Chocolate Hazelnut Bread

5 from 1 vote

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!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 10

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate, hazelnut

Servings:

Calories: 310kcal

Author: Tricia

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.

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 information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition