Braiding bread is a lot like braiding hair, except the bread doesn't yell ouch when you pull too hard.
The Bread Bakers were tasked with making braided loaves this month and my decision was an easy one. I subscribe to Bake From Scratch and they had a recipe that I have been wanting to bake for quite a while - a Nutella Crunch Braid.
This may just be the perfect dough. So easy to pull together and so soft and supple. It also rolled out like a dream. To roll out a dough I usually use my silicone baking mat that has the measurements on it, but since this dough needs to be cut in half and you don't want to make a mistake and cut your baking mat I have a tip for you. Grab a piece of parchment and use the mat to measure out the exact size you need and cut the parchment accordingly - this will give you the exact size you need when rolling out the dough. I placed the parchment on my mat (to protect my counter) and rolled it out. I continued on with the instructions through rolling it up, and then when I was ready to cut, I easily lifted up the piece of parchment with the dough on it and moved to a cutting board so nothing was damaged.
Actually the hardest part of this whole recipe is probably the waiting. There is an initial proof, a short proof again before rolling out, and then another proof after you have put the braid together and in the pan. But I promise you that it is worth the wait. This is one delicious bread. The only change was to use almonds instead of hazelnuts. Not because I don't like them, but because I forgot to buy them and I wasn't sure I wanted a repeat of the last time I tried to crack open hazelnuts in the shell, which was all I had at home. I'm sure the hazelnuts would be good, but the almonds were fantastic too.
If you would like to know more about the Bread Bakers and see what the other bakers made for this months Braided Breads theme please scroll down below the recipe.
Nutella Crunch Braid
Ingredients
Dough ~- 150ml (⅔ cup) warm whole milk (105°F to 110°F)
- 10g (1 tablespoon) granulated sugar
- 10g (1 x 0.25-ounce) package active dry yeast
- 410g (3¼ cups) all-purpose flour, divided
- 60g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Braid ~
- 150g (½ cup) chocolate-hazelnut spread
- 60g (½ cup) toasted hazelnuts, skins removed and finely chopped
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Preparation
Dough ~
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
- With mixer running on low speed, add 125g (1 cup) flour, beating just until combined.
- Add melted butter and 60g (½ cup) flour, beating until combined.
- Beat in eggs.
- Gradually add salt and remaining 225g (1¾ cups) flour, beating until a soft dough forms (dough will be sticky.)
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl, turning to grease top.
- Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Braid ~
- Spray a 10-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
- On a lightly floured surface, turn out dough. Punch dough down, and gently shape into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll dough into a 40cm x 35cm (16 x 14-inch) rectangle.
- Spread chocolate-hazelnut spread onto dough, leaving a 1cm (½-inch) border on all sides.
- Sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts.
- Starting with one long side, roll up dough jelly-roll style, and press edge to seal.
- Place dough, seam side down, on a cutting board, and cut in half lengthwise.
- Carefully twist dough pieces around each other, and form into a circle.
- Place in prepared pan, cut sides up, cover with a kitchen towel or cling wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 175℃ (350°F).
- Bake until golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F, 45 minutes to 1 hour, covering with foil halfway through baking time to prevent excess browning, if necessary.
- Let cool in pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
And don’t forget to take a peek at what the other talented bakers have baked this month .
- Chocolate and Cinnamon Babka from AnyBodyCanBake
- Nutella Crunch Braid from All That's Left Are the Crumbs
- Braided Easter Bread from The Mad Scientist's Kitchen
- Russian braided pesto bread from Veenas Vegnation
- Pizza Braid from Simply Inspired Meals
- Stuffed Braided bread from namscorner
- Braided Rye Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Veggie Cheese Braided Bread from Sneha's Recipe
- Polish Chalka Crumble Bread from The Schizo Chef
Love that dough! Not so much butter that it stays nice and light!
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