Gingerbread Brioche Rolls
Swirls of Christmas-flavored delight – more better way to describe these Gingerbread Cinnamon Brioche Rolls! These heart-warming Gingerbread Rolls feature a soft, buttery brioche dough that is infused with brown sugar and molasses, imparting those base gingerbread flavors into the rolls. They are then filled with a sweet, but perfectly spiced cinnamon ginger filling, and topped with a silky maple crème fraiche icing!
How to Make Gingerbead Cinnamon Brioche Dough
My favorite way to make bread dough is with the stand mixer and dough hook. These seriously make such easy work out of making any bread dough! To make these Gingerbread Brioche Rolls, start by blooming your yeast in the slightly warm milk. Once the yeast and milk have become frothy, add it to the stand mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, melted butter, molasses, and brown sugar, until well combined. Throw this egg mixture and the flour into the stand mixer with the yeast-milk, and mix it all together with a wooden spoon until a very shaggy dough is formed. Place the dough hook onto the stand mixer, and proceed to beat the dough on medium for 5 or so minutes.
The dough should be pretty tacky, smooth looking, and elastic. It should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl. This should take about 5ish minutes. Then you place the dough into a greased bowl, cover it with plastic, and place in warm place to rise for about an hour. After an hour it should be doubled in size. This is now where you roll out the dough, top it, roll it, and slice it into the beautiful Gingerbread Brioche Rolls. Then after a second rise, the Gingerbread Brioche Rolls are ready to be baked!
How to Roll, Filling, and Cut the Gingerbread Brioche Rolls
Start by rolling out the once-proofed dough into a 12”x16”rectangle (about ¼” thick), with the long-side facing you. Spread the gingerbread filling overtop of the dough, leaving about a 1” strip empty along the top. Brush a little bit of water onto the bare 1” strip, then proceed to roll the dough away from you into a log shape. Using your hands, try to shape the dough as best as you can to ensure even thickness throughout the log. Then, using a serrated knife, or a piece of string, slice the dough into 1 ½” round slices.
Place these slices into a grease 9×13” baking dish, or a greased 12” cast iron skillet. Cover and allow to rise for another hour, then place into the oven to bake!
What is Crème Fraiche?
Crème Fraiche is rich soured dairy product. I like to think of it as Sour Cream’s fancy cousin! It contains 45% butterfat, making it much more rich and creamy than sour cream, and I find that it actually enhances the silkiness and buttery-ness of what it accompanies! It can typically be found in almost any large supermarket, as well. Like sour cream, crème fraiche adds that tart, sour aspect to anything you add it to, but crème fraiche’s flavor profile is much less sharp than sour cream, thereby actually adding a sort-of smooth tasting tartness. As well, crème fraiche is much thicker in texture than sour cream, making it ideal to use in something like a glaze! That being said, if you cannot find crème fraiche or do not like crème fraiche, I would recommend using mascarpone or cream cheese as a substitute in this recipe!
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Brioche Rolls
Ingredients
Gingerbread Brioche Dough
- 2/3 cup Whole Milk,, warmed to 105°F
- 2 ¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp Molasses
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, melted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 3 cups (360g) All-Purpose Flour,, plus more if needed, measured correctly †
Gingerbread Filling
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp All Spice
Crème Fraiche Glaze
- 1/2 cup Crème Fraiche
- 1 cup Confectioners Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
Making the Gingerbread Brioche Dough
- In a measuring cup add warm milk and yeast together. Stir together to combine, then allow to sit until it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add brown sugar, molasses, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, vanilla, and foamy yeast/milk mixture, to a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Whisk together to combine.
- Add salt and flour to the stand mixer. Using a large wooden spoon, mix together the dough until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the stand mixer onto medium. Beat the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and tacky. It should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but not to the sides.
- Transfer dough to a greased large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, then place in a warm area to rise for about an hour, or until the dough is doubled in size.
Making the Gingerbread Filling
- Add all ‘Gingerbread Filling’ ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine until smooth.
Filling, Rolling, & Cutting the Gingerbread Rolls
- Prepare a 9×13” pan with cooking spray and parchment. Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour work surface, and roll the dough into a 16”x12” rectangle, with the long-side facing you.
- Spread gingerbread filling (I find its easiest to work with when its very soft, so I’ll pop it in the microwave here and there for 15 second interval) over top of the dough, leaving about a 1/2” strip along the top. Brush the bare 1” strip with a bit of water. Roll the dough away from you into a log (try to maintain even thickness throughout).
- Using a serrated knife or string, slice the log into 12 equal-sized pieces. Place the rolls cut-side up into the prepared pan, then cover lightly with plastic wrap, and place into a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes.
Baking the Gingerbread Rolls
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place rolls into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes (internal temperature of 200°F). Add Creme Fraiche Glaze to buns while they’re still hot.
Crème Fraiche Glaze
- Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and beat together using ahand mixer until smooth.
What do you think the texture would be like if I omitted the yolks? It’s just that they have so much cholesterol and I’m trying to cut back. Thank you! 🙂
Although I’ve never tried not using the yolks, you can try just using 1 egg white plus an extra tbsp of melted butter!
These were awesome! Perfect gingerbread flavor. Recommend.