AH, AUTUMN. Sometimes the colours and sights of these late months take my breath away.

This week, for instance, there’s been some breathtaking mist and fog. My commute to work takes me up towards Wessenden, then along the tops through Blackmoorfoot, and on a couple of occasions this week, the views have been spectacular.

I’ve seen hi-definition clear skies across the moors and thick fingers of fog stretching up the valleys and across the centre of town. Quite a beautiful sight to behold, these seemingly solid walls of white slowly creeping their way up the valleys and dales, especially when contrasted against the oranges, yellows and coppery browns of autumn foliage.

The staggering beauty of our little corner of the world never fails to impress me; how lucky we are. And as the temperatures start to dip towards the season’s first frosts, my mind tends to crave the warmth of the pastry kitchen, the sweet, bakery smells, the steam and the sugar.

This week, then, we return to some proper baking, and one of the cornerstones of the patissier’s art, the brioche.

I’m always surprised, given the British love for all things cakey, especially our passion for buns and tea-breads, that brioche hasn’t really taken off here across the channel.

It ticks all the boxes; light in texture, yet rich and dense in flavour, buttery and sweet, but not sugary or overpowering – brioche can still take on more additional flavours without becoming too much.

A smear of good jam, especially apricot or raspberry, on a wedge of toasted brioche, is a simple joy, but one ingredient works a little extra magic, and that is chocolate.

French schoolchildren know the sheer delight that can be had from a simple split brioche bun, lightly smeared with cold, unsalted butter and a square or two of bitter chocolate laid in the centre.

It’s a home-from-school classic, delivering a burst of energy, but more importantly a deeply satisfying flavour as the chocolate melts into the bread.

The buttery, doughy brioche is simply marvellous when twinned with dark, sultry chocolate, and it’s this combination we’re going to play with today.

We’re making a classic of Viennoiserie (a term for the pastries one associates with breakfast, pub-quiz fans), the brioche au chocolat.

When baked, these lovely soft, buttery buns split to reveal a molten centre of custard and dark chocolate.

Pop one of these alongside a cup of strong black coffee and you’re set for the day. Now, before we start, a note of caution. This recipe takes a while.

There are many ways of making brioche, some fast, some slow. This is one of the slower, more loving ways of getting the best results.

Feel free to look up an alternative if time is tight, but I thought I’d let you have a go at this one because you get a real sense of the alchemy at work; the patience required to make the dough as sweet and buttery as possible really pays off when you bite into that first piece. Aprons on!