Swirl bread is a sweet, yeast-leavened bread with a spiral pattern running through each slice, made by rolling a thin sheet of dough around a filling, such as cinnamon-sugar, fruit preserves, or a poppy seed or nut paste, into a log before baking. It's a generic description that covers several named regional breads: Polish makowiec (poppyseed), Hungarian bejgli (walnut or poppy seed), and versions with fruit jam or cheese found across Central and Eastern Europe.
Savory versions exist too, filled with cheese, herbs, or meat, and the dough can be shaped into rolls, braids, or wreaths instead of a single log.
It's typically served for breakfast or as a coffee-time pastry, and doubles as a dessert, often dusted with powdered sugar or finished with a light icing.