Strawberry Cream Cheese Brioche Pastries with Orange Blossom Water
Rich, golden brioche cradle sweetened cream cheese flavored with the vibrant, floral taste of orange zest and orange blossom water. The brioche are topped with a generous amount of lightly sweetened fresh strawberries and a sprinkling of coarse Turbinado sugar.
In a large bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast and honey. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to proof the yeast, and then add the salt, eggs and melted butter. Stir in the flour with a spoon until completely incorporated. The dough will be very moist and sticky. Cover bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and place in a warm area for 2 hours. (I like to put it in an unheated oven with the oven light on to warm it slightly)
Place dough in the refrigerator to chill; 6 hours or overnight. Without chilling, the dough will be too sticky and difficult to work.
Remove dough from fridge and place onto a well floured surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle and fold into thirds along the long side of the rectangle, like folding a letter. Roll out dough to a thickness of ¼ inch.
Using a 3 ¼ inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as will fit. Fold together the scraps and gently roll out again, sprinkling work surface with additional flour if necessary. Cut out the remaining circles. You should have 10 circles total.
Transfer dough circles to parchment lined baking sheets - I placed 5 on each baking sheet. Set aside to rise for 40-60 minutes while preparing filling and topping.
Cream Cheese Filling
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, orange zest and orange blossom water. Blend on medium speed until well incorporated and cream cheese has a spreadable consistency similar to unbaked cheesecake batter.
Strawberry Topping
Place cut strawberries into a shallow bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Toss gently and set aside.
Assembly and Baking
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) and position oven racks on the top and bottom third of the oven.
Using a pastry brush, brush beaten egg onto the top and sides of each brioche circle.
Place the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round pastry tip and pipe a generous amount (approximately 2-3 Tbsp) of the filling into the middle of the brioche circles, leaving about an inch bare around the border. Alternatively, use a large spoon to scoop the filling onto the middle of each circle.
Using a spoon and your fingers, place strawberry slices on top of cream cheese dollops, pressing them into the cream cheese gently to secure them. Pile them up a bit - they will spread as they bake.
Sprinkle Turbinado sugar on top of each brioche, covering both the strawberry cream cheese centers and the egg-washed brioche dough. (The sugar on the dough will create a sparkly golden layer of sweet crunch).
Bake both pans in the oven for 22-24 minutes, rotating pans from top to bottom rack halfway through baking. Brioches will be puffy and golden brown on the edges. Cool for at least 10 minutes on baking sheet, and then transfer to cooling rack, or eat immediately! Brioche are best the same day they are baked.