At about 02:00 am the other day, I was working on blog stuff and noticed a sweet comment from another blogger. I went over to check out her blog. I only intended to take a quick peek, but I ended up spending almost an hour drooling over all the beautiful breads she bakes.
One bread sparked a serious craving for me. It was this Braided Nutella Brioche. Unfortunately, I have a house-wide Nutella ban. (I love the stuff. My jeans and I wouldn’t be friendly for long if I had open access!) I also had a busy day planned, so experimenting with a new recipe wasn’t going to work.
However, I had a loaf of sourdough sandwich bread already on its first rise. I read about the technique Nora at Treat or Trick used on the brioche, sighed wistfully, and toddled off to sleep. The next morning, I woke still craving elicit baked goodness. So, I modified the technique using my ready to work dough, butter, cinnamon, and sugar. (I took a ton of photos. However, a phone glitch ate all but the two I’d texted to my mother. Grr.)
I decided to bake mine in a loaf pan, instead of as a braid. I wasn’t quite sure of the method Nora used. So, mine obviously didn’t turn as beautiful as the original. However, I think I have the hang of it now. The next time, it should be prettier. I was still pleased with the appearance and totally satisfied with the taste!
Basically, after the first rise, I patted the dough into a 10×14″ rectangle. I topped this as my Mama would say with, “a good bit of butter” and a liberal sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. I rolled the dough into a log (starting on the short end), as if for cinnamon rolls. Then, I cut the log in half lengthwise and pinched one end together. This is where I kind of messed up. I tried twisting the strands individually and then together. Next time, I’ll try only twisting them together. After the twisting, I pinched the second end together. I let the dough rest and popped it into a greased loaf pan. (I tucked the pinched ends under the loaf.) After a second rise, I baked it at 350′ until done (~50 minutes).
Y’all, I have been eating that loaf all week! It was fun, pretty, and very tasty! I’m making a gluten-free version for the family this weekend. I even plan on allowing a single jar of Nutella in the house to try doing it right! If you have a chance, check out Nora over at Treat or Trick. She bakes beautiful things and has process photographs to help you follow along!
Please tell me I’m not the only one who should avoid reading food blogs in the middle of the night? (I really need my jeans to keep fitting.) Have a great week!
