Overnight Frangipane & Rhubarb Brioche Slab
This is how we win Saturday morning. Growing up in Paris, brioche meant hours of stand-mixer babysitting and anxious butter-temping. But we are not suffering for brunch. My Bay Area years taught me to let time do the work.\n\nThis slab is my ultimate compromise: café-level crumb, weeknight method. Friday night, you mix a shaggy, ultra-hydrated dough in one bowl. Five minutes, tops. The fridge is your friend here. Le pointage à froid (cold bulk fermentation) develops a complex, lacy crumb—never tight like a bad alibi—and firms the fat so the dough is actually manageable.\n\nSaturday morning, press the chilled dough into a sheet pan. I live for slab formats because you get maximum crust-to-crumb ratio. Swirl in thick frangipane and jam raw, tart March rhubarb straight into the top. The acidity cuts the rich almond paste. Want to make it your own? Swap rhubarb for late-summer plums. Just watch for the wobble. When the proofed slab jiggles slightly before baking, the yeast is ready.\n\nCami's shortcut note: Use store-bought almond paste mashed with an egg and flaky salt instead of scratch frangipane.\n\nDon't skip this: Cold dough is non-negotiable. If it warms up while shaping, pop the pan in the freezer for ten minutes. Butter is not a garnish; it's structural.
Featured Recipe
Overnight Frangipane & Rhubarb Brioche Slab
This is how we win Saturday morning. An ultra-hydrated, no-knead brioche dough mixed in five minutes on Friday night, finished with an aggressive swirl of almond paste and tart March rhubarb. High impact, low fuss, and absolutely zero morning stress—we are not suffering for brunch.
Save a copy to your collection for editing
Timeline
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups Bread flour(Plus a little extra if needed, but try not to use it)
- 1.5 tsp Instant yeast
- 1 tsp Kosher salt(Diamond Crystal preferred)
- 1/2 cup Whole milk(Cold)
- 4 Large eggs(3 cold for the dough, 1 room temp for the frangipane)
- 1/2 cup Cultured butter(Melted and cooled slightly)
- 3 tbsp Granulated sugar
- 4 oz Almond paste(Crumbled (do not use marzipan))
- 3 tbsp Unsalted butter(Room temperature, for the frangipane)
- 1 pinch Kosher salt (for frangipane)
- 1 cup Chopped rhubarb(Cut into 1/2-inch pieces (can sub raspberries or firm pears))
- 1/4 cup Sliced almonds
- 2 tbsp Pearl sugar(Or raw turbinado sugar for crunch)
- 1/2 cup cold whole milk(mentioned in step 1, should be cold)
- 3 large cold eggs(mentioned in step 1, should be cold)
- 1/2 cup melted cultured butter(mentioned in step 1, should be melted)
- 3 tbsp room temp unsalted butter(mentioned in step 5, should be room temperature)
- 1 room temp large egg(mentioned in step 5, should be room temperature)
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cold whole milk, 3 large cold eggs, 1/2 cup melted cultured butter, and 3 tbsp granulated sugar. Fold in 2.5 cups bread flour, 1.5 tsp instant yeast, and 1 tsp kosher salt until a shaggy, wet dough forms. It will be very sticky. Do not add more flour. Let time do the work.
5 min
Tip: Mixing everything cold extends fermentation, which builds flavor and texture.
- 2
Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the fridge overnight. The cold retard (fridge resting) slows yeast activity, builds a lacy crumb, and firms up the butter so the high-hydration dough is actually workable tomorrow. If you rush this step, you'll end up with a crumb that's tight like a bad alibi.
480 min
Tip: 8 to 14 hours in the fridge is the sweet spot.
- 3
The next morning, generously butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Scrape the firm, cold dough into the pan. Using lightly oiled fingers, gently press and stretch the dough out to the edges. If it shrinks back, let it sit for 10 minutes to relax the gluten, then press again.
5 min
Tip: Butter is not a garnish. Grease the pan well to achieve those crispy, caramelized bottom edges.
- 4
Cover the skillet loosely and let the dough proof at a warm room temperature until puffy, jiggly, and increased in volume by half. You want to see a pronounced wobble when you shake the pan.
45 min
Tip: Depending on your kitchen's temperature, this could take up to an hour. Watch the dough, not the clock.
- 5
While the dough proofs, aggressively mash 4 oz crumbled almond paste with 3 tbsp room temp unsalted butter in a small bowl until mostly smooth. Beat in 1 room temp large egg and 1 pinch kosher salt until you have a thick, spreadable frangipane (almond cream). This paste is our hero ingredient today.
5 min
Tip: If your almond paste is stiff, microwave it for 10 seconds before mashing.
- 6
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
15 min
Tip: Ensure your oven rack is in the lower-middle position for optimum bottom crust.
- 7
Once the dough is puffy, oil your fingers and press deep dimples all over the surface, pushing straight down until you feel the bottom of the skillet. Spoon or pipe small dollops of the frangipane into these craters. Scatter 1 cup chopped rhubarb evenly across the top, pressing the pieces gently into the dough. Finish by scattering 1/4 cup sliced almonds and 2 tbsp pearl sugar over the whole slab.
5 min
Tip: Dimple assertively. You want deep pockets so the frangipane bakes into the dough rather than sitting on top.
- 8
Bake until the brioche is deeply golden brown, the frangipane is puffed, and the edges pull away slightly from the sides of the pan.
35 min
Tip: Don't pull it early. A pale crust lacks flavor.
- 9
Remove from the oven and let it cool in the skillet for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Slicing it screaming hot will compress the delicate, lacy crumb you just worked so hard to build.
15 min
Tip: Run a knife around the edge before trying to remove pieces.
Chef's Notes
Cami’s shortcut note: Store-bought almond paste is your best friend here. Don't buy marzipan (too sweet, wrong texture). Look for pure almond paste in the baking aisle. And whatever you do, don't skip the overnight fridge time—the 'fridge is your friend' method guarantees cafe-level flavor with zero early morning kneading.
Camille Roux
Café-level bakes, weeknight methods, zero compromise.
Camille “Cami” Roux was born in Paris with flour in her hair and a healthy skepticism of culinary dogma. She grew up around neighborhood boulangeries that treated crust and crumb like religion—but what stuck with her wasn’t rigid tradition. It was the quiet precision: good butter that actually tastes like milk, patient fermentation that builds flavor for free, and desserts that know when to stop before they get cloying. After moving to the Bay Area, Cami trained in a bread-and-pastry scene obsessed with texture, naturally leavened doughs, and seasonal fruit—Tartine energy, minus the martyrdom. She became known for loaves that sing when they cool, jammy tarts with clean edges, and “how is this so good?” weeknight pastries made with a few smart shortcuts. Her motto is high impact, low fuss: splurge where it counts (butter, salt, time), streamline the rest (sheet pans, one bowl, cold-proofing). If it doesn’t improve flavor or structure, it doesn’t earn a step.