Several weeks ago I made maple custard brioche tarts with caramelized pears that I was obsessed with. Today I'm taking that same dough and making a savory version. A breakfast variation was calling my name so here are bacon and egg brioche tarts. You just can't go wrong with crispy bacon, a perfectly baked egg, and soft brioche crusted with parmesan. Who wants one?

Recipe

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Bacon and Egg Brioche Tarts

12 brioche tarts

Total Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread

Servings: 12

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Brioche dough

• ½ cup warm milk (100-110 degrees F) (114 grams)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (11 grams)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (537 grams)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup butter, softened, cut into 16 small chunks (226 grams)

Remaining ingredients

• 12 strips bacon
• 1 large egg yolk whisked with 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 12 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups grated parmesan (150 grams)

Instructions

• Combine ½ cup warm milk with 1 tablespoon active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy.
• Combine 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast mixture along with 5 eggs. Mix the dough using the dough hook and knead for 8 minutes. Add the butter a few pieces at a time while the mixer is mixing on low. Continue to add all of the butter. Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The dough will be very soft and shiny.
• Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
• Continue to proof the dough in the fridge overnight.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on two lined baking sheets, 6 per sheet. Loosely cover and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top and lay the bacon in one even layer. Bake the bacon until it's halfway cooked, about 15 minutes. The bacon should be lightly browned but not crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Shape the brioche tarts. Using your hands, gently press into the center of each dough ball, pushing outward to create a cavity. The cavity should be big and deep enough to hold an egg. Line the cavity with a strip of bacon and crack an egg side the bacon wall.
• Whisk together 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon heavy cream for the egg wash. Brush the edges of the tarts with the egg wash and sprinkle 2 tablespoon grated parmesan on top. Bake the tarts until the edges are golden brown, the bacon is crispy, and the egg white is completely opaque but still jiggly, about 18-20 minutes.
• Let cool slightly and serve the bacon and egg brioche tarts warm.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

For the full details on how to make the brioche dough, check out the maple custard brioche tarts recipe.  The procedure to make this savory version is the same except for the toppings.

Chill the dough overnight then remove from the fridge and divide it into 12 equal portions. Lay the portioned dough onto two lined baking sheets, placing 6 portions on each. Let the dough proof again for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

While the dough is proofing, cook the bacon. We want to par-cook the bacon to render out some of the fat not cook it completely since it will be baked later on with the tarts. Bake the bacon for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned but not crispy. It should be easily bendable.

Once the dough is ready, it's time to shape the brioche tarts. Be careful not to deflate any gases since we don't want to flatten the brioche. Very gently use your fingers and create a cavity in the center big enough to hold a large egg. Think of it as shaping pizza, pushing the center outward to create a wall.

Get a strip of bacon and line the cavity, serving as a barrier for the egg. Carefully crack the egg in the center and brush the edges of the tart with the egg wash. Finish by sprinkling parmesan on the outer edges and bake the bacon and egg brioche tarts for about 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and the eggs have set.

If you want the egg yolk to be slightly runny, cook the tarts just until the eggs become opaque but are still very jiggly. It will continue to cook once you take it out of the oven.

Serve these tarts warm for the best results. Can I just say, "mmmm-hmm!" Any pastry with bacon and egg is almost guaranteed to be good. These are very, very good. I had to convince myself to share these with my husband rather than hoarding them all to myself. Savory and delicious!

For more savory bread inspiration check out this pizza pull apart bread!