No Knead Brioche Swirl

This no knead brioche swirl is a delightful treat that combines the rich flavors of brioche with the convenience of a no-knead recipe. Brioche, a classic French bread enriched with butter and eggs, is renowned for its soft, tender crumb and slightly sweet taste.

The magic of this recipe lies in its simplicity – there’s no need to spend time kneading the dough. Instead, you mix the ingredients together until just combined, allowing the dough to rest and rise overnight or for several hours. This slow fermentation process develops complex flavors and results in a soft, airy texture.

Like all good things, this recipe was born out of laziness))) I was too lazy to knead the dough like a panettone. I love it anyway, but sometimes you want something very simple to prepare, so that you mix it and it will grow by itself, bake and so on. Just don’t eat for me, I’m a pro at that))

Okay, I’m kidding, you’ll have to make a little effort here, but just a little, only when forming the swirl. Even a schoolchild can handle all the other stages, honestly.

Friends, I have a video on my YouTube channel about this brioche swirl where I show the whole process of cooking, be sure to watch it, it will definitely be useful to you. Thank you for your comments and subscriptions, you are helping me to promote the content!

If you’re not familiar with yeast dough yet, I recommend reading my article Why Yeast Dough Doesn’t Rise first.

The blog also has a recipe for Cranberry Brioche Swirls, which require a little more effort to make, but they are so tasty and juicy, I sincerely recommend you try cooking them.

Cranberries for brioche swirls need to be soaked in advance: 1–2 days before preparing the pastries, pour any aromatic alcohol (rum, brandy) or, for example, orange juice over the dried fruits. Before cooking, drain them and pat them dry with paper towels to get rid of the remaining liquid.

The amount of products given makes 1 large swirl weighing 700 g or 2 smaller swirls weighing about 350 g each.

Ingredients:

Brioche dough

milk
sugar
honey
yeast
egg
salt
orange zest
vanilla extract 
melted butter
all-purpose flour

Filling

soft butter
soaked dried fruit (without liquid)

Additional

Milk for greasing
Powdered sugar for decorating

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter and let it cool.
2. Combine all the dough ingredients except for the flour. Add the melted butter. Mix everything together with a whisk.
3. Add the sifted flour. Stir the dough first with a spoon, then knead by hand until there is no dry flour left. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for half an hour.
4. Fold #1. Wet your hands with water and fold the dough several times (you can see how to do it well in the video). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for another half an hour.
5. Fold #2. Repeat the process from the previous step. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for another half an hour.
6. Shaping the swirl. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, spread it with softened butter, and sprinkle with soaked dried fruits.
7. Roll up the dough along the long side of the rectangle. Cut it in half lengthwise without cutting all the way through, about 4-5 cm from the edge. Unfold the halves and carefully twist each one around its own axis, starting with one half and then the other, tucking the ends in gently (see photo below or video).
8. Transfer the swirl to a baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
9. Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Gently brush the top of the swirl with milk. Bake for 40–45 minutes, but adjust according to your oven. Check for doneness with a wooden skewer.
10. Remove the baked brioche swirl from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Store brioche swirls in a hermetically sealed container so they stay fresh for up to 5 days.

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Share your experience or any creative twists you made in the comments below. Let me know if you have any questions. Your feedback helps me create even more delicious content. Enjoy your homemade treat and happy baking!