Savoury Mini Pesto Brioche Wreaths With Roasted Almonds

These brioche wreaths are perfect for brunch, dinner paired with a warm bowl of soup, or even as a complement to a salad for lunch. I’m extremely pleased with how soft, delicious, and filling they turned out.

The recipe is easy; however, shaping the rolls requires a bit of patience. To assist, I’ve added a link to a YouTube video that taught me how to form my brioche rolls. I found it straightforward to follow.

As I did previously for the brioche buns, I used my bread maker, Andrew James, set on program 12, to mix the dough. However, if you are using a stand mixer, instructions for mixing and kneading the dough with it can be found in the method section.

Ingredients:

200 ml whole milk, slightly warm (not hot)
2 packets of active dry yeast
500 gr all-purpose flour (T55)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp mixed herbs – herbes de Provence
2 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted softened butter
1 small jar of classic basil pesto
½ cup oven-roasted almonds, crushed

Method:

1 – In a cup, mix the active dry yeast with the milk. Cover with a kitchen towel or cling film and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes, allowing the yeast to activate or “bloom.”

2 – For Bread Maker (only for mixing and kneading): Place all ingredients in the bread maker container in the following order: milk-yeast mixture, flour, brown sugar, dried basil, mixed herbs, eggs, butter, and finally salt. Let the bread machine handle the mixing. It takes about 90 minutes to complete.

For Stand Mixer: In the mixer’s bowl, combine the yeast-milk mixture, eggs, flour, brown sugar, basil, mixed herbs, and salt. Mix for 2 minutes using the hook attachment until well combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated. Knead again for 3 minutes. Reduce the speed and gradually add the butter until a soft, cohesive dough forms.

3 – Transfer the dough to a container lightly coated with olive oil and cover with cling film and kitchen towels.

4 – Let the dough rise in a dry, warm place. To speed up the rising process, use this method: Preheat the oven to a very low temperature for about 5 minutes, then turn it off. After it cools slightly, place the dough (in its container) inside. Allow it to rise for about 90 minutes, or until it has doubled in volume.

5 – Gently deflate the dough and shape the mini rolls, using the pesto and crushed almonds as filling. For guidance, refer to the YouTube video I found very helpful. The exact size of the brioche rolls isn’t critical; the key is achieving the desired shape.