Have you seen anything as lovely as this braided Nutella bread? Deceptively simple to make, all you need is some time, a jar or Nutella and a few kitchen essentials. Let’s get baking.
Ingredients
- ½ tsp yeast
- 225ml warm water
- 350g flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp Nutella
- Polenta or flour for dusting
- 1 egg, beaten with a tbsp of water to use as an egg wash
- Flaked almonds (optional)
Method
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 3 tbsp of water; let it sit for 10 minutes to activate
- Meanwhile, in your stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar
- Add the activated yeast and the remaining water; mix on low-medium with a dough hook attachment for about 7 minutes; otherwise, mix in a bowl to form a dough then knead on a floured surface
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with cling film and set to once side in a warm place. The dough is ready when doubled in size, this should take around an hour
- Line or grease a circular cake tin
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to form a rectangle, roughly 30cm X 40cm. Spread Nutella in an even layer on top, leaving a 2cm border of dough. Lengthways, roll up the dough tightly
- Lengthways, cut the dough down the middle with a knife, leaving one end intact; gently transfer the dough to the cake tin
- Twist the ends overtop each other, making sure to turn the cut side upwards; once twisted, pinch the ends together
- Cover dough loosely with cling film and leave to sit for 20 minutes or so
- Preheat your oven to 175°C / Gas Mark 4 / 350°C; brush the surface of the bread with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes
- Raise the temperature to 220°C / Gas Mark 7 / 425°F, sprinkle the flaked almonds on top and bake for around 5 minutes or until lightly browned on top
- Leave to cool before tucking in
