Craquelin is a Belgian bread made with brioche dough and sugar cubes flavored with lemon zest, lemon juice, or alcohol. The sugar cubes are wrapped in brioche dough and baked into individual cups, creating pockets of crunchy sweetness.
Craquelin is a type of bread, quite similar to brioche and often uses the same basic recipe as brioche, which typically includes sugar cubes within it. This type of bread can be baked as large loaves or made into individual cups, like those used for cupcakes and popovers. Sugar cubes are placed into the bread dough before baking and these cubes are often flavored with lemon zest, lemon juice, or alcohol such as orange or coffee liqueur. Craquelin is a Belgian bread typically served as a midday treat or dessert, due to its rich flavor and sweetness.
The base dough used in making craquelin is essentially brioche dough, which gives the finished bread a great flavor and texture. Brioche is often noted for its light sweetness and noticeable egg-and-butter flavor. Baked bread often takes on a yellow color which enhances the sense of eggs and butter tasted in the bread itself; this coloring is due to the large amount of butter used. What distinguishes craquelin from other brioche breads is the sugar cubes placed in the bread before baking.
These sugar cubes are often treated with other flavorings before being used in craquelin dough. Sugar cubes aren’t necessarily left whole before cooking; they can be halved or lightly mashed and are often mixed with lemon zest for an enhanced flavor. Some recipes even call for lemon juice to be drizzled over the sugar cubes or for a baker to briefly dip the sugar cubes in citrus or coffee liqueur before using them in craquelin. Other flavors can be added as well, and personal preferences may dictate experimentation with ingredients such as almond and vanilla extract.
Once properly processed, the sugar cubes are typically wrapped in small amounts of brioche dough. Individual cubes can be selected or multiple pieces can be wrapped together in a thin dough bag. This prevents the sugar from leaking into the rest of the bread during baking.
The wrapped sugar cubes are then placed into the rest of the dough or are placed into individual dough balls, which are baked into cups such as those used in making cupcakes. As the craquelin cooks, the sugar cubes melt and enhance the flavor of the surrounding bread. Since they’re found in the little pockets of dough, however, the sugar crystallizes as the bread cools and creates pockets of crunchy sweetness.
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