Dubai Chocolate Brioche Twists
Dubai Chocolate Brioche Twists

Dubai Chocolate Brioche Twists

Made with crunchy butter-fried kataifi (knafeh) pastry, pistachio cream, and white chocolate, all twisted into a super soft brioche dough.

A recipe for anyone who loves the look of the viral Dubai chocolate bars all over social media! We’ve made ours with white chocolate, which complements the pistachio cream beautifully, but feel free to use milk or dark chocolate.

Baked delights Oval
PREP TIME3 Hours
COOK TIME30 Minutes
SERVES8-10
TOTAL TIME3 Hour, 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For brioche dough:

  • ½ cup milk, warmed in the microwave 20 seconds
  • 2 teaspoons + ½ cup sugar (2 teaspoons for Step 1; the rest for Step 2)
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 100g butter, soft

For pistachio filling:

  • 180g kataifi pastry
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 200-220g pistachio cream

White chocolate topping:

  • 200g white chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons cream

METHOD:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk, yeast, and 2 teaspoons of sugar and stir. Leave to sit 5 minutes until frothy.
  2. Add the remaining sugar, butter, eggs, salt, and flour. Mix with the stand mixer on a low speed until dough comes together, then increase speed and mix 5-7 minutes. Dough should be soft, elastic, and sticky to the touch.
  3. Cover with a towel and leave to rise 2-3 hours at room temperature, until doubled in size.
  4. Meanwhile make the kataifi filling: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the pastry, breaking up gently with your hands to separate the strands. Cook, stirring continuously until the pastry changes into a light brown crunchy texture, about 12 minutes.
  5. Remove pastry to a bowl and add the pistachio cream, then stir with a flat spatula to combine well.
  6. When the dough is almost ready place your Krustic Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 400°F.
  7. Tip dough onto the bench then roll out gently(don’t press too hard) into a rough rectangle shape.
  8. Spoon the filling onto the dough and spread out with a spatula, being careful not to tear the dough.
  9. With the long side towards you, use a scraper to help you roll into a long log. It doesn't need to be even, just try to keep as much filling inside as possible!
  10. Cut the roll in half to make two shorter logs. Then slice each log lengthwise along the center and gently pull apart.
  11. Take the two pieces, press together at the end and twist together, then repeat with the remaining pieces.
  12. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and place the Silicone Transfer Mat inside. Lift the twists onto the mat, placing side by side, pressing the ends together, then replace the lid.
  13. Bake 10 minutes, then remove the lid and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and well-cooked. The thicker the twists, the longer they’ll take to bake, so be sure to check doneness before removing!
  14. Leave to cool 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the white chocolate ganache: Add butter and cream to a microwave-safe bowl and heat 30 seconds until very warm to the touch. Add the white chocolate and let sit 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
  15. Drizzle the ganache over the twists generously.
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GALLERY:

NOTES:

  • If you can't find kataifi pastry, substitute toasted shredded coconut (lightly toasted in a hot oven or dry frypan).
  • You can also make your own pistachio cream (which is often much cheaper!) if you can’t find store-bought.
  • These can also be made into small brioche twist rolls: During step 7, divide the dough into four smaller rectangles, then follow the remaining steps. Arrange the smaller rolls/buns into the Dutch oven, leaving enough space around each to rise.
  • To use active sourdough starter instead of yeast: To make this a full-sourdough recipe, add 100g of fed and bubbly active starter to the dough in place of the yeast. Allow to rise until almost doubled (this will take anywhere from 3–8 hours depending on the warmth of your environment).
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