These soft and fluffy Nutella Babka Buns are simply delicious with Nutella spread and crunchy hazelnuts in each bite.
Author: Jaja Bakes
Course: BreadDessert
Cuisine: Jewish
Servings: 12
Prep Time2 hourshours40 minutesminutes
Cook Time15 minutesminutes
Additional Time2 hourshours
Total Time4 hourshours55 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Bread Dough
4cups(500gr)bread flour
2 1/4tspinstant yeast
1tspsalt
3tbspgranulated sugar
1egg
1egg yolk
1/4cup(55gr)unsalted butter, cubed
1cup(240ml)warm milk
Filling
1cup(300gr)Nutella
1cup(150gr)hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Egg Wash
2tbspmilk
1egg white
Instructions
Bread Dough
Add bread flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar, egg, egg yolk, butter, and warm milk in a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Then, knead the dough with your hands until smooth. It takes about 10-12 minutes by hand or 8-10 minutes in a stand mixer. Form dough into a ball. Place into a large greased clean bowl.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 60 minutes at a warm temperature.
While the dough is resting, pour the pesto into a mesh sieve and push out as much as you can with the back of a spoon. You should have 1 cup of drained and squeezed pesto. Set aside.
After the dough has doubled, punch down the dough. Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough to release the gas.
Divide the dough into 12 small balls (76 gr each).
Asemble
Roll each to a rectangle 5-inch/13cm wide and 8-inch/20cm long. If the dough is shrinking back a lot when you roll it out, let the dough rest for a few minutes, then try again.
Spread a tablespoon of Nutella evenly over the bread, getting within 1/4-inch of the edge. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on the spread.
Roll up the bread tightly from the long end, then pinch all the seams and ends to seal. Slice the log of dough in half lengthwise with a sharp knife, not all the way to the top. Then, twist the two lengths together, keeping the filling side up as you twist.
Stretch the braid into 10-inch/25cm length, more or less. Bring both ends together, overlapping them and creating a hole in the middle. Bring one end into the hole and pinch it together with the other end at the bottom.
Place on a baking tray with a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the balls. Rest the dough for 1 hour or until they doubled.
Preheat the oven to 375F/190°C. In a small bowl, mix together egg white and milk. Gently brush the tops of the buns with egg wash and sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top. Transfer to the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.