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Brie wrapped in store-bought puff pastry and baked until it has thoroughly melted inside is one of the world’s easiest yet tastiest appetizers. The combination of warm, melted cheese, crispy pastry with refreshing pear & apple flavour, nutty pecans and a hint of honey is virtually impossible to resist.
Baked Brie is one of my favourite appetizers that happens to be deceptively easy, but it is impressively delicious. If it couldn’t get any better, you can also melt Brie in puff pastry. It creates a delightful and fun culinary experience for your guests when they break through the golden-brown crust to reveal a molten cheese centre.
For festive appetizers, you can never go wrong with baked Brie en croûte (Brie baked in a pastry crust). Like Camembert, Brie can be baked until the middle melts and oozy, perfect for dunking in toasts or veg crudités.
Baking Brie might sound intimidating, but it is so, so easy! All you do is wrap a wheel of Brie in a thawed sheet of puff pastry and bake at 190C/375F until golden brown. Remember that you can still add many delicious ingredients before sealing up the pastry dough. Once cooled, cut off the top and lay it slightly off to the side to reveal the rich gooey inside for dipping. And thanks to store-bought puff pastry, it’s just as easy to make as it is impressive.
This dish is excellent for assembling ahead of time so that you can heat it right before you’re ready to serve.
Some people like to top baked Brie with jam, but I prefer this sweet-savoury-crunchy combo of diced pear, apple, chopped pecans, and honey. It’s festive, not too sweet, and so very crowd-pleasing.
You can also add other toppings to it that will infuse into the cheese while it bakes. Read more at All about Brie and the best ways to cook & serve it.
I like to pair this with slices of crusty bread, crispy crackers, or fresh fruit to dip in the gooey cheese. It’s a crowd-pleasing recipe that disappears fast!
Impressive and so elegant and great for parties. Sweet with a hint of saltiness, creamy, and rich with a crunch, all these textures are encased in a buttery, flaky puff sheet—an effortless yet elegant and versatile dish.
It will disappear in a flash, leaving nothing but guests clamouring for the recipe! You may not want to share it because it’ll give away how easy this appetizer was to make, but we promise everyone will be asking for this recipe.
Snap a photo of your baked Brie and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you serve it to. Tag us on Instagram using @Fast2eatca.
Looking for more phyllo pastry recipes? You might like to try this Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie with Feta Cheese) and this Egyptian Goulash (Phyllo sausage & cheese Pie).
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Ingredients
- 1 wheel Brie - round - do not remove rind
For the Phyllo
- 1/4 cup Olive oil - extra virgin or melted butter
- 5 sheets Phyllo pastry - properly thawed - or 1 sheet puff pastry or Crescent roll dough or pie dough
For the filling (optional or your favourite fillings and toppings)
- 2 tbsp Apple - small diced
- 2 tbsp Pear - small diced
- 2 tbsp Pecan - Chopped – or walnuts
- 1 tbsp Honey - or maple
For egg wash (optional)
- 1 Egg - beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
For serving: Baguette or apple slices or crackers
Optional extras: See Variations of flavours and foods to pair with Brie
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Instructions
Important:
- If your pastry is frozen, you will need to thaw it first. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. Do not try to unfold frozen pastry, or you may break it.
Preheat the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
Prepare the dough
If using Phyllo (See notes for best results.)
- Carefully remove the phyllo roll from the plastic sleeve. Unroll the phyllo sheets and place them between two lightly damp kitchen cloths.
- In a small bowl, melt butter (if using, I used just olive oil) and combine it with olive oil.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the top of each sheet thoroughly, very generously, with the melted butter and olive oil mixture.
If using puff pastry
- Roll out the puff pastry until it's large enough to wrap your entire wheel of Brie. The pastry will be much larger than the Brie, so you will have to trim it down with a knife. Leave enough of the pastry to fold it over the Brie without stretching it.
- Note: Consider saving the scraps of left-over puff pastry. You can use mini cookie cutters to cut shapes out of them and place them on top of the Brie after you wrap it.
- Dust a work surface with a small amount of flour. Unwrap the puff pastry and place it on the flour. Coat a rolling pin with a little flour and on the lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry.
If using Crescent roll dough
- To make this with a 230g/8-ounce can of refrigerated crescent roll dough instead of puff pastry, unroll the dough and carefully tear along the perforations to form 2 rectangles. Pinch the remaining perforations together, so they won't break apart as you work with the dough. One rectangle should be enough to encase the Brie, but use all or part of the second rectangle if you’d like to patch or decorate any spots.
Add optional fillings (See Variations of flavours and foods to pair with Brie)
- Remove any plastic packaging.
- Use a sharp knife to carefully cut off the top rind of the cheese.
- Place half of the Brie (rind-side down) onto the pastry dough.
- You could keep it simple and just wrap and bake.
- I like to add fresh fruits (such as diced apple and pear or even a fruity jam), herbs (such as thyme), a crunchy element (such as pecan or walnuts), and something sweet (such as a drizzle of honey or maple).
- You can top it with all the goodies you like. See Variations of flavours and foods to pair with Brie for inspiration.
- Once you have chosen what sort of filling you want, spread it over the top of the cheese.
- Place the other half of the Brie (rind-side up) over the toppings.
Wrap the Brie
- Fold the corners of the dough over the Brie, forming a neat package and cutting off excess of the dough. Use your hand or a fork to gently press the edges against the Brie and neaten up the sides.
- Note: Do not stretch if you accidentally cut too much of the pastry off and don't have enough pastry left to cover the Brie. Instead, use the scraps leftover from cutting the pastry to patch up the hole.
- Note: You can have the corners face up to give a prettier design. This way also allows more room for the dough layers to separate during baking for a light and flaky texture.
Apply egg wash right before baking
- Then brush the exposed pastry with the egg mixture. Be sure to get the sides and around the folds to help it stick together. Try not to let the egg puddle under the Brie.
- The egg proteins turn a deep golden-brown colour, and the fat in the eggs leaves a glossy shine. It makes for a stunning presentation.
- Note: I add 1 egg to 1 tablespoon of water to slightly thin out the consistency when applying.
Score the surface (optional)
- Use a sharp paring knife to add shallows scores on top of the puff pastry. This process creates little vents for steam to escape and prevents the layers from getting too high during baking.
Bake
- Place the wrapped Brie on the baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) or pie plate.
- Bake your Brie at 190°C/375°F for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is deep golden-brown and the Brie is oozing.
Let it cool
- The cheese in the centre will be like a molten lava cake, so wait about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. You don’t want any burnt taste buds! It will stay scoopable for about 45 minutes. The pastry acts as a little protective jacket to keep it warm longer.
- Note: This gives the melted hot cheese time to firm up a little— it will still be gooey and scoop-able but no longer molten lava burning mouths.
To serve
- Use the parchment paper to transfer the Brie to a serving plate.
- If you baked it on a pie plate, serve straight from the plate, but double-check that the plate has cooled enough to handle.
Serve this with
- Slices of crostini, baguette or crackers.
- Candied walnut or pecans.
- Fruit like pears, apples, figs, or strawberries.
Video
Notes
Can I use a wedge?
You can also use a wedge for this recipe, but it will be more difficult to wrap.Small or big Brie wheels?
This technique — wrapping Brie in puff pastry and baking until golden — can be used on Brie wheels, big and small. Both, big or small wheels, deliver warm, cheesy goodness in an amazing appetizer. When using less-than 28g/1-ounce mini Brie wheels, cut the puff pastry into 7.5x7.5cm/3×3-inch squares using a sharp knife or pastry wheel and wrap each Brie.Brie x camembert x Cambozola
Camembert can be substituted for Brie for a more pungent taste. Recipes for baked Camembert are interchangeable with Brie, but make sure you use a whole cheese rather than a wedge – the rind keeps the cheese from running out when baked. I think about trying this using a "Cambozola," a combination of Camembert (very similar to Brie) and Gorgonzola cheese. Have you tried this? I don't recommend substituting the Brie with any cheese other than Camembert (very similar to Brie) or Cambozola (a combination of Camembert and Gorgonzola cheese) in this recipe but feel free to switch up some other ingredients. See Variations of flavours and foods to pair with Brie.Pastry Choices for Baked Brie
Traditionally puff pastry surrounds Brie in recipes like this, but you can also use layered, phyllo dough sheets, crescent roll dough, or pie dough.Homemade or store-bought dough?
Like me, many home cooks choose to buy frozen sheets at the grocery store instead of making phyllo dough or puff pastry from scratch. However, you can use homemade puff pastry for this.Phyllo vs. Puff Pastry: What's the Difference?
Phyllo dough and puff pastry dough are both used to create baked goods, from sweet desserts to savoury tarts and pastries. They have similar uses, but they're not the same thing. The main differences between the two doughs are the preparation method and fat content. Phyllo is super thin and a lighter version, ideal for those on a diet who do not want to overdo it. Its use consists of mixing a layer of the sheets and brushing it with fat – butter, oil or olive oil. The puff pastry, when baked, creates “layers” and is full of fat. A caloric bomb for you who don't want to go off the diet, I don't recommend it, but if you're the type that doesn't care about it, feel free to use it. Due to the significant differences in thickness, their ingredients, and how they're made, they will not give you the same outcome. While the Phyllo requires more care, the puff pastry is theoretically simpler to handle, but its flavour and textures are heavier, with a fattier and buttery flavour, while Phyllo is lighter and more delicate. Both are found in grocery stores and sold frozen.Phyllo
Phyllo is a paper-thin dough made with oil instead of butter. The delicate sheets are brushed with butter or olive oil, then layered and baked. Making homemade phyllo is a labour of love, as it takes time and skill to roll and stretch the dough into large sheets. The unleavened dough is traditionally made with just flour, water, and a small amount of oil. The origins of phyllo are unclear, but it's common in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Phyllo is particularly common in Greece, an essential ingredient in baklava and spanakopita.Puff pastry (a descendant of phyllo dough)
Puff pastry is often associated with French cuisine. It likely originated in 16th-century Spain. Puff pastry is a light and flaky laminated pastry, which means butter is folded into a lean dough (a dough that contains no fat) multiple times to create alternating layers of butter and dough. When baked, the moisture in the ingredients steams and separates the dough layers. This results in lots of thin layers and an airy texture.Working with puff pastry
To ensure a light and flaky texture, make sure the dough is cold to ensure the pockets of fat are still intact and not melted into the next layer. When rolling out, use gentle pressure. Don’t push down too hard, or the layers meld together and become dense. Puff pastry dough is easier to make than phyllo, but it can still be a laborious task. Making homemade puff pastry can be a practice in patience, as it requires many trips to the fridge to keep the dough cold and allow the gluten to build.If you haven’t used store-bought puff pastry before, it is a dream! It is located in the freezer section of your grocery store and is wonderfully easy to work with. Note: While most baked Brie recipes call for wrapping one large sheet of puff pastry around the cheese, resulting in a thick and doughy bottom layer that doesn’t cook through, if you sandwich the Brie between two smaller pieces of phyllo pastry and crimp the edges with a fork. This seals in the cheese and creates even top and bottom layers, which puff up and form a flaky, golden crust.
Crescent roll dough
Crescent roll dough is a little sweeter than puff pastry. If you go with the crescent roll dough, look for dough sheets that don't have perforations. If you can't find the sheets, you'll need to press together the perforations. Fold the crescent rolls over the top of the Brie.How to work with Phyllo Dough
Phyllo pastry may be intimidating to some people, but I find it is pretty easy to work with. Just follow those tips: Phyllo should be used at room temperature and handled with care, as it breaks easily. Thaw the phyllo dough in advance, in its package, either in the fridge overnight or for about 12-14 hours, or on the counter for an hour or so. Attention: Never thaw it in the microwave. When thawing, do not remove the phyllo from the package. As it dries out easily, you should always keep the part that is not being used covered with a damp clean dishtowel. The biggest secret to working with phyllo dough is, while assembling, to set the phyllo sheets between two very lightly damp towels (kitchen towels or paper towels). This will keep them moist and prevent them from breaking as you work to assemble the pie. As you use it, make sure to put the kitchen towel back on top. Important: do not soak the towel; just lightly dampen it. I just spray it. If phyllo sheets tear? Be gentle when handling it but do not panic if your dough tears. A few of mine ripped, and it is okay. You can still layer the torn sheet as best as you can. It will not matter at all once all the layers are assembled. It is no worry because the sheets will meld together when baking. I want to take care of only the last sheet, the outside one. This is the one I would like for it to be one piece and not torn. If the edges get dry? Do not fret. It does not matter unless you are making phyllo rolls or cigars. Just take the sheets and brush with the olive oil and butter mixture. That is why I usually like to brush the edges nicely and generously, more than in the centre.Olive oil and melted butter
Do not skip on "buttering" the phyllo layers. For maximum flavour and so that it cooks to a beautiful golden brown, make sure you brush a generous amount of the olive oil & butter mixture so that each layer is well soaked. If you want, you can brush with a little more moderation to make this healthier. If you want to stay on the healthy side, you can always adjust the mixture to have more olive oil than butter. I like using a higher proportion of olive oil to butter to brush the phyllo sheets. I have had a good experience using just olive oil to coat phyllo dough, like in this Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie with Feta Cheese) Fast2eat and this Egyptian Goulash (Phyllo sausage & cheese Pie).Read more:
All about Brie
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
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