BREAD - Isabelle’s Braided Hazelnut Bread

By Aemelia

Ingredients

• Sweet Dough:
• 150 ml milk
• 2 tsp yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 50 g butter
• 250 g flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Hazelnut mix:
• 150 g hazelnut
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 apple, peeled and thickly grated
• Finely grated zest of half a lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• Approximately 3 tbsp cream
• 3 tbsp apricot jam
• Icing:
• 100 g icing sugar
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp water

Details

Adapted from ourkitchen.fisherpaykel.com

Preparation

Step 1

Sweet Dough:
1. Mix all ingredients in a mixer until the dough is soft and smooth.
2. Set aside in a warm place and let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume. Cover with cling film to prevent the dough drying out. (I left mine in the oven at 50°C.) This should take approximately two hours.

Hazelnut mix:
1. Finely grind ¾ of the hazelnuts, leaving the last ¼ more coarsely ground to add some texture to the bread.
2. Fold in sugar, grated apple, lemon zest and juice. Add just enough cream so that the mixture is moist but not wet.

Putting it all together:
Preheat oven to 220°C on Bake
1. Roll out the dough to 3mm thick in a short rectangular shape, 30x40cm.
2. Using your fingers spread the jam over the dough, stopping about 2cm from each edge. Be careful not to stretch the dough as you do this.
3. Spread the hazelnut mix on top of jam.
4. Roll up the dough from the longest edge.
5. Place the rolled dough on a lightly floured oven tray with the open edge on the top.
6. Cut lengthways along the centre of the roll starting 3cm from one end. Ensure it is cut right through.
7. Turn the cut lengths of dough so the layers of filling are exposed. Tuck the top under slightly and start braiding, making sure the exposed layers of filling continue to face the top. Tuck the ends under.
8. Place ¾ the way down in a preheated oven and bake for between 25-30min. When cooked the bread should be golden brown and the filling caramelised and not too wet.
9. Mix together all icing ingredients and ice the bread as soon as it comes out of the oven.