Twisted Brazil Nut Bread

I'm especially fond of making specialty breads like this one and find that they make excellent Christmas gifts for family and friends. It's basically just a sweet yeast dough filled with a luscious Brazil nut filling, which is rather easy to prepare too, and shaped into a beautiful twist, adding a touch of elegance to any festive table.

120 ml Milk, at 28C/82F
15 g Fresh yeast, crumbled
50 g Sugar
Pinch of salt
350 g All-purpose flour
80 g Butter, diced and at room-temperature
2 Egg yolks

250 g Brazil nuts, toasted and ground
50 g Coconut sugar
1 tbsp Freshly grated lemon zest
2 tbsp Rum
50 ml Whipping cream
2 Egg whites
Pinch of salt

Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat to 20C/82F. Crumble the fresh yeast into the lukewarm milk together with 1 teaspoon of the coconut sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, sift in the flour and add remaining sugar, and salt. Add in diced butter, egg yolks and the yeast mixture. Mix at slow speed until everything comes together. Increase the speed and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.
Turn out the dough and shape into a dough ball. Brush the mixing bowl lightly with oil to grease. Return the dough to the bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove until dough doubles in size, 1-2 hours.
Meanwhile prepare the filling. Mix together the ground Brazil nuts, coconut sugar, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Stir in rum and cream until combined. Whip the egg whites and salt until stiff. Fold the whipped egg white into the nut mixture until well blended. Cover with a plastic film and set aside.
Punch down the centre of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
Line a 26cm springform pan with baking paper. Set aside. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle, roughly 50x25-cm. Spread the prepared nut mixture evenly over dough, leaving 1cm border around edges. With the long edge facing you, tightly roll up dough in jelly roll fashion. Place the roll seam side up and use a sharp knife to cut the roll lengthwise in half along the seam. Tightly weave the two pieces together, leaving the cut sides exposed. Form into a wreath by firmly pinching two ends together. Gently transfer the wreath into the prepared pan.
Cover with a plastic film or kitchen towel and let rise until doubled for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake in centre of oven until bread is deep golden, about 35 minutes. Cool slightly. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

22 comments:

Nancy Chan 23/10/20 08:21: Beautiful twisted Brazil nut bread both on the outside and inside.
Tania@MyKitchenStories 23/10/20 08:56: What a brilliant way to use brazil nuts.
The Exclusive Beauty Diary 23/10/20 09:33: I would like to try it through screen, look so beautiful and it must smell and be very delicious.

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Natalia 23/10/20 13:49: That looks absolutely stunning! It is twisted to perfection☺
Ashley@CookNourishBliss 23/10/20 15:26: You always make the best breads Angie! This looks amazing!
Nammi 23/10/20 17:19: It looks very festive.
Victoria 23/10/20 19:19: Yummy! Thank you very much for your sharing ))
Dahn @savorthebest 23/10/20 21:20: I love all the twists and swirls in this bread. This is the kind of bread I love to eat at breakfast. Such a great start to the day.
Balvinder 23/10/20 21:34: Your breads always makes me feel hungry. And I love the way you shaped and sliced the bread,.. looks like the yummiest bread ever!
Evi Erlinda 24/10/20 07:40: This bread looks fantastic and I would like to taste the filling! The toasted and grounded brazil nuts filling sounds very yummy!
2pots2cook 24/10/20 17:17: Wow ! Pinned to Food Heaven !
Suja Manoj 25/10/20 15:10: Gorgeous bread and the filling sounds super yummy
Królowa Karo 25/10/20 19:41: It looks great and, judging by the ingredients, it's delicious.
Monica Hein ~ Beauty Diary 26/10/20 00:49: Looks so yummy!
foodtravelandwine 26/10/20 19:25: I love how it looks like!....and the taste must be super delicious!!........Abrazotes, Marcela
SavoringTime in the Kitchen 26/10/20 22:49: Your bakes are amazing, Angie! This is truly a work of art. I have loved baking bread during these restrictive times and would love to try making this as I love Brazil nuts.
Ron 27/10/20 10:38: Angie, looking at that slice of twisted Brazil nut bread makes me long for a piece with my upcoming coffee. We can't do nuts in our house, but I think my Swedish cinnamon filling might work here.
Debra Eliotseats 27/10/20 21:54: That does remind me of Christmas treats. Beautiful!
tigerfish 28/10/20 22:13: Nice and pretty braiding for this holiday bread :)
Evi 29/10/20 13:42: What an absolutely stunning bread, Angie!
Pam 13/11/20 18:03: Gorgeous!
Noob Cook 19/11/20 15:09: Really nice braiding - it makes such a wonderful holiday treat :)