Honey Almond Twist (Basic Sweet Dough)
Submitted by Gabrysiak
Coiled honey almond twist bread made with basic sweet dough, topped with a buttery honey-almond glaze that caramelizes as it bakes. A pull-apart breakfast or brunch bread.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
1 hrsCOOK
30 minREADY
2 hrsThis honey almond twist is what happens when a sweet dough meets a brown-sugar-honey-butter topping and gets baked in a single coiled spiral. The result is a pull-apart bread somewhere between a cinnamon roll and a Scandinavian pastry, with crispy almond edges where the topping caramelizes against the pan.
The twisting while coiling isn’t just for looks. It creates layered folds that catch the honey-almond mixture as it melts down into the dough, so every bite has a pocket of the sticky sweet topping rather than it sitting only on top.
Letting the dough rise uncovered for 35 minutes is the right window, long enough to almost double but not so long that the coils push together and lose definition. If the kitchen is cold, put the pan inside a turned-off oven with just the light on.
Cooking the topping briefly on the stove before spooning over the dough is an important step. It melts the butter and dissolves the sugar into the honey, so the topping spreads evenly rather than sitting in lumps that burn on top.
Pro Tips
- Grease the pan well with butter, not just cooking spray. The honey topping welds to an ungreased pan and the twist won’t release.
- Leave ½ inch between coils. Too close and they fuse into a solid ring; too far and the center looks empty.
- Toast the chopped almonds in a dry skillet before adding to the butter mixture for deeper flavor.
- Cool in the pan at least 30 minutes. The topping is molten lava straight from the oven and needs time to set.
Variations
- Swap almonds for chopped pecans or pistachios.
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the topping for a spiced version.
- Drizzle with a simple vanilla glaze (powdered sugar + milk + vanilla) once cooled for a bakery-style finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Grease a 10-inch pie plate or round cake pan.
With the palms of your hands, roll the Basic Sweet Dough into a long narrow roll about 1 inch in diameter.
Coil the roll into the prepared pan, starting at the outside edge and twisting the roll as you go.
Leave a little space between each coil.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in volume, about 35 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Melt the butter in a small pan.
Remove from the heat, stir in the flour and then the remaining ingredients.
Spoon the mixture over the risen dough. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until done.
Place the pan on a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve from the pan.
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