Vanilla Rainbow Swirls

Vanilla rainbow swirls are cheerful and colorful treats that will beautify any table and are sure to delight children especially. Let’s prepare this recipe together:

Ingredients

• 500 g of type 0 flour
• 130 g of granulated sugar
• 250 ml of warm milk
• 1 egg
• 80 g of soft butter
• 1 sachet of dry yeast (7 g) or 15 g of fresh yeast
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Gel food coloring (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
• Icing sugar for decorating (optional)

For the filling:

• 100 g of icing sugar
• 50 g of soft butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, put the sifted flour and create a well in the center where you will pour the dry yeast (remember, if you use fresh yeast, you must first dissolve it in the warm milk).
2. Add the sugar, egg, soft butter, pinch of salt, and vanilla extract.
3. Slowly pour in the warm milk and start to knead until you have a homogeneous mixture.
4. Work the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and elastic.
5. Divide the dough into six equal parts.
6. Color each portion with a different food coloring, working each piece individually until the color is evenly distributed.
7. Cover the colored balls with a damp cloth and let them rest for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Now let’s prepare the filling by mixing the soft butter with the icing sugar and vanilla extract with an electric whisk, until you get a soft cream.
9. Roll out each colored ball into a rectangular sheet about 2 mm thick and spread a sixth of the vanilla filling on each one.
10. Overlap the rectangular sheets on top of each other following the order of the rainbow colors.
11. Roll up the rectangle composed of the different colors into a cylinder.
12. With a sharp knife, cut the cylinder into slices about 2 cm thick.
13. Place the swirls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover them with a cloth, and let them rise in a draft-free place for about 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
14. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
15. Bake the swirls for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
16. Once cool, you can dust them with icing sugar for an extra touch.

Fun Fact

These swirls are particularly loved during festive occasions such as birthdays or special themed events. There are many variations; for example, you can replace the vanilla cream with chocolate cream, jam, or Nutella for a different taste with each bite!