Nutella Sweet Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze and Toasted Hazelnuts

Today is World Nutella Day 2011! To celebrate I bring you these Nutella filled sweet rolls - and I do mean filled - I used an entire 13 oz jar of Nutella to fill the dough.  It may sound like it is going to be overkill, but you actually don't want to skimp because you'll be surprised when it actually bakes up that the filling is much less gooey than you think it is going to be, as you can see below it seems to concentrate down and bake into the dough.

The idea for these rolls came to me on a whim yesterday when I was watching everyone tweeting about all their ideas for today (search the #nutelladay hashtag or follow @nutelladay for updates).  

I had thought of this a while ago, but never got around to trying it.  I knew I had bookmarked this cinnamon roll recipe though and really wanted to try it.

Speaking of Nutella inspiration, if you can handle it (and control your drool reflex) you should definitely visit the new site from Paula at bell'alimento - Bella Nutella - All Nutella, All the Time - it looks insanely gorgeous!

I ended up adapting the dough recipe by sweetening the dough with dark brown sugar (my favorite sugar!) and adding a little vanilla to the dough. It is a really nice dough to work with, but since it is very soft and the Nutella is very smooth and creamy, you can bet you are going to end up with a little of a mess on your hands... which you can then just lick off, so I see that as a win-win!

I made the dough yesterday, let it rise, shaped the rolls and then held them in the refrigerator overnight so I could have these warm this morning. The dough doesn't rise overmuch the second time around so don't expect these to be big and puffy.  The dough is tender and still really good though and the Nutella filling in it is heavenly. 

The recipe makes about 18 rolls and since I didn't need that kind of damage on my hands all at once I just baked off these 5 and placed the rest of the shaped (not risen) rolls onto a lined baking sheet and stashed them in the freezer to freeze solid.  That way the next time I want these I can place them in a pan the day before and let them thaw and soften in the refrigerator again.

The rolls don't actually need anything at all on top of them, but just because I never seem to leave well enough alone, I made a little cream cheese glaze to top them and added a few toasted, chopped hazelnuts.  Either way, these rolls were pretty spectacular.

They would make a great treat for a brunch or any special day.  I know it may be a while before I can go back to plain old cinnamon rolls! 

NOTE:  There are more Nutella lovin' links at the very bottom of the post!

Nutella Sweet Rolls
Makes approximately 18 rolls

Printable Version

Dough:

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

1 13-ounce jar Nutella

Glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon milk or enough to get desired consistency

For the dough: Place the milk and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave them on high until the butter is mostly melted (should be 120°F to 130°F, about 30 to 45 seconds. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. 

Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups more of the flour and beat the mixture on low until the flour is absorbed.  The dough will be sticky, but should be starting to clear the sides of the bowl.  Add the remaining flour a little at a time, just enough as needed to get a soft dough that cleans the sides of the bowl.  

You can either switch to the dough hook on your mixer, or turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to knead.  The dough should still be soft, smooth and tacky, but not sticky when you are done.  It will take about 8 minutes by hand, or about 3 to 4 minutes with the dough hook.  Form the dough into a ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer the dough ball to the bowl and turn to coat the ball on all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle. Spread the entire jar of Nutella over the dough, evenly, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Starting at 1 long side, roll the dough into a log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up - this will be a little messy with the Nutella, but just try to keep the log as tight as you can. With seam side down, use a 12-inch long piece of waxed dental floss (not flavored) or a clean piece of white thread to cut the dough into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).  Just place the string under the log, bring it up around the dough and cross the string like to cut up and through the dough. This is the least messy way to cut the dough with all that Nutella filling, but if you want you can just use a sharp thin knife - the slices may just be more difficult to keep neat.

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position a rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 17 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool a little before glazing.

For the glaze:

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Sprinkle with the chopped, toasted hazelnuts if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE:  Toasting Hazelnuts - place whole hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a 350  degree F oven, skins on, for 10 minutes.  Remove them from the oven and while still hot dump them into a clean dish towel.  Wrap them up, well covered in the dish towel, then rub them using the towel (they will be hot so be careful!) to remove as much of the skin as possible.  Let them cool before picking the cleaned hazelnuts out of the towel and chopping them.  To easily clean the towel just shake it out (outside is best) or over your trash can.

Adapted from Cinnamon Rolls by Molly Wizenberg

You might also like:

Self-Frosting Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

Sweet Crepes filled with Nutella and Caramel Glazed Hazelnuts

Chocolate Nutella Cookies from Two Peas and Their Pod

Bella Nutella - All Nutella, All the Time