This is a popular use for brioche dough as a breakfast roll in France. The rolls are sprinkled with pearl sugar, large opaque sugar granules, right before baking.

I love swirls of chocolate threading though any kind of a plain cake. This marbled brioche is fairly straightforward to prepare since you mix everything in the food processor. Marbling the plain and chocolate doughs together requires a little patience, but the reward is a beautiful loaf with an alluringly different flavor achieved by adding grated lemon zest and rum to the dough.

The lighter and richer Brioche Mousseline dough is perfect for these. They can be baked in a standard loaf pan or in the same type of round pan used for cake layers.

I tried the filone, dark and crusty with a flavorful open crumb; the ciabatta, lighter, with a very open and shiny crumb; and some focaccia, light, tender, and remarkably made without the addition of oil and knew immediately that this was the work of a true artisan.