Brioche Mince Pies Recipe

This Brioche Mince Pies recipe is a rich and buttery recipe, which is an impressive, multi-component bake featuring a soft brioche base, a creamy vanilla crème pâtissière, traditional mincemeat, a crunchy crumble, and a shortbread star. It’s the ultimate festive treat for the holidays.

Brioche Mince Pies Ingredients

For the Brioche Dough:

• 12g sea salt
• 80g caster sugar
• 16g yeast (2 x 7g sachets)
• 8 large free-range eggs
• 300g strong flour & 280g plain flour
• 285g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Vegetable oil, for greasing

For the Shortbread Stars:

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 75g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
• 225g plain flour

For the Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream):

• 250g whole milk
• 200g double cream
• ¼ of a cinnamon stick
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 80g caster sugar
• 30g cornflour

For the Filling & Crumble Topping:

• 500g jar of mincemeat
• 100g plain flour
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g demerara sugar

How To Make Brioche Mince Pies

1. Make the Brioche Dough: In a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the salt, sugar, yeast, 6 of the eggs, both flours, and 85ml of tepid water. Mix on a slow speed for about 3 minutes until combined. Increase the speed and mix until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
2. Enrich and Chill the Dough: With the mixer running, slowly add the room-temperature butter, a little at a time, until it is all incorporated. The dough will be very sticky. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it prove at room temperature for about 40 minutes until doubled in size. “Knock back” the dough by folding it onto itself, then cover and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
3. Make the Shortbread Stars: While the brioche chills, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla seeds until smooth. Mix in the flour to form a dough. Roll it out between two sheets of greaseproof paper to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 24 star shapes, chill them on a lined baking tray for at least 10 minutes.
4. Bake the Shortbread: Preheat the oven to 160ºC/gas 2–3. Bake the chilled shortbread stars for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with caster sugar and set aside.
5. Make the Crème Pâtissière: Heat the milk, cream, and cinnamon stick in a pan. While it heats, whisk the eggs, sugar, and cornflour in a bowl. When the cream is almost boiling, remove it from the heat and slowly pour a third of it into the eggs while whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the pan, return to the heat, and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes until it boils and thickens. Pour into a clean bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill.
6. Make the Crumble: In a bowl, combine the flour, butter, and demerara sugar. Rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
7. Shape and Bake the Pies: Once the brioche has chilled, divide it into 40-50g balls and place them on a lined baking tray. Let them prove again for 25 minutes until doubled. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Make an indent in the center of each ball. Place a teaspoonful of the chilled crème pâtissière in the indent, topped with a couple of teaspoons of mincemeat.
8. Finish and Bake: Beat the remaining 2 eggs to create an egg wash. Brush the outside of the pies with the egg wash, then top generously with the crumble mixture. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let them cool slightly before pressing a shortbread star on top of each pie.

Recipe Tips

• How to get a perfect brioche texture? This is a very “enriched” dough. It is crucial that your butter and eggs are at room temperature to incorporate properly. Be patient when adding the butter; the dough will look very wet and sticky at first, but it will come together into a beautiful, silky dough with continued kneading in a stand mixer.
• Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes. The recipe’s 4-hour chill time is a minimum. You can let the enriched dough rest in the refrigerator overnight. This slow, cold fermentation will develop an even more complex flavor and makes the sticky dough much easier to handle.
• Why did my crème pâtissière scramble? The secret to a smooth pastry cream is to “temper” the eggs. By slowly whisking some of the hot cream into the egg and sugar mixture first, you gently raise the temperature of the eggs so they don’t scramble when you add them back to the hot pan.
• How do I prevent a skin on my pastry cream? The recipe includes the classic professional trick: press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the hot crème pâtissière before you put it in the fridge. This prevents any air from touching the surface, which is what causes a skin to form.

What To Serve With Brioche Mince Pies

These are a festive, multi-layered treat that are a complete dessert on their own. They are the perfect centerpiece for a Christmas party or a special holiday brunch, served with:

• A hot cup of coffee or a cappuccino
• A glass of mulled wine or a festive liqueur

How To Store Brioche Mince Pies

• Room Temperature: These are best eaten on the day they are made. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Reheat: Gently reheat them in a low oven for 5-10 minutes to soften the brioche and warm the filling.

Brioche Mince Pies Nutrition Facts

• Serving: 1 mince pie
• Calories: 550 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 70g
• Protein: 10g
• Fat: 28g
• Saturated Fat: 16g
• Sugar: 35g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

Try More Recipes:

• Kugelhopf Recipe
• Stollen Recipe
• Gingerbread People Recipe