When I first learned about Nutella, it was all I wanted. Heck, it’s all I thought about. Nutella on toast. Nutella on apples. NUTELLA ON EVERYTHING.

Well somewhere along the lines I kind of stopped using it all. Probably a result of many dieting publications claiming it was awful for you.

Well, to hell with that! I’m back on the nutella game and man do we have a lot of catching up to do.

So many years wasted thinking it was bad.

So, so grateful to have worked to make a mindset shift that feels much more free. I might even venture to claim it’s nourishing. Too far? Okay, I’m not claiming it has any nutritious value per say, but it can still be nourishing. Maybe not in the same way a kale salad is, but in the way that it makes my heart happy — it’s nourishing my soul.

And since I claimed nourish as my word for 2024, I can see a lot of Nutella in my future.

These Nutella knots were born out of my rekindled love affair with the iconic chocolate-hazelnut spread and I can guarantee you will LOVE them. I recently added them to the Hazel Haus Bake Shop menu, but since so many of you don’t live within driving distance I wanted you to be able to have a taste of them in your own kitchen.

Don’t be intimidated by how long the dough takes to sit in the fridge. Just plan ahead.

Don’t get tripped up on how to tie them into knots. I have photos below, but if you need a little extra help I recommend this video. Don’t worry about being perfect. Just jump in and have fun.

I hope you enjoy. <3

Nutella Knots

Makes: 8 knots

Recipe for the dough is by Alison Roman

For the dough:

1 cup whole milk
¼ cup sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (540g)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into ½” pieces

For the filling:

1 cup nutella

Additional:

1 egg, whisked for brushing on knots prior to baking

Directions:

Whisk whole milk, sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together into a dry, shaggy mess. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium speed until you’ve got a smooth, sticky dough with no visible dry spots.
With the mixer running, add the butter a few pieces at a time, letting the butter incorporate before adding more pieces. Eventually, the dough will take all the butter, disappearing into a silky, sticky dough. Knead this on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes to continue to develop the gluten.
Transfer the dough into a greased, medium bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours (during this time, the dough is slowly rising which develops great flavor, the flour is hydrating which firms the dough up, and the butter is resolidifying, making everything easy to roll out). I have done this after only leaving it in the fridge for 6 hours and it works, but the dough isn’t as ideal to work with. So if you’re wanting nutella knots faster, there is that option, but know that the dough might be tougher to work with.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. You might want to leave it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes if it's really cold and difficult to roll out.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 19x12in rectangle.
Evenly spread out the nutella using an offset spatula.
Grab one of the long sides of the rectangle and fold it down to cover 2/3 of the dough, then grab the other side and fold it over the top (see pictures above for reference).
Go over the dough a couple of times with a rolling pin to even out the sides.
Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 strips, roughly 2 inches each.
Split each strip into three, leaving one side joined. Braid the strips to create a three-stranded plait. Grab the end of the plait and roll it up to create a bun—place all the shaped buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the buns to rise for 20-30 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the plastic wrap and gently brush the knots with the whisked egg.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or just until golden brown. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Note: These freeze beautifully so feel free to bake a bunch and then place them in a freezer safe container once they are completely cooled and enjoy for many days to come.