Are you looking for a perfect treat for Easter? Well, you just found it. This walnut braided wool roll bread will be a gorgeous centrepiece of your festive table. Fluffy, milky bread stuffed with a rich walnut filling is delicious for breakfast, for afternoon tea or coffee time or as an after-meal dessert.
Holidays such as Christmas or Easter always come with gorgeous and delicious baked goods. These holidays wouldn’t be the same without them. Right? Different braided yeast loaves, stuffed with different fillings such as walnut, hazelnut, and poppy seeds are just some of the classic holiday treats.
I love home-baked bread and fresh baked goods for holidays. They are a perfect addition to the festive table, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For instance, this colourful seeded carrot sourdough bread, this rich walnut cake or this olive oil orange cake. You are going to love them.
Every year I bake something. And also this year was no exception. Check out this walnut braided wool roll bread recipe for new inspirations. You’re going to be amazed at how easy the preparation is and how delicious and rich the end result is.
A couple of years ago, a new bread sensation was invented. I still remember my mom calling me and being excited to explain it. I am talking about the wool roll bread. If you are asking yourself, what it is, woll bread is one of the softest bread you’ll ever try.
Wool roll bread with filling
Thanks to milk and whipping cream, it has a lovely milky delicate note. But what is its real feature is the shape and its looks. In fact, it resembles a yarn of wool. Wink. It looks very beautiful. What makes it a great present for holidays, too.
Since last time I kept the wool bread simple and clean, this time I decided to upgrade the recipe a bit. Wink. Firstly, I used a delicious walnut filling, which gives it a rich flavour. Walnuts are just perfect for any baked goods. They pair great with yeast dough, as well. At the same time, I also made a two-coloured dough. But I kept the natural nuances.
Secondly, I braided the fringes with a simple two-strand braid. Combining the two colours, you’ll get a gorgeous visual effect, both, on the inside and outside, too. My tips here are to make sure you cut an even number of fringes or strings and to handle them gently. The strings will be very elastic and soft. Therefore, be delicate but quick at the same time. Wink.
Additionally, you might like these ideas for your Easter table: egg stuffed meatloaf, these super cute deviled eggs, egg salad stuffed carrot croissants or a lovely pork crust roast.
Ingredients for a walnut braided wool roll bread (Ø 18-20 cm):
- 65 ml coconut milk (room temperature)
- 2,5 g dry yeast
- 250 g flour
- 4 g salt
- 20 g sugar
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 170 ml whipping cream
- 45 g egg
- 1 Tbsp of finely ground walnuts
- 2 pinches of cinnamon
- edible brown gel colour (a tip of a toothpick)
- 2 Tbsp of milk (for brushing)
Ingredients for the walnut filling:
- 100-120 g finely ground walnuts
- 10 g vanilla sugar
- a pinch of cinnamon
- 30 g butter (soft)
- 2-3 Tbsp of warm milk
To begin, in a small cup, combine milk and yeast. Keep it in a draft-free place for 10 minutes or until the yeast activates and becomes frothy.
In the meantime, mix flour, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Beat one egg and mix it with the whipping cream. Stir them into the flour. Then, add the yeast and mix, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, until elastic and smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch.
Two-colour dough
At this point, divide the dough in half and put one half into a bowl, cover with the food foil and place in a draft-free place for one hour to rest.
Continue with the second half. Add the finely ground walnuts, cinnamon and the edible brown colour and mix for a minute longer to combine. Cover with the foil and let rest for an hour or until doubled in size, too.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a smaller bowl, combine ground walnuts, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, butter and milk and mix until thick paste forms. If the filling results too fluid, simply add a bit more walnuts. Set aside.
Also, line the bottom of a round spring-form with baking paper and lightly grease the walls, too.
After the dough has doubled in size, flip it on a dusted silicone mat and divide it into 4 equal pieces, each. Shape these pieces into balls, cover them with foil again and allow them to rest for another 15 minutes.
Furthermore, take one piece of each and roll them out into an oval shape (around 10 x 20 cm) about 3mm thick. Place them on top of each other and roll them out one more time. Lay the oval shape, with the short side towards you, in front of you and spread a generous spoon of walnut filling onto the bottom half of the dough.
Two-strand braid
More, using a knife, pizza cutter or a dough scraper, cut an even number of 3-4 mm thick fringes on the upper opposite half, going lengthwise up through the dough. Once you’ve cut the strings or fringes, going from left to right or the other way around, pick the first two strips and create a simple two-strand braid. Continue with the rest of the strings.
Then, gently roll it up from the side filled with walnut filling and place it (braids side up) in the springform touching the sides. Continue with the remaining dough and filling. Place the rolled logs in the form, close to each other so that you get a ring or wreath form.
Once again cover with cling film foil and let rest for one hour or until doubled in size. After the dough has risen nicely, preheat the oven to 170º C and gently brush the risen bread rolls with coconut milk.
Put to bake on the middle rack for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Then, take it out of the oven, brush it with milk one more time and let it cool down keeping it in the form. Only when lukewarm, remove the form and let it cool off on a wire rack completely.
Finally, present this gorgeous walnut braided wool roll bread for the Easter holidays or just like that. Wishing you a relaxing and happy Easter.
Enjoy.
