Hazelnut swirl buns made out of delicious, enriched dough, chocolate hazelnut spread and some toasted hazelnuts on top. The dough is rolled into swirls that create the most beautiful design when baked!

Imagine soft and fluffy dough filled with sweet and smooth chocolate-hazelnut spread, topped with some crunchy, toasted hazelnuts for an extra nutty flavour... sounds good, right?
Hazelnut swirl buns- easy and fun bake
Ever since posting a photo of these swirls on my Instagram, my inbox have been flooded with requests for the recipe. I've tried and tested this recipe on the number of occasions, and I'm so excited to finally be sharing it with you today!
If you think this recipe is complicated and too tricky for you to make, think again! These buns are actually very easy to make, all what you need is a little bit of patience.
The simple rolling technique used in this recipe is super easy, yet very effective and visually stunning! You are going to love these beautiful, big swirls of soft and fluffy dough and sweet, nutty chocolatey filling.
Tips to succeed with this recipe
Although it's a relatively easy recipe, there are just few things to be aware of, in order to achieve great results and a perfect bake.
- Flour- make sure to use strong white bread flour. It contains more gluten than other types of flour which gives it its elasticity and enables the dough to rise with good structure.
- Yeast- it's really important to determine what type of yeast you are using. If it is fast-action dried yeast, you will use 15g of it in this recipe. This type of yeast doesn't require activation, and can be used directly in the recipe, without dissolving it first in liquid.
- If you are using active dried yeast (I did in this recipe), then remember that you will need to double the amount of it. It will also require to be activated before you can use it. Place the yeast first in a jug with some lukewarm milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar (sugar encourages the yeast growth)
- Freestanding mixer- will be ideal for making the dough. However, you can also knead it by hand, it will just take longer and more effort.
How to make hazelnut swirl buns
If you watched the video of this recipe, you will see how easy it actually is to roll these buns. Just like with my Hazelnut Babka Buns and my Swedish Cardamom Buns, the dough is first being rolled and folded into a rectangle. The difference with hazelnut swirls is that we fold the dough not in half, but into thirds. Also, rather than slicing it across the width, we slice it lengthwise.
Each strip of the dough is then simply rolled into snail-like swirl and the end bit gets tucked underneath.
Once you've rolled all of the strips into swirls, let them rise again, for about an hour. You can also place them in the fridge and allow the to prove there overnight.
When ready to bake, brush the buns with some egg wash and top with chopped hazelnuts. Bake them for about 15- 18 minutes, until golden brown and risen. I normally cover mine with some kitchen foil after about 12 minutes of baking, for the remaining time.
How to store these buns?
These hazelnut swirls are best eaten fresh, while still slightly warm. However, you can store them in the airtight container at room temperature for up to couple of days.
As always, thanks for reading today's post! Feel free to leave me a comment and a rating if you tried this recipe. Also, remember that you can follow me along on my social channels: Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
📖 Recipe
Hazelnut Swirl Buns
Equipment
- Freestanding mixer with hook attachment
- 2 baking trays
- pizza cutter or sharp knife
Ingredients
- 250 ml milk (any type)
- 60 g unsalted butter cubed
- 15 g fast-action dried yeast or 30g dried active yeast
- 500 g strong white flour
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoon hazelnut spread
- 30 g chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
- Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat it up until lukewarm. If you are using dried active yeast, transfer about 150ml of lukewarm milk into separate jug and add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar, then add active yeast. Give it a stir and set aside for 15 minutes to activate it. If you are using fast-action dried yeast, then simply skip this part and just warm up your milk.
- Add cubed butter to your lukewarm milk, swirling the saucepan every now and then to encourage the butter to melt. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with hook attachment, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Mix briefly, then add yeast, an egg and milk and butter mixture. With the mixer running on low speed, mix together for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to high and mix for further 6-8 minutes until you have smooth and elastic dough that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough onto lightly floured surface, roll into a ball and place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm or clean kitchen towel and let it rise somewhere warm for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Remove the dough from the bowl into a lightly floured surface. Gently knock out the air from it and stretch it into rough rectangle shape. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into large rectangle. Roughly about 40 x 50 cm.
- With the longer edge of the rectangle facing you, spread the hazelnut spread over ⅔ of the rectangle, leaving ⅓ clean. Fold the clean part of the rectangle towards the middle, then fold the other end of the dough on top of that. Using a rolling pin, roll it over the rectangle to flatten it out and to stretch it a bit.
- Using a very sharp knife or a pizza cutter, trim the edges of your rectangle. Slice the rectangle in half, then each half in half again, and again until you have 8 long strips of the dough. Starting at one end of the strip, start rolling it, tucking the end underneath. Place the rolled bun into baking tray lined with some baking parchment. Repeat with all of the remaining strips.
- Cover the buns loosely with some cling film or kitchen towel and set them aside for at least an hour (you can also place them in the fridge to prove overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 175C (fan). Brush the buns with egg wash and sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top of them. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 18 minutes or until golden brown and risen. If the buns start browning too quickly, cover them with some kitchen foil. Enjoy!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Video
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Natalie
Yum! I'm going to make these buns for my family this weekend. Looks delicious. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
Brianna
Such beautiful rolls! Very similar to some sweet rolls I had in Copenhagen
Yelena
Hi Anna. These look beautiful.
Do you think they can be made in advance, refrigerated and then baked the next day?
Anna
Hi Yelena. Yes you can! They can be shaped and placed in the fridge overnight. Hope this helps!
Chef Dennis
My wife is going to love this Hazelnut Swirl Buns!
Audrey
My kids loved these!
Anna
Great to hear they're kids approved too, thanks Audrey!
Mojoblogs
These buns are so pretty and it also looks really delicious. I am excited to have this. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Len Van Renterghem
Made these with biscoff spread today instead of hazelnut spread.
Very yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Anna
That is such a great idea! Thanks so much for letting me know, I'm so happy that you enjoyed this recipe! I'm soooo trying this with biscoff spread soon!
Marou
Hi ! I definitely want to try your lovely hazelnuts buns recipe, but I am wondering if I let them prove overnight in my fridge, do you suggest to rise again for a while outside (warm place) before baking or should I let them go straight in the oven ?
Anna
Hi Marou, thanks for stopping by! They can go straight to the oven, no need to prove them again. Hope this helps. Happy baking!
Marou
Thank you for your recipe and quick answer. I will try this way...
Chaney
I’m so excited to try this recipe!! Do you think I could double it?
annabanana
Hi Chaney, yes, absolutely! You can double the recipe for sure, I would suggest to split the dough into two before rolling it into rectangle and slicing it into buns as it would be much easier to handle. Happy baking!
Andrea Metlika
Oh MY! I can totally see why they were such a hit just from the picture. I am making these ASAP!
annabanana
Thanks Andrea, let me know if you do! x
Erika
These swirl buns are perfection. These would be great for a brunch or luncheon too!
annabanana
Thank you Erika! I will happily eat these for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! x
Kelly Anthony
As soon as I can get my hands on some yeast I will be making these hazelnut swirl buns.
annabanana
It's like a gold dust at the moment, isn't it? I've managed to find some online, maybe worth checking xx
Angela
This was a perfect addition to our Mother's Day Brunch. The dough was so soft and moist. They came out perfectly. I will definitely be making them again!
annabanana
Hi Angela, so great to hear that you've tried and enjoyed this recipe! Thank you.
Jo
Ohhh, i got a serious cravings for hazelnut swirl buns right now! Can't take my eyes off those beauties! Absolutely gorgeous!
annabanana
Thanks Jo, they're so much fun to make, and the result is always so delicious! Hope you will try them soon xx
Alena
Your photographs are insanely beautiful but I’m sure these taste even better! Literally drooling over these.
annabanana
Aww thank you so much Alena! That's so sweet of you! x
Charity
These buns are gorgeous!!! Pinned the recipe for later because I love all things hazelnut!
annabanana
That's great to hear Charity, hope you will try them some time soon!
Laura Arteaga
Thank you for this recipe! We all loved it at home and will have to make them again soon! Simple to follow and really amazing results 🙂
annabanana
Pleasure all mine Laura, I'm super happy to hear that you've tried and enjoyed this recipe!
LaKita
These hazelnut swirl buns look amazing! I would have to make them and share because I'm sure it would be hard for me to resist not keeping them all to myself!
annabanana
Hah, I hear you Lakita! They are very tempting and it's easily done to eat a whole batch (I'm talking from the experience 😉 ). But they're great for sharing, I always give half a batch to my neighbours, because I also don't trust myself! x
Sarah Midweek Kitchen
I printed this recipe then followed the Instagram step by step video. So easy and delicious but so impressive looking, I made another 2 batches straight away! Gave them to friends to bake at home for breakfast and they loved them, 2 of the 7 friends have since made them themselves . Thanks for such detailed content.
annabanana
Ahh Sarah, you are such a star, thank you so much! I loved seeing your take on these buns, and I loved the mini-versions of them too! I'm over the moon to hear that your friends have been making these too! Big hug x
Paige
Just a beautiful recipe, and so delicious too. Loved making and serving these delightful treats!
annabanana
Thanks Page, so glad to hear that you've enjoyed this recipe!
Swapna
I made these last week and they turned out amazing.Shared some with neighbors and they were mighty impressed. This is definitely going in my recipe box.
annabanana
Thank you so much for your kind words Swapna! I loved your version of these buns with orange flavours, they looked sooo beautiful!
Jenny Graves
OMG, what can I say, these are fantastic! We loved them, no one crumb left. Making again this weekend. Thanks so much!
annabanana
Aww, thanks so much Jenny, sooo happy to hear that you've been making these and enjoying the recipe! I'm now fully stocked up with yeast, so making these on repeat! 🙂
Sam
Hi Anna,
What do you mean by strong flour? Does that mean all purpose flour or bread flour? Thank you.
Sam
Anna
Hey Sam, thanks for stopping by. I use strong white bread flour, sometimes it's also labelled as 'strong white flour' in the UK. Hope this helps!
Sharon
These buns with hazelnut spread tucked into soft swirls taste so good, the perfect breakfast or treat with coffee.
annabanana
Thanks Sharon, I adore these buns with a cup of coffee, they both compliment each other sooo well!!!
Dannii
These are absolutely beautiful. I am going to give them a go at the weekend.
annabanana
Thanks so much Dannii, let me know if you do!
Veena Azmanov
Thanks for the recipe. Love the presentation. Best option for my sweet tooth cravings.
annabanana
Pleasure all mine Veena, I hope you will try it some time soon!
Erin
The instructions are easy and the ingredients are simple, no need for a trip to the bakery when you can make these right at home!
annabanana
Oh absolutely! These are perfect alternative to any pastries or buns from the bakery, especially now, when none of my fave bakeries are open! X
Safira
These were as delicious as they were pretty! A huge hit in our home.
annabanana
Yay! Very happy to hear that, thanks for trying the recipe!
Nart at Cooking with Nart
I tried this recipe and it was so, so, so lovely. My whole family loved it and were begging for more!
annabanana
Thanks so much for your rating Nart, I'm so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this recipe!
Kate Newman
I absolutely loved this recipe. I found it easy to follow Anna's instructions and they were absolutely delicious. I also froze a couple after baking and the defrosted nicely in a couple of hours and I popped then in the oven for five minutes to warm up and they were still great. Really looking forward to making these again! Thanks Anna
annabanana
Hey Kate, thank you SO much for trying and enjoying this recipe! Your remake of these buns looked amazing on Instagram! And it's fantastic to hear that they freeze well too! Very helpful and handy to know, I will update that in the recipe. Have a great weekend!
Dea Kepic
These look soooo pretty wow! Never saw such a rolling technique but I love it! All the thin layers 🙂 WIll need to try it. Also, I love your photos, so gorgeous !
annabanana
Thanks so much Dea, so happy to hear that you like the photos and the recipe! It's a very easy, and very effective rolling technique, plus it's so much fun to make too! Have a lovely weekend!
Tara
My nephew love hazelnut spread. I am excited to make these for him. Thanks for the step by step photos. The dough looks so soft and moist!
annabanana
Hi Tara, I'm glad to hear that, thanks so much I hope you and your nephew will enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Chef Dennis
These Hazelnut swirl buns are making me crave! I really love the idea of that chocolate hazelnut spread and toasted hazelnuts on top. My wife will definitely love this.
annabanana
Thanks Dennis, they're delicious and so much fun to make! Hope you guys will try them some time!
Sonal
Can we make it eggless?
Anna
Hi Sonal, thanks for stopping by. I believe that you can, but I have not tested this particular recipe without eggs. You may want to increase the amount of milk and butter by approximately 1 tbsp each. I hope this helps, I would love to know if you try it with no eggs and what results you've had!
Adam Burr
These buns were amazing! A very tasty treat to go with an afternoon cuppa! 😋😁
annabanana
Thanks so much for your kind review Adam! I'm so happy you guys enjoyed these buns!