I own a good number of cookbooks and have spent countless happy hours leafing through them. Most of the books yield only three to five actual recipes I make regularly, but Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh is a notable exception. Since I bought that book I’ve baked more than a dozen pastries from it, and they’ve all been consistently excellent. The standout recipe—and the inspiration for these brioche scrolls—was the very first one I tried: Middle Eastern Millionaires Shortbread with tahini caramel and halva. The tahini brings a subtle bitterness that balances the burnt-sugar notes of the caramel, adding depth and preventing the confection from being overly sweet. As I told a friend, “I could eat these for breakfast!”
The idea of tahini caramel for breakfast eventually turned into the brioche scrolls here, loosely adapted from a recipe by Claudia Brick on her blog. I reworked the filling and decided to use browned butter in the dough. The butter’s gentle nuttiness plays nicely with the tahini caramel and adds a subtle layer of flavor.
The first time I made these browned butter brioche scrolls, the filling was simply tahini caramel, pistachios, and halva. The next time I had a bit of dark chocolate on hand and decided—perhaps extravagantly—to add it. The result was irresistible, and I’ve kept the chocolate ever since.
One of the nicest features of this recipe is that the main components can be prepared ahead. The dough should be made in advance and refrigerated overnight, which makes pulling the scrolls together quick and relaxed. If you prepare the caramel ahead of time as well, you can assemble and bake the scrolls in about an hour the next morning. Easy and delicious.
Browned Butter Brioche Scrolls with Tahini Caramel, Pistachios, Halva, and Dark Chocolate
A delicious breakfast treat, loosely adapted from The Brick Kitchen blog.
Ingredients
Browned Butter Brioche Dough
-
187
g (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp)
unsalted butter -
375
ml / (generous 1.5 cups)
whole milk
lukewarm (approx. 105 F) -
2 1/4
tsp
active dry yeast -
3
large eggs -
70
g (3/8 cup)
sugar -
1 1/2
tsp
salt -
675
g (approx. 4 3/4 cups)
bread flour
Tahini Caramel
-
1 1/2
cups
sugar -
28
g (2 tbsp)
unsalted butter
at room temperature -
3/4
cup
heavy cream
warmed slightly -
a generous pinch of
flaky sea salt -
50
g (3 tbsp)
tahini
well-stirred
Other Filling Ingredients
-
125
g (a scant cup)
pistachios
lightly toasted, cooled, and chopped -
60
g
dark chocolate (70%) -
60
g (1/2 cup)
crumbled halva
Egg wash
-
1
egg, mixed with 1 tbsp water or milk
To finish
-
2
tsp
powdered sugar
(optional)
Instructions
Browned Butter Brioche Dough
-
Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook gently until the milk solids at the bottom turn a light golden color. Remove from the heat immediately and set aside to cool slightly.
-
Activate the yeast: Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk and let it sit about 10 minutes to proof.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt.
-
Whisk in the browned butter, including any browned bits from the pan, then add the yeast and milk mixture.
-
Add the bread flour and mix with the dough hook on low speed for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly shiny. The dough should be very soft and begin to pull away from the bowl at the end of mixing. If it doesn’t, add another tablespoon of flour.
-
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight to rise.
Tahini Caramel Sauce
-
Prepare ingredients: Have everything ready because you’ll need to work quickly once the sugar melts.
-
Cook the sugar: In a large heavy saucepan, heat the sugar over medium to medium-high until it fully melts and reaches a deep amber color. Swirl the pan to move the sugar but avoid stirring to prevent crystallization.
-
Finish the caramel: Once the sugar has melted, whisk in the butter, then the warmed heavy cream. Remove from heat and whisk in the flaky sea salt and the well-stirred tahini.
-
Cool and store: Pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl and let it cool. The caramel can be made ahead—once cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently before using so it becomes spreadable.
Assembling and Baking the Brioche Scrolls
-
Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
-
Line 12 jumbo muffin cups with squares of parchment, crumpling the paper first to help it fit.
-
Shape the dough: Divide the chilled dough in half, keeping one half refrigerated. On a lightly floured surface, roll the other half into a 10 x 12-inch rectangle with the long side facing you.
-
Fill the dough: Spread half the tahini caramel evenly over the dough, leaving a narrow border. Sprinkle with pistachios, crumbled halva, and chopped dark chocolate, pressing lightly so the filling adheres.
-
Roll and cut: Starting from the long edge farthest from you, roll the dough into a 12-inch log. If it sticks, use a bench scraper to help. Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut the log into six even scrolls and place them in the prepared parchment-lined muffin cups.
-
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
-
Proof: Cover the muffin pans loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest in a warm spot for about 20 minutes. They should puff slightly; don’t worry if they don’t rise dramatically.
-
Brush with egg wash: After proofing, brush the tops and sides with the egg wash mixture.
-
Bake: Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the scrolls are golden brown.
-
Cool: Transfer the pans to a wire rack. After about 10 minutes, carefully remove the scrolls from the pans (the parchment helps) and let them finish cooling on the rack.
-
Finish: If you like, dust the scrolls lightly with powdered sugar before serving.
