When I started thinking about what to create for my cosy Autumn recipes, I knew I definitely wanted to add another cinnamon roll recipe to the collection! And then I thought of combining hazelnuts, Nutella and cinnamon. For this recipe we are using my standard cinnamon roll dough, but we’re changing up the filling slightly and adding a delicious cream on top. So these ones are a little bit more levelled up!
Ingredients:
Dough:
- 490g plain flour + 20g
- 190g whole milk
- 1 egg + 2 egg yolks
- 25g fresh yeast
- 120g granulated sugar + 20g
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Beans from half of a vanilla pod
- Pinch of salt
- 60g butter – softened
Filling:
- 65g butter – softened
- 60g light brown sugar
- 5g cinnamon
- 160g Nutella
- 70g chopped hazelnuts
Optional:
- 50g double cream
Nutella Cream:
- 265g Philadelphia cream cheese
- 170g Nutella
- Chopped hazelnuts (saved from the filling amount)
Instructions:
Preparing the yeast
- Place the fresh yeast and 20g of sugar in a medium measuring jug. Stir these using a spoon until a smooth paste is formed, leave aside for now. Place the milk in a saucepan over a low heat until it reaches 37-38C. If you use milk that’s too hot/cold, the yeast will not activate. Take off the heat and pour about 70g of it into the yeast mixture, stir a few times to help combine. Add 20g of flour and stir again. The rest of the milk will be added to the dough ingredients in the next step. Cover the measuring jug with some cling film and leave to let the yeast activate/rise in a warm place for about 20mins – it should double in size. If the kitchen/room isn’t too warm, I tend to switch on the lightbulb (no temp, just the light) in my oven at the start of this step and then place the jug inside when the mixture is prepared, close the oven door and let it rise there.
- In the meantime place the rest of the dough ingredients (including the rest of the milk, but excluding the butter) in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Once the yeast mixture has doubled in size, add it to the mixing bowl and start mixing everything (on a low speed for the first minute then medium) using the dough hook for about 5minutes until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Add the softened butter and carry on mixing on a medium speed for about 10 minutes until the dough becomes soft and elastic. You want the dough to become smooth and elastic. When you poke the dough and it springs back, you can stop mixing, otherwise carry on for a few more minutes.
- Move your dough to a big bowl that is lightly greased with a little bit of oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it sit in a warm place for about 1.5-2hrs. The dough should double in size. If I am not baking anything else, I just let it rise in the oven with the lightbulb on.
- While you’re waiting, combine the softened butter for filling with cinnamon powder and light brown sugar and set aside for now.
- Dry toast the hazelnuts in a small pan for a few minutes over a low heat, making sure to stir them a few times. If you’re using hazelnuts with the skin on: after roasting, place the hazelnuts in-between two sheets of kitchen roll and gently rub them together until the skin comes off (be careful, they will be hot). You don’t have to remove all the skin from the hazelnuts. Chop them up and leave aside for now.
- After your dough is ready, remove the cling film and ‘knock’ the dough down with your hand to let out the air. Move the dough onto a lightly floured surface and using a slightly floured rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle around 45cm x 30cm. Try to make sure you roll it out as evenly as possible.
- Spread the cinnamon filling over the dough as evenly as possible using an off-set spatula, making sure you get it up to the edges. Then spread over Nutella and sprinkle on the chopped hazelnuts (save a small amount for later to put on the top) and using the palm of your hand, gently press them in. You might need to trim the edges on the short ends of the dough.
- Use a pizza slicer/knife to cut the dough into 12 strips (cutting parallel to the short side of the dough, around 2.5-3cm each) and then roll each strip into a bun.
- Move each rolled bun onto a baking pan lined with baking paper – the one I usually use is 35cm x 24cm, leaving a little space between them. Cover with cling film and let them rise for about 30-35mins in a warm space. Half way through, preheat your oven to 180C – no fan.
- Before you place the rolls in the oven, heat up 50g of double cream in a small saucepan until it just starts to simmer and pour it over the cinnamon rolls. Bake for around 23mins, you want the top to turn light golden brown. If they don’t, you can turn on the grill option in your oven for the last 2-3mins of the baking them – just make sure to keep an eye on them.
- Take the rolls out of the oven and let them cool.
- Once cooled down, mix together Nutella and Philadelphia cheese until combined, place in a piping bag with your favourite nozzle and decorate the rolls. Sprinkle with the leftover hazelnuts.
Happy Baking! 🙂
