Blueberry Brioche

Directions

1. 1
   Sift the flour into a bowl and press a well into the center. Add the yeast, 1 tsp of the sugar, and a little of the lukewarm milk into the well. Stir lightly, cover, and let rest a few minutes until the yeast foams.
2. 2
   Add the remaining sugar, salt, vanilla, the egg, and the rest of the milk, and knead everything into a smooth dough.
3. 3
   Once the dough comes together, knead in the soft butter piece by piece until you have a smooth, soft dough.
4. 4
   Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1-1.5 hours, until doubled in size.
5. 5
   Divide the dough exactly in half and shape into two balls. Roll out each ball into a rectangle.
6. 6
   Spread each rectangle with about 2 tbsp blueberry jam, leaving the edges free. Roll up from the long side, press the edges and ends together well, and place seam side down.
7. 7
   Place the two rolls next to each other and twist them together into a braid. Set into the parchment-lined loaf pan.
8. 8
   Cover and let rise again for about 30-45 minutes.
9. 9
   Brush with the egg yolk and milk mixture. Cut three slits with a knife and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
10. 10
    Bake in the preheated oven at 180 °C (350 °F) top/bottom heat for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown. If it browns too quickly on top, cover loosely with foil.
11. 11
    Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.