Babka with homemade Nutella
Homemade Nutella:
- 400 g hazelnuts
- 100 g chopped dark chocolate
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp dark sugar syrup
To make the Nutella cream put the nuts on a baking tray and roast at 170 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a bit and remove the dark skin. You put the nuts inside a kitchen towel to do this
Put the nuts in a food processor or a blender and blitz until you get a uniform creamy mixture. Melt the chocolate on a bain marie and add to the nuts. Also add vanilla sugar, salt and syrup. Blend until smooth.
Yeast dough:
- 2 dl milk
- 30 g yeast or equivalent quantity (11 g) of dried yeast
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- 100 g unrefined cane sugar
- 100 g butter
- 500 g flour
- 200 g homemade Nutella
- 2 egg yolks
- lemon zest
- egg for brushing
- powdered sugar
To make the yeast dough dissolve the yeast in room temperature milk. Add about half of the flour and mix until combined. If using dry yeast mix it with flour first and then add the mixture to milk. Let the mixture rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes. Add lightly beaten egg yolks, salt, lemon zest, cardamom and the rest of the flour to the dough. Knead and add soft or melted butter little by little.
Knead until a smooth, shiny dough is formed and it does not stick to hands anymore. Cover with a towel or cling film and leave in a warm place to rise until the volume doubles.
Tip the risen dough carefully onto a floured surface and roll into an even rectangle. Spread homemade Nutella on the dough and form a roll. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter cut the roll in half lengthwise. Twist the two halves together and then fold in half. Place into a loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper and bake at 180-200 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes. If the pastry is starting to brown too quickly, cover with foil.
Decorate with powdered sugar and enjoy!