Put the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, milk and eggs in a food mixer and process, using the blade, for about 5 minutes to a smooth dough.

If mixing by hand this will take 8 minutes.

Add the butter and mix for a further 5 minutes in a mixer or 10 minutes by hand.

Tip the dough out into a bowl, cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

Grease three 450 g/1 lb loaf tins.

The dough should now be stiff and easily shaped.

Divide the dough into 75 g/3 oz pieces and add 1 teaspoon of the apricots into the middle of each piece.

Fold the dough over the filling and shape into little balls.

Put the balls in the tins in rows of 2 balls, 1 ball, 2 balls, and so on until the tin is full.

Each tin should hold no more than 10 pieces.

Leave the brioche to rise for 1–2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Bake the brioche for 20 minutes until golden brown, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.