Braided Nutella Bread

This bread has become my new favorite. Wow! It tastes so good! The bread has a lovely crispy top, which goes perfect with the soft fluffy center. The Nutella makes it the perfect sweet treat. The recipe can also be split in half to make a smaller loaf. This recipe can also be found at gardengirlrecipes.com.

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Ingredients

½ teaspoon yeast

1 cup + 1 tablespoon warm water

2½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup Nutella

1 egg, beaten

cornmeal for dusting

Combine the yeast and 1 cup water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.

Add the yeast mixture and mix on low with a dough hook attachment until the dough begins to form. Increase the speed by one and knead for 7-10 minutes.

Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm area for 1½ to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

On a floured work surface, form the dough into a rectangle shape.

Spread Nutella in an even layer on the surface, leaving a ½ inch border of dough.

Roll the dough, slice it in half lengthwise, twist the ends to connect, and braid turning the cut side toward the top.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle the cornmeal. Place the braided dough on top and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let sit 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F and mix the egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make the egg wash.

Brush the dough with the egg wash.

Bake for the bread for 20 minutes. Then raise the temperature to 425°F and bake for another 5 minutes to lightly brown the top.