette.

Provided by Erin Jeanne McDowell

Categories Dessert Fall Apple Bread Cinnamon Bake

Yield Makes 1 big tart

Number Of Ingredients 15

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Ingredients

Brioche dough:
623 g (5 cups plus 3 tablespoons) bread flour
99 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
12 g (1 tablespoon) fine sea salt
10 g (1 tablespoon) instant yeast
283 g (5 large) cold eggs, lightly whisked
242 g (1 cup) whole milk
397 g (14 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the tart:
28 g (1 oz / 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 recipe Brioche Dough, cold
1.13 kg (about 6 medium) Honeycrisp apples (or another good baking apple)
106 g (1/2 cup packed) light brown sugar
2 g (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Steps:

Make the brioche dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour, granulated sugar, and salt on low speed to combine. Add the yeast and mix to combine, 10 to 15 seconds more. Add the eggs and milk and mix for 4 minutes. The dough should form a sticky, shaggy ball around the hook.
Increase the speed to medium and slowly add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, being careful to incorporate each addition before adding the next; the entire process should take about 3 minutes. (If you add the butter too quickly, it can create a greasy disaster in the bowl, so pace it out.) Scrape the bowl down once or twice to make sure everything is homogeneous. (This mixing period is called intense mixing-and it is! Don't be alarmed if the mixing is noisy or difficult in the early to mid-stages, it will come together.) Then knead the dough until it is smooth and uniform, 1 minute more.
Grease a large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Make the tart:
Use the butter to generously grease an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet, including the rim.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle a little larger than the pan (about 1 inch on all sides), so that the dough will come up the sides of the pan.
Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Use a pastry wheel to trim the edges so they are flush with the edges of the pan. Cover the baking sheet with greased plastic wrap (I use nonstick spray) and let the dough rise in a warm place for 30 to 35 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C, with a rack in the middle.
Meanwhile, peel, quarter, and core the apples, then slice crosswise 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick (see Pro Tip).
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Uncover the dough and sprinkle it evenly with half the cinnamon sugar. Arrange the apple slices across the dough (see Pro Tip). Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar evenly over the apples. Finish with the salt.
Bake the tart until the edges of the crust are golden brown, the apples are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, and the sugar has caramelized, 32 to 36 minutes. Cool the tart for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving, warm or at room temperature.
Make Ahead and Storage
This tart is best the same day it's made. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.