Crown of Nutella Rolls

This may look very fancy and hard to bake, but it is actually one of the easiest doughs to handle. The dough is easy to make, and who doesn't love Nutella? The buns have that hazelnut goodness, and are crisp on top, due to the polenta. I balance the sweetness and richness of the Nutella with some chili powder and sea salt.

If you're not eating all of it once it gets out of the oven, reheat the rolls in an oven toaster or oven to enjoy the same warm, gooey goodness. Best enjoyed with coffee and tea.

My Crown of Nutella Rolls

There are many versions and shapes of Nutella breads out there. I've done a braid, adapted from a recipe in Inspired by Charm:

My Nutella Braid I made last Christmas

I've also done a wreath:

My Nutella Wreath.

They all follow the same, basic recipe, and this time, I've done some rolls and formed them into a crown. Whichever way you shape them, they are very tasty and impressive to look at.

I find that it's easier to make the rolls vs. the braid and the wreath, which require some quick, skilful braiding, which is sometimes difficult if you have a warm kitchen, like in Singapore. So rolls it is.

CROWN OF NUTELLA ROLLS
Makes 8 rolls

1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup Nutella (or more, if you want gooier goodness), at room temperature
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (more, if you prefer your rolls to be a bit spicy)
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Polenta (cornmeal), for dusting
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Procedure:

1.  Put the yeast and honey in the warm water in a bowl. Whisk and set aside. Make sure the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. You will see that after a few minutes, bubbles will form and the mix will foam, indicating that the yeast is alive.

2.  In a bowl, mix together the flour and the yeast mixture with your hands. Once the liquid is mixed, add the salt and white sugar and mix well. The dough will look shaggy. Make sure you scrape the dough off from the walls of the bowl.

3.  Tip the mixture onto a clean table which has been either dusted with flour or sprinkled with oil. Knead the dough for about 5 to 10 minutes until it is a smooth ball. Squeeze inward with both hands into a tight ball.

4.  Get the bowl where you mixed the flour and generously rub it with oil. Put the dough ball in it, seam side down, and cover with plastic wrap (Tip: I use a clean, disposable shower cap!). Set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.

Tip: If you want to accelerate this step, use the "Warm Oven" Tip: heat up your oven to 200F, then turn it off, but leave the light on. Put the covered bowl inside the oven.

5.  After the dough has doubled, tip it over onto the table (sprinkle with flour or oil), and punch it down to release the air bubbles. Flatten it with a rolling pin, until it is a flat, rectangular piece of dough, about 12" x 15", though I didn't really make it exact.

6.  Take the Nutella and spread it thinly across the sheet of dough, leaving a 1 cm border around the dough.

Tip: If the Nutella is too hard, microwave it for 30 seconds to make it more spreadable, though I didn't have this problem at all in hot and humid Singapore...

7.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and chili.  Roll the top edge towards you. Use a scraper to help this process, as well as to keep the edges on the sides straight. Roll until you reach the edge closest to you.

Make sure you put flour on your work table to ensure the dough
does not stick.  Use a plastic scraper to help roll the dough.

Use the scraper to also straighten the left and right edges by pushing it towards the middle.

8.  Cut the roll into 8 pieces.

9. Get a springform pan and line it with baking paper. Brush oil on the sides. Sprinkle the baking paper with some polenta.  Assemble the rolls around the pan. It's ok if they don't look like perfect circles. They will fill in as the dough goes for its second rise. Cover again with plastic wrap (shower cap!) and put in a warm place until the dough expands again, about after an hour. (If you're doing the Warm Oven Tip, you can do it again for this step.)

It's okay if they seem small and far from each other; they will expand after the second rise.

Cover again with the plastic wrap (I use a disposable shower cap),
and put in a warm place for the second rise. 

The rolls will expand and be tighter after this second rise, about after an hour. 

10.  Before baking, brush thinly and evenly with beaten egg, on the tops and sides of the buns. Remember, brush THINLY; don't make it oozing with the egg.

Sprinkle with polenta for a crispier surface, and with sea salt, to balance the sweetness. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven, at 350F.  Bake for 3 to 5 minutes more at 420F to make the tops even browner.  Serve warm.

Sprinkling the rolls with polenta will give it a crispy surface. 
I also sprinkled them with some sea salt for a flavour contrast.