I love combining North American classics with French pastries! Bostock is simply a slice of brioche dipped in orange-scented syrup and baked with a layer of almond cream and sliced almonds on top. The sweet and cake-like bread with a nutty and crunchy almond topping is a bite of heaven. I love baking with citrus, they add such a refreshing and bright flavour to any pastries. The lemon poppy seed muffin is perhaps North America’s favourite morning pastry that they even come in pre-packaged mixes. For this recipe, I’ve dipped the brioche in a lemon syrup, and topped them with a poppy seed frangipane, and voila! I wonder what the French would think of this lemon poppy seed bostock?
Ingredients
- 135 g / 3/4 cup sugar
- 100 g / 1/2 cup water
- 50 g / 3 tbsp + 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 70 g / 3/4 cup almond flour
- 100 g / 1 cup icing sugar
- 30 g / 3 tbsp poppy seeds (toasted in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes, and cooled)
- 9 g / 3 tsp cornstarch
- a pinch of salt
- 100 g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 30 g / 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 6-8 slices of day old brioche
- 6-8 thinly sliced lemons
Method
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook it on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Turn off heat and add in the lemon juice and zest. Let cool before using.
- In a small bowl, combine almond flour, icing sugar, poppy seeds, cornstarch, and salt.
- In a mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat butter until it is light on medium speed. Add dry ingredients to incorporate. Add egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest, mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed, scraping down the bowl if necessary.
- Use right away or store in refrigerator if using later.
- Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly dip brioche slices in the lemon syrup, let the excess drip off. Alternatively, you can also brush the syrup evenly onto the brioche with a pastry brush.
- Spread 1-2 tablespoons of poppy seed frangipane onto the soaked brioche, and top each one with a lemon slice.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges become golden brown. Let cool and dust with icing sugar before serving.
This tastes just like a lemon poppy seed loaf, but with more layers of textures. I especially like the crunchy textures of the poppy seeds with the refreshing taste of the lemon juice and zest. The tartness balances the sweetness, just the way I like my citrus pastries!
Lemony and bostock recipes…
Inspiration can indeed be found in the simplest things. Something as familiar as lemon poppy seed can find new textures and tastes in the form of bostock.
Oh…. Brioche with syrup? That sounds very tasty! I didn’t know such thing existed. I always have leftover brioche laying around my counter. Thank you for introducing me to these deliciousness! I have to tried it out. 🙂