Last weeks episode of Great British Bake Off was bread week. Bread has been a bit hit and miss with me, I’ve tried numerous bread recipes with varying results over the years; but after seeing the chocolate breads in the signature bake round, I really wanted to make a loaf filled with Nutella & hazelnuts.
I successfully created this delicious loaf with swirly layers filled with that deliciously gooey chocolatey spread!
For this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients:
1 cup warm water (I used boiled water from the kettle, slightly cooled to a warm temperature)
½ tsp yeast
2 ½ cups strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
½ cup Nutella, plus an extra couple of tbsp’s to spread in the ridges after baking
Plain flour for dusting
1 small egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water to use as an egg wash
Toasted chopped hazelnuts to sprinkle
(You can purchase measuring cups from any good supermarket relatively cheap if you don’t have any already! Asda have a really good range of measuring cups at the moment)
Method:
1- Pour ¼ cup of the warm water into a small bowl and dissolve the yeast in the water by stirring until there are no granules left. Let sit for 10 minutes to activate.
2- Meanwhile, combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl, I used my stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, but you can use a large bowl and a spoon or electric hand mixer.
3- Add the water & yeast mixture to the dry ingredients along with the remaining warm water and knead for 7 minutes if you’re using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. If you are kneading by hand then you’ll need to knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
4- Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl then cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film and a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for about an hour, it’s ready when it’s doubled in size.
5- Once it’s finished resting, carefully remove the dough from the bowl and place on a sheet of lightly floured grease proof paper and roll out until it’s approximately 12 inches by 15 inches.
6- Warm the Nutella in a small microwaveable bowl for about 10-20 seconds so it’s easy to pour and spread over the rolled out dough leaving about 1cm – 2cm of space around the edge.
7- roll the dough like a Swiss roll using the grease proof paper, this helps guide the dough as it is quite sticky.
And you’ll have a long length of rolled Nutella filled dough
Make sure the seam edge is facing down so it is hidden underneath.
8- Cut the dough down the middle but leave one end intact.
9- Twist from the intact end to make a braid style by repeatedly overlapping the two pieces and fold either end underneath to create neat ends.
10- Place the braided loaf onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and place a lightly oiled sheet of clingfilm on top and leave to rest for 20 – 30 minutes. Whilst it’s resting, preheat oven to 170°C/350°F/Gas 4.
11- Remove the clingfilm and brush the surface of the loaf with the beaten egg and water; egg wash mixture.
12- Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown, it should spring back when lightly pressed.
13- spread a little extra Nutella in the gaps of the braid and sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.
Slice and serve with a nice cup of tea or if you fancy something more indulgent…enjoy with a yummy hot chocolate!
I’m really pleased with how this loaf turned out! It’s perfect for breakfast or a little something to enjoy as an afternoon snack with a cuppa. I would love to have a go at making a fruit loaf version of this with cinnamon as a warming winter snack and I’m sure you could adapt the recipe with different fillings depending on what flavours your want to incorporate into the bread.
Happy baking! x x x
