Strawberries are at their peak where we live right now, and the ones I picked up last week from our farm stand near our house were almost too pretty to bake with. I wanted a pastry that would bring them forward instead of burying them, something built around the fruit, not just decorated with it.
Then, immediately I thought of strawberry cheesecake. but also of brioche.
I don’t think people give brioche dough enough credit, most of the time it’s doing savory work, holding down burgers, hot dogs, dinner rolls. But it holds a filling just as well going sweet, and combining the two just makes so much sense.
I built the filling like a typical cheesecake filling, a little thicker though, so it stays soft next to the fruit instead of competing with it.
Once the buns are shaped and proofed, I take the bottom of a wine glass and press it right into the center of each one, flattening it down just enough to leave a well, room for all that cheesecake filling and strawberries to sit in.
Then came the strawberries. Or more specifically, sumac.
A pound of strawberries, quartered, four tablespoons of sugar, and a teaspoon of sumac, just enough to let them sit and release their own sauce. Sumac doesn’t taste like anything you’d expect in a dessert. It’s tart, almost citrusy, and it makes the strawberries taste more like themselves, not less. and… it’s beautiful too. win win win.
The crumble on top to close it up before baking i borrowed straight from my coffee cake.
And here is an extra tip to bring this pastry even further (I know I know, how is it even possible?): save half the macerated strawberries for after they come out of the oven. Spoon them over the warm, still-soft buns and let the sauce pool into the well. That’s the bite that got me.
They turned out so good, I couldn’t just leave them in the kitchen. My daughter and I got in the car and drove around delivering them to her friends. She was so happy and proud. and so was I.
Hope this finds a spot on your weekend brunch table. Let’s gooooooo strawberry season!
BenG
Yields: about 12 buns | Prep: 45 min | Rise: 2½–3 hrs (or overnight) | Proof: 30-60 min | Bake: 18–22 min
Ingredients:
For the dough-
500g all-purpose flour
260g whole milk
130g butter, soft
90g sugar
10g instant/dry yeast (3g if you plan to let it proof overnight in the fridge)
10g salt
2 large eggs
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