Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Tart

The beautiful brioche base of this tart gets its incredibly tender and fluffy texture from Platinum Yeast. Topped with a lusciously smooth, warmly spiced cream cheese filling and a fan of sweet, slightly tart Honeycrisp apple slices, this tart is sure to evoke all your favorite fall feelings.

Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Video Tutorial

Watch video above for a step-by-step tutorial. Scroll down for printable recipe.

First, prepare and bake the apple slices. Set aside to cool.

Making the brioche takes a bit of time, but the final results are so worth it! Watch the video for lots of tips and tricks.

Start by mixing all dough ingredients together — except the butter. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

Slowly add in the butter, one piece at a time.

Once all butter is added, knead until dough is smooth and elastic again. Now it’s time to rise.

Roll out dough, shape and rise again.

Add cream cheese filling and top with apples. Then egg wash and sprinkle pearl sugar along edge. It’s time to bake!

Finish this beauty off by brushing a light coating of apple or apricot jam over the warm apples.

It adds a beautiful shine and nice burst of flavor.

Slice and enjoy! Forks are optional.

Apple Cream Cheese Brioche Tart

The beautiful brioche base of this tart gets its incredibly tender and fluffy texture from Platinum Yeast. Topped with a lusciously smooth, warmly spiced cream cheese filling and a fan of sweet, slightly tart Honeycrisp apple slices, this tart is sure to evoke all your favorite fall feelings.

Yield 1 (9-inch) Tart

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Ingredients

Apples

• 2 cups (233g) 1/4-inch-sliced Honeycrisp apples (about 2 medium apples)
• 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

Dough

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (18g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (21g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 (0.25oz) package (7g) Platinum Yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (4.5g) kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) warm whole milk (120°F/49°C to 130°F/54°C)
• 2 large (100g) eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon (3g) vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened

Filling

• 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons (28g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 large (50g) egg, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour

Topping/Finishing

• 1 large (50g) egg (for egg wash)
• 1 tablespoon (15g) water (for egg wash)
• Swedish pearl sugar, for sprinkling
• Apple jelly or apricot preserves, optional (see Notes¹)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For apples: In a large bowl, stir together apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and pie spice. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread apple mixture in an even layer on prepared pan.
• Bake until apples are fork-tender and have released significant moisture, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating pan and stirring halfway through baking. (Apples will be slightly reduced in size but should still retain their shape.) Let cool on pan on a wire rack.
• For dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1/2 cup (62g) flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, yeast, and salt at medium-low speed until combined. Add warm milk, eggs, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups (188g) flour, beating just until combined.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until dough is relatively smooth, elastic, and starts to pull away from sides of bowl, 6 to 9 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl and dough hook. Add butter, 1 tablespoon (14g) at a time, beating until combined after each addition (6 to 8 minutes total); scrape sides of bowl and dough hook. (Dough may look slightly broken during this process but will come together.) Increase mixer speed to medium-low; beat until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 6 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl and dough hook. (Dough should pass the windowpane test; see Notes².)
• Turn out dough onto a clean surface; knead 4 to 5 times. Shape into a smooth round. Place dough in a large ungreased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (See Notes³.)
• Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray with flour. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
• Punch down dough; cover and let stand for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11½-inch circle. (Do not flour top of dough.) Using a cake pan or plate, score a 9-inch circle in center of dough. Fold and press outside edges in a diagonal pattern about ¼ inch over score mark to create a crimped edge. Lift dough, and place in prepared pan, making sure dough is even and completely covers bottom of pan. Crimp and secure edges again as needed. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) for 25 minutes. (Dough will be puffed and hold an indentation when poked.) 
• For filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and pie spice at medium speed until well combined. Gradually add cream cheese, beating until smooth. Add egg, beating until combined. Beat in flour until smooth and well combined, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
• Using your fingertips, dimple center of dough back down, leaving outside crust as is. Crimp and secure edges again as needed; press out any air bubbles trapped underneath.  Spoon and spread cream cheese mixture in an even layer in center of dough. Arrange apples slightly overlapping in two concentric circles. (Discard or save any leftover apple slices as a snack.)
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon (15g) water. Brush outer edge of dough with egg wash, and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pan, and cover with foil; bake until crust is golden brown, filling is set around outside edges and slightly jiggly in center, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175°F (79°C), 25 to 28 minutes more. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Using a small offset spatula, loosen edges of bread. Remove sides of pan. Let cool completely on pan base on a wire rack. Brush apple slices with jelly or preserves (if using) before slicing and serving.

Notes

1. To give apple slices extra glisten once baked, microwave 1 tablespoon (20g) apple jelly or apricot preserves on high in 10-second intervals until melted and loose; brush onto apple slices just before serving.
2. To use the windowpane test to check dough for proper gluten development, lightly flour hands and pinch off (don’t tear) a small piece of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it’s thin and translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not quite ready. Beat for 1 minute, and test again.
3. After the first rise, this dough can be punched down and refrigerated for 1 to 4 hours or up to overnight, punching it down a few times to start, as needed. Refrigerating the dough can break up the bread-making timeline and make it easier to handle later.

 

Recipe by Brian Hart Hoffman

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Brian Hart Hoffman
Editor-in-Chief, Bake from Scratch

Brian Hart Hoffman is the editor-in-chief of Bake from Scratch magazine and made his way to baking through his love for travel and a previous career as a flight attendant. After years of traveling, stopping in bakeries all over the world, and returning home with a mission to recreate the baked goods he fell in love with, he took that same passion and launched a brand dedicated to the celebration of the global baking community. Bake from Scratch has grown into one of the world’s largest baking platforms, with magazines and best-selling cookbooks, a podcast (The Crumb), in-person baking retreats, and @thebakefeed on Instagram, where there are hours of Brian’s baking video content. Brian is a frequent guest on television shows all over the country and has appeared on Today, Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family, and is currently hosting Williams Sonoma’s Baking School with weekly online classes. His mission to bake the world a better place brings frequent efforts to end childhood hunger in partnership with No Kid Hungry and other hunger relief organizations.