This raspberry twist bread comes together with a rich brioche style dough, raspberry jam, and sweet vanilla icing. The simple way we twist up the dough results in multiple buttery flaky layers. It tastes like fruity breakfast danish pastries!
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Some mornings are for granola bars and some mornings are for THIS.
Welcome to the billionth way to twist up dough and call it breakfast. But unlike all the other sweet rolls on my blog, this melt-in-your-mouth raspberry twist bread combines flaky, crispy, and fruity with buttery, soft, and sweet. A generous drizzle of creamy vanilla icing seeps into every delicious pocket. Sliced warm and served cake-style, this twist impresses everyone who’s lucky enough to steal a taste. It is, without a doubt, always the prettiest treat in my annual spread of Easter brunch recipes.
This breakfast bread is texture paradise channeling the flakiness of breakfast pastries but with half the work. How’s it possible? The secret is in the way we twist the dough. And even though that hypnotizing twist looks complicated to replicate, I swear it COULD NOT BE EASIER. And today I’m showing you how. Let’s start with a super quick video tutorial!
Video Tutorial: Raspberry Twist Bread
This Requires a Rich Dough
There are two main types of dough: lean dough and rich dough. We distinguish between the two based on the amount of fat present. Dough that’s prepared with less fat is called lean dough and yields crusty bread like homemade bagels and pizza dough. There’s less fat in these recipes, so they aren’t as soft. Rich dough incorporates fats like eggs, milk, and butter which guarantee a soft and supple dough, one that promises indulgent cinnamon rolls and breakfast pastries. For even more information about baking with yeast be sure to reference my Baking with Yeast Guide before you begin.
Raspberry Twist Bread Ingredients
The dough we’re using for this raspberry bread is a scaled down version of my overnight cinnamon rolls and my Nutella babka. Use the same 7 ingredients that most rich dough requires.
- Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. For the softest twist bread, use whole milk. Nondairy or low fat milks work too, but whole milk produces phenomenal flavor and texture.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, your dough might take a little longer to rise. I recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast blended with natural dough improvers.
- Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
- Eggs: 2 eggs provide structure, richness, and flavor.
- Butter: Butter promises tender bread and creates flaky layers. Make sure you are using room temperature butter.
- Salt: A little salt balances the sweetness.
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier twist. There are no other changes to the recipe if you use bread flour.
For today’s raspberry bread, we’ll also use raspberry preserves or jam and fresh raspberries. If using frozen raspberries, do not thaw before using.
What Kind of Yeast to Use?
Behind every great bread dough is a great yeast—it’s simply the workhorse behind this whole recipe. Like usual, I use Platinum Yeast from Red Star. Platinum is an instant yeast that builds a stronger, taller, more voluminous dough. If you don’t have Platinum, Red Star Active Dry or Quick Rise Yeast works too! If using active-dry, your dough may take a little longer to rise.
Whether you’re a beginner baker or pro, it’s important to understand how yeast works. I urge you to read through my Baking with Yeast Guide where I answer many common yeast questions.
Baking with Yeast Guide
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
How to Make Raspberry Twist Bread
Our raspberry twist bread requires 2 rises:
- 1st rise: after the dough is made – 90 minutes
- 2nd rise: after the dough is shaped/twisted – 45 minutes
Here’s an overview of the steps:
- Make the dough.
- Knead the dough for 1 minute. Reference my How to Knead Dough video tutorial if you need extra help with this step.
- Cover the dough and let it rise. The dough rises in about 1-2 hours in a relatively warm environment.
- Punch down the dough to release the air. At this point you can freeze the dough and save for a raspberry twist bread sort of morning. Or you can shape into a rectangle, spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on top, roll it up cinnamon roll-style, then slice in half, twist, and coil into a circle. Remember Nutella babka? Similar to that.
- Shape the twist. Watch the video above before continuing with this step. The visual guide will help! The trick is to use a thin layer of jam. The more jam, the bigger mess you’ll need to clean up. I forgot to do it in the video, but for added raspberry goodness, dot a few fresh raspberries on top of the jam.
- Cover the twist and let it rise. Allow the dough to rise once again in a slightly warm environment until puffy, about 45 minutes. After this rise, it’ll be big, beautiful, and ready to bake. Sneak more raspberries in there if you can!
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.
- Make the vanilla icing. Do this while the twist cools.
- Drizzle icing, slice, and serve warm.
The Best Pan to Use
We’re baking the raspberry twist bread in a springform pan; its high sides confine the twist so it rises straight up instead of straight out. When finished baking, carefully remove the rim of the springform pan for seamless serving.
No springform pan? No problem! A cast iron skillet with tall sides could work too. We want to make sure the twist maintains its coiled shape!
You’ll live for those pockets of raspberry between the flakes of buttery dough.
And for your next raspberry breakfast treat, try my raspberry sweet rolls!
More Indulgent Breakfast Treats
- Nutella Babka
- Star Bread
- Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
- Croissants
- Glazed Doughnuts
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Iced Raspberry Danish Braid
Raspberry Danish Twist Bread
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This melt-in-your-mouth raspberry danish twist bread combines flaky and crispy, fluffy and soft, buttery and fruity. A generous drizzle of creamy vanilla icing seeps into every delicious pocket.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast* (1 standard packet)
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 3 and 1/2 cups (438g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (240g) raspberry preserves/jam
- optional: 1/2 cup (80g) fresh or frozen raspberries
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough: Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave until warm to touch, about 110°F (43°C). Pour warm milk on top of yeast/sugar. Whisk gently to combine, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy after 5-10 minutes.
- If you do not have a mixer, you can mix by hand in this step. Add the butter, egg, flour, and salt. Beat on low speed for 4 minutes. Dough will be soft.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. For this warm spot, I suggest using the oven. Preheat to 200°F (93°C), then turn the oven off after preheating. Place the covered bowl inside and shut the oven door. This is your warm environment.
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, punch it down to release the air.
- Shape the twist & 2nd rise: Using a rolling pin, roll into a 12×16 inch rectangle. Spread jam evenly on top. If desired, dot randomly with raspberries. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 16-inch long log. Place the log on its seam. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. I find a serrated knife works best. Criss-cross one half on top of the other half—forming an X. Twist the two together then coil into a circle. Carefully transfer to prepared springform pan. (I carefully pick it up using two flat spatulas!) Cover the twist with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then allow to rise once again in a slightly warm environment until puffy, about 45 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position then preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. If you find the top is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, make the vanilla icing by whisking the icing ingredients together until smooth.
- Carefully remove the rim of the springform pan. Drizzle with vanilla icing. Slice and serve. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can freeze the baked and cooled twist bread for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven to your liking, then top with icing. The dough can be prepared through step 3, then after it has risen, punch it down to release the air, cover tightly, then place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Continue with step 5. To freeze the dough, prepare it through step 3. After it has risen, punch it down to release the air. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Then let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before continuing with step 5. (You may need to punch it down again if it has some air bubbles.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl and Silicone Spatula | 9-inch Springform Pan | Rolling Pin
- Yeast: I always use Platinum Yeast from Red Star, an instant yeast. If you don’t have Platinum, Red Star Active Dry or Quick Rise Yeast works too! If using active-dry, your dough may take a little longer to rise. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Do you think I could use raspberry curd instead of the vanilla icing? If not what do you recommend. Making for Thanksgiving morning. Love your recipes!
Hi Linda, I’m sure that would be tasty.
I had leftover Raspberry cake filling from your raspberry chocolate chip cake, and I made the dough in the breadmaker (your recipe worked perfectly). I had difficulty with the cut and twist. Next time I wont add fresh berries until I’ve had more practice, so it will be a tighter roll. It’s messy but it will taste amazing!
My daughter and I made this and it tasted wonderful. But we had a hard time when it came to the cut and twist. I used the amount of jam required but it was extremely hard to twist because it had all become sooooo slippery! The two of us could not keep it together. It was a mess in the pan but tasty!! Should I use preserves next time or less jam?
It can be quite the messy assembly process, I agree! I wouldn’t use less jam, but you could try using less when spreading it on top of the rolled out dough, and then squeezing more into the twist after it’s been shaped/rolled up into the pan. That way you’re still using the same amount of jam, but just “inserting” half of it after it’s been shaped. Does that make sense?
I made this for the first time and was disappointed with the results. I tented foil over 15 min into baking time but top was still dark. Weird, I know! I baked for the recommended 40 minutes but the sides and bottom were burned. I will try again with a few adjustments. I want to master this recipe!
made this dough last night; chilled in fridge overnight, spread with cherry preserves and finely chopped almonds this morning before rolling and topped with icing flavored with almond extract. delicious!
This will be on our table for Easter Brunch. You said you ALWAYS use Platinum Yeast … Always? For every recipe that requires yeast? I thought the Platinum was used only for sweet dough. Should I stop buying the other?
Hi Jeanette, yes I usually only use Platinum yeast by Red Star. It’s my favorite, and I use it for both my sweet and savory bread baking. Cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, sandwich breads, yeasted pastries etc
Would buttermilk be a good substitute for the whole milk? The recipe seems similar to the dough in the cinnamon crunch bread (as well as the twisting method) which utilizes buttermilk?
Hi Lisa, You can use the same amount of buttermilk with no other changes. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, just wondering if a sweetened, almond cream cheese filling under the raspberry jam would work?
I can’t see why not! Sounds wonderful.
I have made this bread a few times and we all LOVE it. The dough is gorgeous and so easy to work with. This last time, I smeared it with almond paste, sprinkled diced dried apricots and sliced almonds. It was awesome! Always good with the jam too! YUM! So pretty as well.
Hi Sally! What could be used instead of a springform pan? I don’t have one. Would a 9 inch pie dish work, or a 9 inch cake pan? If not, what would you suggest?
Would it be possible to leave the two intertwined dough halves long (instead of curling them to make a circle) and bake it in a bread loaf pan or something? Thanks!
Hi Taylor, do you have a cast iron skillet with tall sides? That would be the best replacement. We want to make sure the twist maintains its coiled shape!
I don’t have a springform pan. Can I just use a regular 9″ cake pan lined with parchment?
Hi Trudy, do you have a cast iron skillet with tall sides? That would be the best replacement. We want to make sure the twist maintains its coiled shape!
Hi Sally! Excited to try this; would using the raspberry sauce from your white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars work? If so, should I double the recipe?
Hi Izzy, this raspberry filling is very similar and yields a larger amount — we’d recommend trying that. Hope you enjoy the bread!
This was so much fun to make and it’s delicious. The dough was easy to work with and your video on how to shape was very helpful. I used bread flour rather than all purpose and my husband thinks it’s one of the best things I’ve ever baked. And I bake a LOT. Thank you for another fantastic recipe.
Just made this today. So easy and delicious
Hi! If I only have a 7.5 inch springform pan – would it be better to halve the recipe or just follow it and bake it for longer? Thank you!
Hi Bee, I would definitely halve this recipe. The bread, as written, will overflow your pan– it just won’t have enough room.
This raspberry braid bread was Fabulous! I did not use the icing….but served it warm with whipped cream. For leftovers I put softened cream cheese on top & then drizzled raspberry coulis over it. Thank you so much
Could you use strawberry instead of raspberry please?
Absolutely!
If you use frozen raspberries should you defrost first or use frozen? Thank you.
Hi Corinne, no need to thaw the berries. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m just wondering if I could do a chocolate filling instead of a raspberry one? Would it still work?
Hi Tania, absolutely!
Hi Sally and team 🙂
I noticed you mention that using bread flour would result in a “chewier” dough, but I’m not sure if this is preferred or not for this kind of a treat. I have both on hand and would like to choose the option that would result in a pastry-like dough, if possible! Your guidance here would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Thank you so much for all that you do!
Sarah
Hi Sarah! Bread flour is preferred if you have it – happy baking 🙂
I would like to try making this and I wondered if it would still work if I added some almond flavoring to the dough? I love the flavors of almond and raspberry….
Hi Kathy, what a delicious idea! Raspberry and almond go so well together. We haven’t tested adding almond, but one baker has reported adding almond extract to the raspberry jam and another said they added almond paste to the twist bread – both with success. Let us know what you try!
Just baked this. Easy and looks great, but it came out dry. Not over baked- I took it out at 40 mins. Anything I can change to address the dryness?
Hi Elisabeth! All ovens are slightly different, and your bread could be over-baked after 40 minutes. It’s best to keep an eye on the bread while it bakes! Otherwise, how are you measuring your flour? Make sure to spoon and level (not scoop!) to avoid packing in too much flour – which would result in a dry bread. Hope this helps!
Hi,
Mine turned out dense, any suggestions on what could’ve gone wrong?
Hi Natasha, We’re happy to help. Over kneading can often lead to a dense dough. Also be sure to scoop and level (or weight measure) your flour to ensure just the right amount. Let us know if we can help to troubleshoot further!
Hi Sally, I tried your recipe of the jam twist bread, it turned out so light and gorgeous (I increased the hydration and fat). Thanks for such an easy and tasty recipe. My kids loved it. I wish I could upload a picture.
Regards
Seema
Mumbai
I love all your recipes. We just made a tray of cinnamon buns and a tray of the chocolate buns, I use bread and pastry flour. Could it be used for this one? Your opinion pls?
Hi Susan! You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. Bread flour produces a chewier twist.
Easy recipe ! Comes together beautifully. HOWEVER! the taste is boring. It is a little on the dry side. It’s definitely missing a lot of flavor. The only flavorful part was where the icing was but the rest wound up in the trash sorry to say. I had high hopes for this but oh well.
This recipe is delicious! I didn’t have raspberries so I used cranberries. Then I got worried when I saw the whole milk called for 180g and not 180ml. I debated with myself thinking it might be a typo, and then went with 180ml. It came out great. But is it supposed to be 180g or 180ml? Because I bought raspberries!
Hi Jayme! Yes, it’s 180ml. Thank you so much.
This was the easiest and tastiest raspberry twist pastry I have ever made. Very forgiving. My twist was very sloppy but once it does it’s second proof it comes back together. A must try recipe. You won’t be disappointed.
Reeeaally good! Highly recommend!
I was skeptical/disheartened during the second rise, I felt I messed up the twist and raspberry preserve was overflowing. But it turned out beautiful after baking!
The dough was easy to work with, I added white chocolate chips to roll and drizzled with melted white chocolate instead of glaze. I also used an egg wash to get a nice color because my oven doesn’t distribute heat evenly. Baked for full 45 minutes. Overall, it tasted delicious! I loved the fluffy insides and toasted edges! I took it to a friend’s brunch and it looked so fancy and photogenic lol. Thank you for the recipe and the video.