These Dubai Chocolate Brioche Buns combine the light, airy texture of brioche with the rich, nutty flavor of pistachio cream and the crunch of toasted kunafa. These buns offer a unique twist on the Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar, with a perfect balance of crispy filling and rich flavor in every bite.
I know you've heard of the Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar recipe, and I'm sure you've tried it and loved it! If you're a fan of pistachios, crispy textures, sweet flavors, then you're in for an even bigger treat, because these Dubai Chocolate Brioche Buns are going to knock your socks right out of the park! They're made with my go-to brioche dough, filled with chocolate, pistachio kataifi filling, then drizzled with melted chocolate, pistachio cream, and finished with a sprinkling of crushed pistachios. These are going to be your new favorite bun, because they sure are mine!
If you love making fun doughs, you'll love my Lemon Curd Buns, Vanilla Custard Buns, or Raspberry Cheesecake Buns.
If you're a big fan of pistachios, try my Pistachio Blondies or Pistachio Stuffed Cookies. Both feature a generous amount of pistachio cream!
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♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Soft, Fluffy Texture - The brioche dough is rich, buttery, and light, creating a melt-in-your-mouth experience with every bite!
Pistachio Kunafa Filling - If you've ever had the Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar, you understand the hype! It's rich, indulgent, sweet, and crunchy! Filled in brioche buns? Oh my goodness!
Versatile and Indulgent - They’re perfect for breakfast, dessert, or as a special treat for gatherings. Whether enjoyed with a cup of coffee or as an afternoon snack, these buns satisfy a range of cravings.
Bakery Worthy - Want to feel like you own your own bakery? Make these at home and impress everyone you know!
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Brioche Dough
- Flour - This recipe can be used with either Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour. I prefer bread flour, but if you don’t have any, all-purpose will work.
- Yeast - My favorite yeast to use is Active Dry Yeast, which requires proofing before adding it to the flour mixture.
- Milk - It’s best to use whole milk since this is an enriched dough, the more fat, the better.
- Egg - I use two egg yolks for this recipe, adding more fat, without the added liquid of the whites.
- Butter - A key ingredient in Brioche is butter. This recipe calls 6 tablespoons of during softened butter during the second kneading. Make sure the butter is very soft, otherwise it will take a while to incorporate into the dough.
- Vanilla extract - This ingredient is optional. I like adding it to flavor the dough when I’m making a sweet dough. You can leave it out if you'd like.
Pistachio Kunafa Filling
- Kataifi dough - Kataifi dough is shredded phyllo dough, and it's used in many Middle Eastern desserts. You can usually find it in Middle Eastern shops.
- Pistachio Cream - I like buying my Pistachio Cream instead of making it, but feel free to make your own if you like.
- Tahini - The tahini adds a bit of a nuttier flavor. You could skip this if you're not a fan of tahini.
- Chocolate - You'll need chocolate to fill and drizzle. I am using semi-sweet, but you could use dark or milk.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍴Special Equipment
Kitchen Scale - It's so important to use a kitchen scale for accurate results.
Mixing bowls - I love using glass Mixing Bowls when making batters and doughs.
Mixer - I love using my stand mixer when making enriched doughs because it takes a while to knead.
Skillet - You'll need a large skillet to make the kataifi dough.
✨ Variations
Pastry Cream - You can fill the buns with pastry cream instead of chocolate before baking.
Cheesecake - I actually made a few with cheesecake filling instead of chocolate at the bottom. They were good, but I did prefer the chocolate more.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Make the dough
For step-by-step instructions and process photos, follow my detailed guide on how to make brioche dough.
Once kneaded, place in an oiled bowl and let rise for about an hour.
🎩Trick: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I’m in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it’s especially cold.
Shape
Once risen, divide into 10 equal pieces and shape into round balls. Cover and let rise for another hour.
Make the Pistachio Kunafa
Preheat a large skillet on medium heat and melt 4 tablespoon of butter, then add the kataifi dough and coat in butter. Continue stirring (don't leave it, otherwise parts of it could start burning).
Fry until toasted
It will take about 10-15 minutes to get all the pastry dough crispy and golden brown. Just keep stirring until you reach the desired color and all the dough is now golden brown. Place in a heat-proof bowl.
Mix the filling
In the bowl with the toasted kataifi, add pistachio cream and tahini and mix well. Set aside while the buns rise.
Create indents
Once doubled in size, take a cup or a small bowl (make sure it's floured so it doesn't stick) and create an indent in the center. I like to use a ⅓ cup measuring cup.
Egg wash
Brush with egg wash.
Bake
Melt chocolate then spoon into each bun indent. Don't fill it. Just about a teaspoon or so.
Bake until golden brown. Immediate after removing from the oven, take a spoon and using the back of it, press into the center of the bun and create a larger hole/indent.
💡 Hint: If you've never melted chocolate before, this is how you do it. Place the chocolate in the microwave and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove it from the microwave and stir for about 30 seconds. Return to the microwave and again, heat for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir again. As you stir, the chocolate will continue to melt. If chocolate chunks remain, return it to the microwave and add an additional 30 seconds. Continue this until the chocolate is completely melted.
Fill with pistachio kunafa
Spoon pistachio kunafa filling into each indent (as much or as little as you like). The filling will not all fit inside the indent, so make sure to let it dome at the top. After filling the indent using a spoon, I scooped kunafa filling using a 3tbsp cookie scooper and placed it on top, creating a big pile of filling. Drizzle with melted chocolate and warmed pistachio cream and sprinkle with crushes pistachios
💬 FAQ
You can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time by letting the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. When you’re ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and continue with the recipe. You won’t need to let the dough come to room temperature because you’ll still need to proof a second time, so it will have plenty of time.
Absolutely! This Brioche Buns Recipe can be a base for so many bread recipes. You can top it with whatever you desire, sweet or savory. I have a series of brioche buns recipes you can try.
My milk temperature is a guide so that you don’t use too hot of milk (could kill the yeast) or too cold of milk (won’t activate the yeast). Milk temperature between 105-115 degrees F. will do the trick and yield best results.
To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
The Viral Dubai Chocolate Bar is a decadent chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream, tahini, and crispy toasted kataifi dough. Created in Dubai, UAE, it went viral in late 2023 and continued into 2024, quickly gaining popularity across social media as people began recreating it at home.
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Don't Skip Kneading: Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes before adding the softened butter. This will ensure the dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Then once you add the butter, knead for another 10-15 minutes until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough has pulled away from the bowl again.
Don’t add too much flour: This dough will be tacky, but shouldn’t stick to your hands. It will also be very silky (this due to all the butter added). If while kneading, the dough doesn’t come together after 15 minutes, you can add one tablespoon of flour at a time. But be patient before adding the flour. You don’t want a dry dough.
Make Ahead: You can absolutely make these Dubai Chocolate Bar Buns ahead of time by letting the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. When you're ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and continue with the recipe. You won't need to let the dough come to room temperature because you'll still need to proof a second time, so it will have plenty of time.
Proof in pre-heated oven: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I’m in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it’s especially cold.
Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
Don't Burn Filling - Make sure to stir the kataifi dough so that it cooks evenly and browns all around, and to avoid burning.
High quality chocolate: I like using Ghirardelli, Lindt, or Guittard because I know they all taste wonderful in recipes. Here's more info on baking with the right chocolate.
❄ Storage
Store these Dubai Chocolate Bar Brioche Buns at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days.
✍🏻 Reader Feedback
Since developing my first brioche bun recipe in 2022, I've had many people remake them, with such great feedback. I have, however, had people mention that the dough can be a little too sticky/wet and they needed to add more flour. For this reason, I went back to the drawing board to test the recipe with ¼ cup less milk, so only ¾ cup total milk instead of 1 cup, and it turns out great! However, this is with my controlled environment, and with using a scale to weigh my flour.
If you're a long-time reader who has had success with a whole cup of milk, then keep making the recipe that way.
📖 Recipe Card
Dubai Chocolate Brioche Buns
Equipment
- 2 Large baking sheets
- 1 Stand mixer with hook attachment
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
Sweet Brioche Dough
- ¾ cup (202 g) +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉ (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoon (7 g) active dry yeast 1 package
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 3 cups (360 g) bread flour
- ¾ teaspoon (4.5 g) salt
- 2 (36 g) egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon (8 g) vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter softened
Filling
- 200 grams Kataifi dough shredded
- 4 tablespoon (56 g) unsalted butter
- 200 grams pistachio cream
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) tahini
- ⅓ cup (58.33 g) semi-sweet chocolate melted
Topping
- Melted chocolate
- Pistachio cream warmed, so you can drizzle
- crushed pistachios
Instructions
Sweet Brioche Dough
- Yeast: In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, packet of yeast and a teaspoon of sugar and let sit and foam for about 5 minutes.¾ cup +1 tablespoon warm milk, 110℉, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- First knead: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, salt, 2 egg yolks, vanilla extract, and the activated yeast mixture and let knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough comes away from the bowl and forms a sort of ball.3 cups bread flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Second Knead: Start adding the softened butter slowly until all is incorporated and knead for an additional 12-15 minutes until the dough forms a smooth ball and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. When touching with your finger, the dough should not stick at all. The dough will be tacky and a lot smoother/silkier than a regular dough.6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Important: Don't add more flour. Let the dough knead and come together. It will be tempting to add more flour, but trust the process. If you weighed your ingredients using a scale, the dough should all come together.
- Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
- First proof: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover and let rise for at least an hour.
Shaping Brioche Buns
- Prepare two large baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.
- Shape: Once dough has risen, remove from bowl and divide into 10 equal pieces using a kitchen scale. Roll each piece into a ball and place them on the baking sheet, making sure to leave room between them.
- Second Proof: Once all have been formed, transfer them to a baking sheet, cover lightly with saran wrap and let rise for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. Try to make sure there is enough space between them so that they aren't touching when rising.
Make Pistachio Kunafa Filling
- Make while dough is rising.Preheat a large skillet on medium heat and melt 4 tablespoon of butter, then add the kataifi dough and coat in butter. 4 tablespoon might seem like a lot of butter initially but it's important to coat all the pastry dough in butter so that it crisps up. Continue stirring (don't leave it, otherwise parts of it could start burning).It will take about 10-15 minutes to get all the pastry dough crispy and golden brown. Just keep stirring until you reach the desired color and all the dough is now golden brown.Pour crispy kataifi into a bowl, add the pistachio cream and tahini and stir. Set aside until buns are ready and out of the oven.200 grams Kataifi dough, 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, 200 grams pistachio cream, 2 tablespoon tahini
- Once dough balls have risen, Preheat oven to 375℉
- Create indent: Once doubled in size, take a cup or a small bowl (make sure it's floured so it doesn't stick) and create an indent in the center. I like to use a ⅓ cup measuring cup.Brush egg wash on the sides of each bun.
- Chocolate - Melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 seconds increments. After the first 30 seconds, stir the chocolate and it should melt as you stir. If there are still chunks, add another 20 seconds in the microwave and then stir again. You can add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the chocolate to help thin it out.Melted chocolate
- Spoon chocolate into each bun indent. Don't fill it. Just about a teaspoon or so.
- Bake: Bake for 12-15 minutes until the buns become golden brown.
- Once out of the oven, you'll notice the indent in the center is much smaller. Take a spoon and using the back of it, press into the center of the bun and create a larger hole/indent. Essentially, you're pushing the melted chocolate down and some of the center bun. You'll need to do this to be able to fill the buns. The reason the buns don't stay indented very well is because the chocolate isn't as heavy as other fillings, so when it bakes up, it starts to close that hole, and you're just pressing it down and creating a bigger hole with a spoon. You don't want to cut it out because we want that melted chocolate to stay.
- Spoon pistachio kunafa filling into each indent (as much or as little as you like. I stuffed all mine because I love a lot of filling. The filling will not all fit inside the indent, so make sure to let it dome at the top. After filling the indent using a spoon, I scooped kunafa filling using a 3tbsp cookie scooper and placed it on top, creating a big pile of filling. It's up to you how much you want to add.
Topping
- Melt chocolate (as much or as little as you like) in the microwave in 30 second increments, making sure to stir between increments. I added about a teaspoon of coconut oil to thin out the chocolate.Warm up a little pistachio cream so that you can easily drizzle. Drizzle chocolate all over the buns and then drizzle pistachio cream. Add crushed pistachios, if desired.⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate, Pistachio cream, crushed pistachios
- These buns will last at room temperature covered very well in an airtight container for about 2 days.
- If you have any leftover filling, try the Dubai Chocolate Bar Cups.
Notes
Reader Feedback
Since developing my first brioche bun recipe in 2022, I've had many people remake them, with such great feedback. I have, however, had people mention that the dough can be a little too sticky/wet and they needed to add more flour. For this reason, I went back to the drawing board to test the recipe with ¼ cup less milk, so only ¾ cup total milk instead of 1 cup, and it turns out great! However, this is with my controlled environment, and with using a scale to weigh my flour. If you're a long-time reader who has had success with a whole cup of milk, then keep making the recipe that way. Tips for the best results:- Measure Flour Correctly: As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
- Don’t Skip Kneading: Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes before adding the softened butter. This will ensure the dough forms and pulls away from the bowl. Then once you add the butter, knead for another 10-20 minutes until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough has pulled away from the bowl again.
- Don’t add too much flour: This dough will be tacky, but shouldn’t stick to your hands. It will also be very silky (this due to all the butter added). If while kneading, the dough doesn’t come together after 15 minutes, you can add one tablespoon of flour at a time. But be patient before adding the flour. You don’t want a dry dough.
- Make Ahead: You can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time by letting the dough proof in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. When you’re ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and continue with the recipe. You won’t need to let the dough come to room temperature because you’ll still need to proof a second time, so it will have plenty of time.
- Proof in pre-heated oven: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I’m in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it’s especially cold.
- Windowpane test: To know if your dough is ready, perform the windowpane test where you take a small piece of dough and stretch it out between your fingers. If it stretches out without tearing and light can pass through, then it has passed the windowpane test. If it tears, let the dough knead another 5 minutes, then perform the test again.
- Humidity: Due to reader feedback, I've updated the recipe to reduce the amount of milk to ¾ of a cup instead of a whole cup. See Reader feedback for more info.
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