Juicy yeast snails with a fruity filling

A Dutch oven isn't just for savory dishes – it's also perfect for cakes and sweet pastries. These cherry-nougat swirls combine fluffy yeast dough with a fruity cherry filling and creamy hazelnut-nougat spread.

The snails bake particularly evenly in a cast iron pot, remaining moist inside while becoming slightly crispy on the outside. This recipe is ideal for a 9 or 12 quart Dutch oven .

Tip: Instead of cherries, you can also use blueberries, mirabelle plums or plums .

Ingredients

For the yeast dough

700 g wheat flour

350 ml milk

1 packet of vanilla pudding powder (for cooking)

1 cube of fresh yeast

70 g butter (softened)

1 egg

1.5 tablespoons of sugar

½ tsp salt

For the filling

350g of cherries from a jar (well drained)

approx. 200-250 g nut nougat cream

2–3 tablespoons of red jam (e.g. cherry or currant jam)

Icing sugar for sprinkling

preparation

1. Prepare the yeast dough

Gently warm the milk until it is lukewarm.

Mix flour and vanilla pudding powder in a large bowl.

Crumble the yeast and add it to the flour along with milk, sugar, egg, butter and salt.

Knead everything together to form a smooth, supple dough.

Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes , until it has significantly increased in volume.

2. Roll out the dough

Roll out the dough on a floured work surface into a rectangle approximately 5 mm thick .

3. Prepare the filling

Spread the hazelnut-nougat cream evenly over the dough.

Distribute the well-drained cherries on top.

Finally, add a few dollops of jam.

4. Forming snails

Roll up the dough from the long side.

Cut the roll into 5–6 cm wide pieces .

Lightly grease the Dutch oven or line it with baking paper.

Place the snails in the pot with the cut surface facing upwards – preferably from the outside inwards.

5. Second walking time

Put the lid on and let the snails rest in the Dutch oven for about 30 minutes so that the dough can rise again.

6. Baking in a Dutch oven

Meanwhile, let about 20-22 briquettes glow until completely hot.

For baking:

• Place approximately 8-9 briquettes under the Dutch oven.
• Place approximately 12-13 briquettes on the lid.

Bake the snails for approximately 40–45 minutes , until they are golden brown.

7. Serve

Let the snails cool slightly, remove them from the Dutch oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar .

Best enjoyed while still slightly warm.