Nutella Sourdough Bread

5 from 5 votes

Nutella Sourdough Bread combines a buttery, croissant-style loaf with rich swirls of Nutella, baked in a loaf pan for easy slicing. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet treat your whole family will love.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Fermentation Time1

Total Time1 1 15

Course: Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain (1:10:10 ratio, 10-12 hours peak at 78-80ºF)

6 grams sourdough starter ripe, bubbly and active, about 1 teaspoon
60 grams all-purpose or bread flour about 1/2 cup
60 grams water about 1/4 cup

Nutella Sourdough Bread

120 grams levain ripe, bubbly and active , about ½ cup, see recipe notes
340 grams water about 1 cup plus 6 Tablespoons
10 grams salt about 1 1/2 teaspoons
500 grams bread flour about 3 1/2 cups
113 grams unsalted butter about 1/2 cup, reserved for stretch and folds
140 grams Nutella about 1/2 cup, reserved for shaping

Instructions

Levain (1:10:10 ratio, 10-12 hours peak at 78-80ºF)

Mix together ripe/active sourdough starter with all-purpose or bread flour and water. Cover loosely and let sit 10-12 hours at 78-80°F until doubled, bubbly & peaked.
Note: If you have a ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter that is fed equal parts flour and water, it can be substituted equally for the levain in this recipe.

Nutella Sourdough Bread (Dough temperature kept at 70-72ºF)

Mix the Dough: To a large bowl, mix together ripe levain with water. Add salt and bread flour. Mix together using a dough whisk or spoon until a wet and sticky dough forms and the ingredients are fully combined. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Note: This dough is very sensitive to temperature. It's important to maintain a temperature where the dough will rise AND the butter stays chilled and flaky. I've found a 70-72ºF temperature to work well. I wouldn't go above 75ºF for this recipe, or the butter will get too soft. To do this, use cooler water when mixing your dough and take the temperature with a thermometer throughout the process.
Stretch and Folds: After the dough has rested, you will perform a series of “stretch and folds” over the next 1 ½ hours. The goal is to strengthen the dough through a gentle kneading process. You will also add cold butter into the dough during this process which will be evenly dispersed throughout the dough through the folds.
To “stretch and fold,” wet your hand (so it doesn’t stick to the dough). Reach around the dough down to the bottom of the bowl, pull the dough up and over and place it on top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn, stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside. Take note of how the dough feels through this process. It will go from feeling a little shaggy to smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl and wait about 30 minutes in between stretch and folds. Watch the stretch and fold video here.
Stretch and fold #1: After 30 minutes, perform your first set of stretch and folds. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold #2: After 30 minutes, grate the cold butter. Put half of the grated butter on top of the dough. The other half of the butter should be placed in the refrigerator to chill until the next set of folds. Stretch and fold the dough again, incorporating the flakes of butter into the dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold #3: 30 minutes later, add the rest of the butter to the top of the dough. Stretch and fold again. The butter will continue dispersing throughout the dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold #4: After 30 minutes, do your final set of stretch and folds. You should notice the dough feeling more cohesive and strong. If your dough still feels loose, add in another couple of stretch and folds to help strengthen and tighten the gluten strands.
Rest: Cover the dough and let rise for 6-7 more hours. You will know the dough is ready to shape when the dough has risen about 60-70%, jiggles when you shake the bowl, and has scattered bubbles visible on the sides and top.
Note: This is different than my traditional sourdough loaf because we are working at lower temperatures to keep the butter colder.
Prepare the Pan: Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter, or line it with parchment paper. A nonstick pan also works well.
Note: You can bake this as a traditional boule, but be aware that the dough tends to spread rather than rise tall. I prefer using a loaf pan because the sides help support the dough and encourage a taller, more structured rise.
Add Nutella and Shape: Turn the bowl upside down and let the dough gently fall onto a clean countertop. Carefully stretch or pat the dough into a rectangle, about 10x12 inches, being gentle to preserve the air bubbles.
Spread Nutella down the center, covering approximately a 6x10-inch area and leaving about ¾ inch of space around the edges. Fold each long side of the dough inward like closing a book, so the edges meet in the middle. Gently pinch the seam to seal. Spread the remaining 1/3 of the nutella down the center of the loaf (see pictures in the post for details).
Then, starting from one short end, roll up the dough like a sandwich loaf. Place the shaped loaf seam-side down into the prepared 9x5-inch baking pan.
Cold Fermentation: Cover the dough with the tea towel/shower cap/plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 12-18 hours.
Note: If you want to bake the same day, you can let the dough rise for about 2-3 hours until puffed up and risen. Chill the loaf in the refrigerator for an hour or two or stick in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill the butter in the dough right before baking.
Preheat the oven and Score: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Once preheated, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the covering and score using a very sharp knife or bread lame to score straight down the middle. Score straight from the refrigerator on the cold dough for best results.
Bake: Place the loaf pan in the oven and cover it with a second loaf pan to create steam. Alternatively, use a Dutch oven or baking shell with a lid to create steam. Bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until the loaf reaches an internal temperature of 200ºF. Let the bread cool for about 5-10 minutes and then remove from the pan to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Note: Some butter may leak out of the dough as it bakes at these high temperatures. It gives a buttery, crispy crust that is delicious. If you see a lot of butter leakage it is a sign that the dough may have under-proofed.

Video

Notes

Temperature: This dough is very sensitive to temperature because you are trying to accomplish two things – keeping the butter in flaky chunks AND a temperature where the sourdough will rise well. I’ve found a 70-72ºF temperature to work best. I would not go above 75ºF for this recipe or the butter will get too soft. To maintain this temperature, use cooler water when mixing your dough and take the temperature with a thermometer throughout the process. If the dough gets too warm, stick it in the refrigerator to help cool it down a little bit – re-testing with a thermometer and pulling it back out once it reaches the 70ºF temperature range to continue rising. It may take a little back and forth with the fridge to maintain the proper temperature.

Levain: Equal weights of ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter can be substituted for levain in this recipe.

Butter: I use unsalted butter, but you can use salted butter if you prefer. You can use either American or European-style butter. Both work well. Also, note that a little bit of butter will leak out of the dough when it bakes. If you have a lot of butter leakage, most likely the butter was not incorporated properly or your loaf was not properly proofed. Use parchment paper and a Dutch oven for best results in containing it.

Nutella: You can use homemade Nutella if desired. See the recipe post for the recipe.

Note: If you want to add an autolyse or fermentolyse to this dough and some vigorous mixing – it will only increase the strength and gluten network in the dough. I use these processes in my Classic Sourdough Bread and they also work well in this loaf. I didn’t include them in the recipe steps because this loaf is already fairly complicated with monitoring temperature and bulk fermentation and I wanted to keep the recipe approachable for most bakers.

Nutrition