Puff pastry brioche with pastry cream

Mix all-purpose flour, bread flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast.

Add milk and eggs and mix with the paddle until just combined; the gluten develops during laminating.

Wrap in plastic wrap as a slab and rest in the refrigerator 2 hours.

Roll room-temperature butter between two sheets of parchment into a squared slab; chill.

Leave the butter slab out about 20 minutes so it is supple but as cool as the dough.

Optionally freeze the dough 15 minutes on each side; roll the dough twice the length of the butter slab, place the butter on the first half, close and seal, and roll into a 7 by 22 inch (18 by 56 cm) rectangle.

Fold in thirds, sealing the edges; wrap and rest in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Repeat for three single turns in all.

Roll leftover puff pastry into a thin strip to strengthen the bottom of the brioche.

Roll the pastry into a large rectangle, cut in half and stack, seal, cut into two portions and chill 30 minutes.

Roll each portion into long strips, chill or freeze about 15 minutes, then fold accordion style into the pan.

Cover and proof about 2 and a half hours.

Pastry cream: bring milk and vanilla to a boil; mix egg yolks, sugar and starches; temper the yolks, return to the saucepan, boil 2 minutes whisking constantly.

Cool and chill the cream, then mix with poached lemons or oranges.

Fill the spaces in the proofed brioche with the custard, sprinkle with pearl sugar, and bake 45 minutes to an hour depending on size.

Brush the baked cake with simple syrup, apricot preserve or the poached-lemon syrup; cool and dot with hazelnut praline or Nutella.