Chocolate-Hazelnut Babka Buns

Few recipes are as fun to make as they are to eat, but these chocolate-hazelnut babka buns are a joy from the first step to the last bite. We’ll make our own brioche dough from scratch, cut it into eight portions and fill the pieces with a thick layer of Nutella, crumbled halva with pistachios and chocolate chips. Each piece gets twisted, twirled, shaped and baked into bakery-worthy babka buns, finished with a shiny sugar glaze.

The buttery brioche bread is the perfect backdrop for a filling that’s entirely chocolate, hazelnut, tahini and pistachio. Have you ever heard of a more impressive combo? Serve the Nutella babka buns nice and warm from the oven with coffee or tea. The flavors are perfect for winter, but you can easily take this recipe into summer with a jam filling instead.

Ingredients for Chocolate-Hazelnut Babka Buns

• All-purpose flour: No need for any fancy type of flour here. We’ll stick with all-purpose flour for the dough. All-purpose gives the right amount of structure (which we need for shaping!) without making the dough dense or dry.
• Active dry yeast: Active dry yeast and instant yeast are the most common yeasts available at the grocery store. They’re not the same, although they’re packaged very similarly, which can easily cause confusion if you’re not paying close attention. Double-check the yeast’s labeling before heading for the checkout.
• Butter: Soften the butter to room temperature so it blends seamlessly into the dough. Cold butter can overwork and rip the dough.
• Milk: Before adding the milk to the mixture, warm it to 110° to 115°F so it will help proof the yeast. Warm the milk in a saucepan without boiling it—if it boils, the milk will overflow the pot and cause a huge mess.
• Lemon zest: It may seem second nature, but there is a wrong way and a right way to zest a lemon. When zesting, try to get only the yellow skin in the dough. Avoid going deeper, which will grate the bitter white pith.
• Eggs: Always bake with room-temperature eggs, especially when it comes to these babka buns. Like the butter, the room-temp eggs will blend into the dough better than when they’re chilled from the fridge. The eggs create volume, binding and structure for the dough.
• Nutella: Nutella is our chocolate-hazelnut spread of choice here. However, if you’re looking for a different brand, check out our list of the best hazelnut spreads put together by our Test Kitchen pros. You could also make your own homemade Nutella!
• Halva with pistachios: Halva is a Middle Eastern confection made from tahini, sugar, spices and nuts. It’s similar to fudge but crumblier and fluffier. Find halva in the international aisle or make authentic halva at home.
• Chocolate chips: After spreading the Nutella, we’ll crumble the halva on top and sprinkle semisweet chocolate chips all over. You can use any type of chocolate chips here, but we found that semisweet chips pair the best.
• Glaze: The glaze is optional, but it’s so easy and beneficial that I highly recommend you don’t skip it. You’ll basically make a simple syrup, then add butter. Easy!

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour with the sugar, salt and active dry yeast. Using your fingers, a pastry cutter or the tines of a fork, cut in the softened butter until the mixture is crumbly.

To the dry ingredients, add the warmed milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest, and beat just until the dough is moistened.

Add the eggs and beat on medium for two minutes.

Stir in enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to form a firm dough.

Editor’s Tip: You may not need the entire all-purpose flour measurement, so add the flour a little at a time.

Step 2: Knead the dough

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, five to seven minutes.

Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour.

Editor’s Tip: The dough is kneaded enough when you pinch off a bit of the dough, spread it out with your fingers and look through it as if it were a windowpane. If the dough breaks, keep kneading.

Step 3: Divide and roll out the dough

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a bench knife or chef’s knife, divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10×5-inch rectangle that’s about 1/8 inch thick.

Editor’s Tip: A digital scale can help you divide the dough equally. Weigh the entire dough, divide it by eight and weigh each piece of dough, adding or subtracting dough as needed.

Step 4: Add the filling

Spread the Nutella on each piece of dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges.

Sprinkle each dough’s Nutella with 2 tablespoons halva and 1 tablespoon semisweet chocolate chips.

Step 5: Roll into logs

Roll up each piece jelly-roll style, starting with a long side, to create a log. Pinch the seam and ends to seal the log to prevent it from unraveling.

Step 6: How to shape babka buns

Using a sharp knife, cut each roll lengthwise in half.

Carefully turn each half cut side up.

Loosely twist the strips around each other, keeping the cut surfaces facing up.

Pinch the ends together to seal, forming a circle. Repeat the same shaping process for the remaining buns.

Editor’s Tip: If your hands are getting covered in Nutella while shaping, take the time to wash them between each few buns. This will keep the buns looking pristine.

Step 7: Cover and let rise

Place the babka buns cut side up on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover the babka buns with clean kitchen towels and let them rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°.

Step 8: Bake the buns

Remove the kitchen towels from the proofed babka buns and slide the trays into the oven. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 9: Finish with the glaze

While baking, prepare the glaze, if desired. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, one to two minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter, stirring until melted.

Brush the glaze over the buns and serve the buns while they’re warm.

Recipe Variations

• Replace halva with hazelnuts: Halva can be expensive and sometimes hard to find. Feel free to swap in chopped hazelnuts instead. I recommend toasting the nuts beforehand to bring out their naturally nutty and sweet flavors.
• Try a different filling: Really, these babka buns can hold almost any filling, like jams, chocolate ganache, or the filling from cinnamon rolls or cinnamon babka.

How to Store Chocolate-Hazelnut Babka Buns

To store Nutella babka buns, allow them to cool to room temperature and then store them in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for up to three days. Reheat them in the microwave for a warm, gooey treat.

Can you freeze Nutella babka buns?

Yes, you can freeze Nutella babka buns. Once the baked buns have cooled to room temperature, place them in a single layer in an airtight container or stack them with a piece of parchment or waxed paper in between. Freeze the buns for up to three months and thaw at room temperature.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Babka Bun Tips

What does brushing the sugar syrup on at the end do for the Nutella babka buns?

The sugar syrup creates a nice shiny finish on the buns, adds a bit more sweetness and helps seal the buns so you can enjoy them longer. These buns look beautiful before glazing, but adding that last touch makes these pastries fit for a spot in a bakery window.

Can you make these Nutella babka buns into a traditionally shaped babka loaf instead?

Yes, you can adapt this recipe to be a full loaf instead of buns. Try using our chocolate babka dough as the base, but swap in Nutella and halva instead of the chocolate.

Why didn’t my babka bun dough rise?

Your babka bun dough most likely did not rise if the warm milk did not properly proof the yeast. The milk must be heated to 110° to 115° to activate the yeast. Anything colder will not proof the yeast, and anything warmer will kill it.