Strawberry Donut Brioche Scrolls

These Strawberry Donut Brioche Scrolls are such a fun weekend baking project. Soft, fluffy, buttery brioche dough, twirled into scrolls sandwiching layers of sweet strawberry jam, baked, then tossed in strawberry sugar. Your kids will love them (and so will you!)

I’m going through a brioche dough-making obsession at the moment. I absolutely love it, the feel of the dough once it’s kneaded sufficiently, watching it during that first magical rise, the satisfying deflation after, and then the act of choosing what I want to make with it. I find it's such a versatile dough that can be baked into rolls, scrolls, knots, babka loaves, wreaths and even donuts. (Next on my list of what to make!)

I had a half batch of dough leftover from a previous recipe and didn’t want an extra trip to the shops ... so I shopped my pantry. The best way to get creative I reckon! I had a jar of strawberry jam and some fresh strawberries in the fridge. Perfect- a jam scroll. Then I remember the coating my friend Erin of Cloudy Kitchen used on her Strawberry Brioche Donuts. So simple yet so effective- she mixed freeze-dried strawberries with sugar to make the coasting. And that, my friends, is how this recipe was born!

Brioche Dough

So I wrote a super long and informative HOW TO post all about making Brioche Dough not that long ago. My aim of the post was to de-bunk the perception that brioche dough is hard to make. It isn’t. It just requires following the correct steps and patience. The hardest bit is the waiting for the rises and the chills.

So I urge you to go check out my post. For this recipe, we only need a half batch of dough to make six scrolls, but by all means, use the full batch if you like. Alternatively, freeze the other half to use at a later date.

How do you actually make these Strawberry Donut Brioche Scrolls?

I hear you. How do we turn a blob of dough into these scrolls? It’s super easy...but NOTE: it’s MESSY. Slippery jam on dough makes for lots of slipping and sliding of the layers. But push through. Ultimately you can reshape them on the baking tray just before their second rise to tidy them up. Do not worry. Or be an astute perfectionist! A bit of jam seeping through adds to all the sticky goodness in the end!!

Let's take you step-by-step on how to make these scrolls:

Select your ingredients: chilled dough, strawberry jam, freeze-dried strawberries and sugar.

On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to approximately 20cm x 40cm.

Evenly smear the strawberry jam over the bottom two-thirds of the dough.

Now fold the top third over like a letter fold.

Then bring the bottom third over to close the letter fold. Now turn the dough 90 degrees, so the short edge is at the top and bottom and the long edge on the side.

Using a sharp knife, trim all around the edge of the rectangle to create neat, straight edges. Now cut the dough into six equal-sized vertical strips.

Twirl each strip into a scroll; it gets a bit slippery at the start but use your fingers to hold the centre in place and swirl the dough around it.

Place the swirl on baking paper.

Repeat with the remaining five strips. Brush with egg wash.

Prove for 45 minutes in a warm place.

Bake at 180C (350F) for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

How to get that Donut taste?!

The sugary coating has to be the number one identifier of donuts. So to bring that flavour onto these scrolls, we coat the whole scroll in sugar and freeze-dried strawberries. Take one bite, and you’ll be met with the light, enriched dough, sticky sweet jam, and crunchy, sugary coating. Just like a donut!!

Serving: These are best coated in the sugar just before serving otherwise, the moisture of the jam seeps into the sugar and turns it into a syrup.