Nutella Out the Ying Yang

I don't know what else to call it and not be x-rated...ying yang. As many of you know, we have a German exchange student this year...for the whole year...his relatives have sent us cases and then more cases of Nutella. You know, that hazelnut chocolate spread stuff in a jar that kids would eat all day if you let them. I guess the Germans don't know that we have that stuff here now...I think the stuff they sell in the States comes from Canada. I couldn't tell the difference in the taste (but our student swears he can). Anyway, you can buy the Canadian version of Nutella in almost any mainstream grocery store in the States. Now, our two boys are just thrilled that they get to eat Nutella on toast every morning, but ever the inventive mom...I wanted to try something different and needed to find a way to whittle down that stash before we move.

I'm not a big fan of Nutella and toast, but I do like hazelnuts...so after doing some brainstorming and digging through recipe books and online, I found three recipes that use LOTS of Nutella...the dishes look pretty....are easy to make (which is key, cause I am no Chef Boyardee)...and they taste great! I've written out the instructions to make it simple simon for ya. Try them out and let me know what you think.

This No-Knead Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah is just divine. Even I had to keep saying "mmmmm" as we ate it and licked our fingers. It also uses the new...or should I say...newly discovered no-knead bread. You just mix the bread dough in a large bowl, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The longer you let it fart around..literally, the better it'll taste. This recipe came out of the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Here is their recipe, adapted to my liking!

No-Knead Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah

Ingredients

7/8 cups lukewarm water 3/4 tbl instant yeast or bread yeast 3/4 tbl kosher salt 2 lg eggs, slightly beaten 1/4 cup honey 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 4 to 9 tbl Nutella small handful of hazelnuts 1 egg + 1 tbl water, whisked to make egg wash (or use the powdered egg mix with water)

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir til it is really mixed up well. Add in the flour and keep stirring til it has the consistency of dough and you have no more flour left. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it, overnight or more. The longer the better tasting bread you will have!

Flour your hands, then divide the dough in half. I make one challah to keep and one to give away. Shape each blob of dough into a ball by stretching the top and tucking it under. Do that all the way around of each ball. Lay on the counter, covered with a kitchen towel to rest while you roast the hazelnuts.

Roast the hazelnuts in a pan over medium heat (no oil needed). Keep moving the pan so the nuts don't burn. Roast until the nuts are golden brown and smell yummy! Roughly chop up the nuts on a cutting board.

Take each dough ball and roll into a long, even log. Cut each log into three equal pieces. You are going to braid each of these three pieces into two braids after we add the Nutella..remember, I said we are making two loaves here. Don't get confused! Don't try to stretch or pull the dough, as it can easily break. I roll and squeeze out from the center to get my ropes.

Now you get to add the Nutella. No finger licking! It's unsanitary! Take each rope and press an indention all along the middle. Use a butterknife and spread the Nutella in this indentation. Once you have all the Nutella inside each rope, pinch the ends up to seal. It's going to be messy, but that's okay.


Now you're going to braid. Pinch each of the three ropes together and tuck under at one end. Braid to the other side, then pinch and tuck under. Repeat for the other braid.


Cover with towel and let rest for 1-1/2 hours. Twenty minutes prior to baking, preheat your oven to 350F. When dough is ready, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes.



I also like the chef who does the Everyday Italian series. Isn't she pretty? Anyway, she makes easy-to-follow recipes too. This is where I found a few more Nutella recipes that got the thumbs up from my two boys, in her book, giada's family dinners by Giada de Laurentiis. At this rate, we'll be able to get through all the Nutella and have happy faces and tummies all around, along with probably a gain of 15 lbs for mom! What we do for our kids!

Nutella Ravioli (see the video with Giada)

Chocolate Pizza with Nutella

When I made the chocolate pizza over the weekend, I used what toppings I had on hand. So I also added Butterscotch chips. You can even add marshmallows or whatever chocolate and candy bar bits you have on hand. Be creative!


Have you ever tried Nutella? Do you have a recipe with extra-ordinary ingredients to share? What kinds of chocolate foods do you and your kids like that may be a little bit out of the ordinary?