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Chocolate Hazelnut Bread ~ a simple yeasted loaf of fluffy sweet bread, loaded with chunks of bittersweet chocolate and toasted hazelnuts. Serve with a slathering of Nutella for a wonderful treat!
There’s something about making a loaf of yeast bread that is a totally satisfying kitchen experience, when it turns out great, of course. This is one of those times. The soft fluffy texture, the crisp sweet crust, big bites of bittersweet chocolate and toasted hazelnuts – yes … totally satisfying and easy too!
The only thing difficult about this bread is trying to decide if you eat it for breakfast or dessert. Save yourself the trouble and don’t decide 😉
I have baked this loaf in a small Dutch oven, pictured above, and a square glass casserole dish. Both loaves came out beautiful.
Don’t count on this being around the house for a long time, it disappears like magic! Good thing it’s so easy to make.
Don’t cut corners and use chocolate chips. The hand chopped bittersweet chocolate chunks melt into the fiber of the bread giving you bursts of rich chocolate flavor. The Nutella doesn’t hurt either!
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Chocolate Hazelnut Bread
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 12
Course: Bread
A simple yeasted loaf of fluffy sweet bread, loaded with chunks of bittersweet chocolate and toasted hazelnuts. Serve with a slathering of Nutella for a wonderful treat!
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed tightly
- 1 package active dry yeast (¼ oz.) or approximately 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- 5 tablespoons butter, cubed in ½” pieces
- ¼ cup water
- 2 eggs, divided
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
- ½ cup toasted hazelnuts, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, if desired
- Nutella spread, optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, the brown sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan combine the evaporated milk, butter and ¼ cup of water. Heat until the butter is almost melted and the mixture reaches 105°-110°F on an instant read thermometer. Add the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture and add one of the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. This will be a very sticky, shaggy dough. Stir in the chopped chocolate and hazelnuts.
- Now add some of the remaining flour stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough is soft, but still sticky. I used the remaining 1 ½ cups, but no more. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 hour).
- Grease a 2-quart round or square baking dish. Punch down the dough and transfer to the prepared pan. Cover and let the dough rise again in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water until blended. Brush the egg mixture on the top of the bread then sprinkle with the turbinado (or coarse) sugar.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Cover the bread with foil after the first twenty minutes of baking to prevent over browning. Cool in the dish for about 10 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve with Nutella if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure the butter and milk mixture is not too hot. Anything above 120-130 degrees will kill the yeast.
- Baking time may vary depending on the size of the pan used to bake the bread. If the loaf is not very thick, check at the 30 minute interval. For a thick loaf, bake 45-50 minutes.
- If baking in a glass pan, be sure to reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- Recipe adapted from Better Home and Gardens January 2012
Nutrition
Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg
Recipe originally posted on May 27, 2013. Photos and recipe updated.
If you love the chocolate and hazelnut combination, don’t miss our fabulous Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake! It is so much easier to make than you would think and it’s so pretty too. Sue from The View from Great Island recently posted an amazingly simple, rich and creative recipe for Drinkable Nutella. If you were wondering what to do with leftover Nutella and evaporated milk, be sure to try her recipe! For the holidays I want to try these Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Truffles ~ from Sally’s Baking Addiction. And don’t miss this Flourless Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake Recipe from Epicurious. It looks amazing!
Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you have a great week!
Tricia
Susan
So happy you reposted this, Tricia! I love baking bread in the fall and glad to have a reminder of this delightful combination.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Susan – I love to bake breads in the fall too – hope you get the chance to make this one!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
Hazelnuts and chocolate , what is there not to like, what a great bread.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Gerlinde! I’m going to try making this recipe into two smaller loaves so I can freeze one for later – or sooner 🙂 It’s a bit addictive!
Shannon @loveatfirstbento
OMG, that closeup stacked shot deserves to be framed and adored! I am going to be back-logged on recipes of yours to try very soon, I think… not a bad thing though 😉
Tricia Buice
Hehe – you are so cute Shannon 🙂 You are the queen of cute and adorable food prep!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
Oh yikes, that stack of slices is calling my name ~ love the sexy dollop of Nutella on top!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sue! You do amazing things with Nutella so I’ll take that as a compliment 🙂
Chris Scheuer
This is a Nutella lover’s dream come true Tricia! It sounds dangerously easy! 🙂
Tricia Buice
That it is Chris! Thanks 🙂
Kari Lindsay
This bread is the bomb! I just love the smell of fresh bread, and to add hazelnuts and chocolate to it…well that's just the icing on the cake, so to speak!
Rebecca Subbiah
wow this bread looks divine
Gerry @Foodness Gracious
I love sweet breads and it's hard to find a good chocolate bread but yours has given me faith 🙂 Looks fantastic as always!!
Daniela Grimburg
Hazelnuts, chocolate and Nutella- this bread sounds like heaven to me 🙂
Miss Smart
Oh my goodness. This looks AMAZING. Then you had to go and put Nutella on top? I have to say, I recently made plain, unadulterated, roasted hazelnut butter, and I liked it even better than the chocolate version. [Gasp!] Of course, now I need some bread to spread it on…
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
The bread looks fantastic! I'm a big fan of chocolate and hazelnuts but am not a fan of Nutella – strange, I know!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
If that bread was in my kitchen, I wouldn't share.
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Hazelnut and Chocolate! Evan will be most pleased! Thank you. blessings ~ tanna
Anna and Liz Recipes
Thanks for a yummy bread recipe…. will have to make this one very soon!
Anna and Liz Recipes
Delicious bread recipe! Yummy!
Angie Schneider
Chocolate and hazelnut..wow..a bread with nutella. I love it, Tricia.<br />
Wendy
I have never made a sweet yeast bread (generally chicken of yeast) but that is going to change with this recipe. I like the idea of the texture of a yeast bread with the chocolate chips and sweetness that I would think of with a quick bread. Yum. :)<br />
Monica
I do not need to tell you this is my kind of bread, Tricia! It looks great and it must taste even better.
nessa
Yum!
Chris Scheuer
Tricia, that bread looks super amazing!