Matcha Swirl Sourdough Brioche

This matcha swirl brioche is the sibling of a chocolate and coffee marbled brioche I already do a lot of around here. Same sweet stiff starter, same two-day rhythm, same roll-and-stack method. Just green instead of brown.

It's soft, a little sweet, and the swirl looks a lot fancier than it is to pull off. Good excuse to make french toast the next morning, too.

Why a Sweet Stiff Starter

Enriched dough doesn't want your regular, bubbly starter. A stiffer one, lower in hydration, ferments in a more controlled way and keeps the acidity in check, so the butter and matcha come through instead of getting masked by sourness. That's the whole reason it exists.

Give it about 6 hours in a warm spot, close to 26°C, until it triples in size and looks domed and puffy. It won't rise as fast as your regular starter. Less water means less microbial activity, so it just takes patience, not a bigger feed. If you want the full picture of what's happening at each fermentation stage, from feeding a starter through to cold proof, I cover it in my sourdough fermentation guide.

The Dough

Everything but the butter and the matcha goes into the mixer first. Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test before you split it and start folding in color.

Making the Matcha Swirl Brioche

Day 1

1. Build the starter. Mix the stiff starter ingredients into a tight ball. Let it rise in a warm spot until tripled and puffy, about 6 hours.
2. Mix the dough. In a stand mixer, combine the active starter, flour, sugar, salt, milk, cream, and egg. Mix on low until no dry flour remains.
3. Knead. Switch to medium speed and add the softened butter piece by piece. Knead until smooth, elastic, and it passes the windowpane test.
4. Color half the dough. Divide the dough in half. Keep one half plain. Knead the matcha paste into the other half until it's a solid, even green.
5. Bulk and chill. Place both doughs in separate oiled bowls, covered, in a warm spot for 2-3 hours to start the rise, with 2 sets of folds during that window. Refrigerate both overnight.

Plain dough and matcha dough, ready for their overnight rest.

Day 2

1. Roll out. Roll both chilled doughs into rectangles, roughly 30x40cm each.
2. Stack. Place the matcha sheet directly on top of the plain sheet.
3. Press together. Roll over both layers with a rolling pin to pop any air bubbles and bond them into one sheet.
4. Roll and cut. Roll the stacked sheet up tightly into a log, then cut into 6 equal pieces using a length of kitchen twine or wire, cleaner than a knife on soft dough.
5. Proof. Set each piece swirl-side-up in the loaf tin, mine is 23x12cm. Cover and let rest 2-4 hours, until puffed and almost at the rim.
6. Bake. 180°C (355°F) for 35-40 minutes, non-ventilated.
7. Cool. Completely, in the pan, before slicing.

1. Roll out

2. Stack

3. Press together

4. Roll & cut

5. Proof

Getting the Swirl Right

The pattern comes entirely from how tightly you roll the log, not from anything fancy after. Roll it snug, keep the seam centered when you set each piece swirl-side-up in the pan, and the oven does the rest. Rolling loose is really the only way to lose the pattern once you slice into it.

If you like the matcha flavor here, my matcha cinnamon rolls take it in a sweeter, spiral direction using sourdough discard instead of a stiff starter. Worth trying next if this one wins you over.