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Moroccan chnek: a glossy laminated brioche swirl with raisins held in two hands
Jarib Al Wasfa (@jaribalwasfa)

Moroccan Chnek (Laminated Brioche Swirls)

Soft, flaky Moroccan brioche swirls made with a butter-laminated dough, filled with jam and raisins or with pastry cream and chocolate chips.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rising and chilling 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 18 large swirls
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 250 ml warm water about 1 cup
  • 1 tbsp dry yeast 10 g
  • 550 g all-purpose flour about 4 1/2 cups
  • 120 g sugar a generous 1/2 cup
  • 1 packet vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil 45 ml
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp butter 15 g, softened
For laminating
  • 200 g butter about 7 oz, at room temperature; laminating butter or a firm baking margarine
Raisin filling (half the dough)
  • jam to taste (apricot in the video)
  • raisins to taste
Chocolate filling (other half)
  • pastry cream to taste, homemade or store-bought
  • chocolate chips to taste
Egg wash
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp milk

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and vanilla sugar. Make a well in the center.
  2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, pour it into the well and stir it with a little of the surrounding flour. Leave it for 10 minutes, until bubbly.
  3. Add the egg and the oil and mix everything together into a dough.
  4. Add the tablespoon of butter and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft.
  5. Shape into a ball, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
  6. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle. Spread the 200 g of room-temperature butter evenly over the surface.
  7. Fold the dough in three like a letter, roll it out again and fold it once more. Wrap it in plastic film and chill for 30 minutes.
  8. Cut the dough in half. Roll each half out into a rectangle.
  9. Spread the first rectangle with jam and scatter with raisins. Spread the second with pastry cream and scatter with chocolate chips.
  10. Roll each rectangle up tightly into a log, then slice into rounds with a piece of thread or a sharp knife, about 9 per log.
  11. Arrange the swirls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, cover with a towel and let them rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  12. Beat the egg with the milk and brush it over the swirls.
  13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes, until deep golden. Let cool on a rack.

Notes

The butter for laminating should be at room temperature: soft enough to spread, but not melting. Laminating butter or a firm (dry) baking margarine works best.
Rising time depends on how warm your kitchen is: the dough is ready when it has doubled in size.
In the video, some of the chocolate swirls are finished with sliced almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar.