NIX Kitchen / Food & Kitchen Tech
A little loaf
of luxury.
Chocolate-drop brioche in the
Panasonic SD-PN100.
Soft, buttery bread. Little pockets of chocolate.
A small loaf with a very good reason to put the kettle on.
There are sensible things to put in a breadmaker, and then there is brioche with chocolate drops.
A golden loaf, a tender middle and just enough chocolate to make breakfast feel suspiciously close to pudding.
I live on my own, so the appeal of a small loaf is obvious. This PN100 recipe brings together butter, vanilla and chocolate in a manageable size. The machine handles the kneading, proving and baking, with two additions to make during the programme.
Those two visits matter. The extra butter goes in first. The chocolate follows at the later ingredients beep. A little patience, a decent set of scales and the correct programme do most of the heavy lifting.
The kettle can handle the rest.
02 / A little precision
Small machine.
Proper measurements.
I keep every PN100 experiment at 250 g flour or below. I have already broken one breadmaker; that was quite enough research. This is my own ceiling for these recipes.
This version from my NIX recipe collection uses 225 g strong white bread flour, 50 g butter altogether and 60 g chocolate drops. The programme and addition stages have been checked against Panasonic’s operating instructions.
Choose small chocolate drops intended for baking and keep them cold until their turn. Chilling or freezing may help them stay in little pockets during mixing, although some streaking through the dough is perfectly possible.
03 / Make it
The recipe.
Chocolate-drop brioche · One small PN100 loaf
Menu 6 · Light crust · About 3 hours 15 minutes, plus cooling
What you need
| Strong white bread flour | 225 g |
| Fast-action dried yeast | ¾ tsp |
| Caster sugar | 25 g |
| Salt | ½ tsp |
| Unsalted butterFor the initial mix | 25 g |
| Medium egg | 1 |
| Milk | Enough to make 138 ml with the beaten egg |
| Vanilla extract | ½ tsp |
| Extra unsalted butterChilled and cut into small cubes | 25 g |
| Chocolate dropsChilled or frozen | 60 g |
Butter total: 50 g. Keep the second 25 g portion separate for the butter prompt.
This is the combined measurement. The vanilla goes in afterwards.
How to make it
Prepare the two additions.
Weigh the extra 25 g butter, cut it into small cubes and keep it in the fridge. Weigh the 60 g chocolate drops and keep them chilled or frozen separately. Having both ready makes the beeps rather less exciting.
Measure the egg and milk.
Beat the medium egg in a measuring jug. Add milk until the mixture reaches 138 ml, then stir in the vanilla. Measure at eye level so the quantity is clear.
Load the pan.
Fit the kneading paddle. Following the NIX liquids-first loading method, add the egg-and-milk mixture and the initial 25 g butter. Cover with the flour. Put the sugar and salt in separate corners, then add the yeast to a small well in the flour.
Select the programme.
Return the pan to the machine, close the lid and select Menu 6 — Brioche. Choose Light crust and press Start.
Add the remaining butter.
At the butter prompt, usually 35–45 minutes after starting, add the chilled butter cubes. Close the lid and press Start to resume.
Add the chocolate.
At the later ingredients beep, usually 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes after starting, add the cold chocolate drops. Close the lid and press Start to continue. Use the machine’s prompt as your cue; the timings are approximate.
Let it finish, then cool.
Allow the programme to complete. Using oven gloves, remove the pan and turn the brioche onto a wire rack. Leave it for about 30–45 minutes before slicing. Check that the kneading paddle has come away from the loaf before cutting.
A useful little routine
Butter first.
Chocolate later.
Kettle whenever.
Cold drops and the later addition give the pieces a better chance of staying distinct. A few chocolate ribbons are hardly a kitchen emergency.
04 / The best bit
Make time
for the first slice.
Give the loaf time to settle before taking a bread knife to it. A gentle sawing motion helps keep the soft crumb intact. Serve it slightly warm, with the chocolate still soft, or let it cool fully for neater slices.
There is plenty going on already, so a plain slice and a cup of tea make a very respectable starting point. If you are keeping some for later, cool the loaf completely before storing it airtight. Slices also make convenient portions for the freezer.
05 / Kitchen notes
A few useful
answers.
The small details that make this recipe easier to follow, from the measuring jug to the final chocolate beep.
Does the 138 ml include the egg?
Yes. Beat one medium egg, then top up with milk until the combined mixture reaches 138 ml. The vanilla is added afterwards.
Milk or dark chocolate drops?
Either works for this variation. Keep the quantity at 60 g and use small baking drops. Milk chocolate gives a sweeter result; dark chocolate brings a stronger cocoa flavour.
Why does the butter go in twice?
This recipe follows the PN100 brioche programme’s staged butter addition. Put 25 g in at the start and reserve 25 g for the butter prompt.
What if the chocolate smears a little?
Cold drops and the later addition may help the pieces stay distinct. The finished appearance will still depend on the chocolate and the warmth of the dough. A few ribbons of chocolate are part of the charm.
Recipe & references
A note from the kitchen
Quantities follow the NIX recipe collection. Programme and addition timings follow Panasonic’s manual, pages EN4–EN7. The loading order is the NIX liquids-first method; the 250 g flour ceiling is my personal rule.