Gluten Free Chocolate Hazelnut Danish Twist Bread

The Babka, Cinnamon Roll, Povitica, Nutella Flavored Brunch You Need In Your Life

Dear friends,

We shall call this recipe a happy accident, or perhaps the lining up of all the stars in a an irresistible constellation of nuts, cocoa and soft swirls gluten-free dough.

This week I attended a culinary conference. It was the weekend equivalent of a drippy ice cream cone, fleeting and glorious. I met so many talented and down to earth culinary professionals, made fast friends, learned new tricks and reconnected with old pals. I left more inspired and exhausted than I’ve been in a long time.

As soon as I landed at home (after my children ran and leapt into my arms at the airport - had to soak that up) I hit the ground recording a gluten free cinnamon roll class for The Nourished Festival. Baking (GF) classes are what I love to do most, but (to my family’s joy) they require many batches of whatever you are making. I need an extra batch of cinnamon rolls ahead to show the class, some extra dough that has already had the bulk rise, another batch that has risen and is ready for the oven. Let’s just say the crew around here thinks I’m the King Midas of cinnamon rolls as everything I touch this week ends up spiced and spiral! By the time I had churned out all those beautiful rolls, I was aching for something else to do with the last batch of sweet fluffy dough I had on the counter.

This time instead of spreading on a concoction of butter, cinnamon, and sugar, I reached for the trusty jar of hazelnut and chocolate spread in the pantry. I slathered on a generous amount, and rolled that up as usual, using a large piece of parchment paper to make that a breeze (check out that cinnamon roll class to see what I mean) a trick I picked up from years of making povitica, babka, and cozonoc.

Instead of cutting the dough into the familiar snail shapes, I cut the rolled dough the long way, leaving long stripes of the exposed dough and filling, then I took my 2 stripey dough roll halves and crossed them like a large “X.” I then kept crossing so that each side had several “swirls” and pinched the ends to seal the bread.

I covered it all with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 45 minutes before brushing with a beaten egg, and baking for 40 minutes, I knew it was time to remove it when I put my trusty Thermoworks thermometer was poked into the middle of the bread and it immediately registered 205 F. (This is the correct temperature for gluten free bread, gluten breads are a little lower, but trust me you want to make sure the middle isn’t gummy!!)

The anticipation while it was cooking was nearly unbearable, you’d think with a house full of cinnamon rolls we’d be immune to the delicious aromas - not so. The smell of chocolate with the sweet danish dough had each one of us floating down the stairs nose first like a cartoon dog following the visible trail of scent in an old Saturday morning special.

A torturous cool down and a quick drizzle of simple glaze are all that stood between my family and brunch nirvana.

Gluten Free
Chocolate Hazelnut
Danish Twist Bread

serves 10

3c (720g) milk (or non-dairy milk like hemp, coconut or oat)
zest of one small orange or lemon
¼c (60g) orange juice (or lemon)
3 Tb (38g) sugar
1 ½ Tb (14g) instant yeast
1/3 c (30g) psyllium husks
2 tsp (12g) fine salt
1 c (160g) tapioca flour
1 ¼ c (160g) brown rice flour
1 2/3 c (190g) sorghum flour
½ c (31g) potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes)
2 eggs (flax eggs will work here)

1 cup (296g) chocolate hazelnut spread
1 egg beaten – to egg wash the twisted dough

1/2 c (65g) confectioners' sugar
1 tsp (4g) pure vanilla extract
3 to 4 Tb (45-60g) milk (or non-dairy milk alternative)

Mix together the milk, juice and psyllium just to combine, let sit 5-10 minutes to thicken. 

Mix zest, sugar, yeast, salt, flours, and potato flakes together in a stand mixer or bowl.  Add milk mixture and eggs and mix with a mixer or your hands 15-20 minutes until a smooth ball -forms. It will significantly thicken as you mix, don’t lose heart if it seems thin in the beginning, just keep going.  Then cover with a tea towel and let rise 1 hour until roughly doubled. 

Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Sprinkle a surface with brown rice flour.  Using a rolling pin roll the dough out into a large (12x18 inch) rectangle.  Spread the chocolate hazelnut spread in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a ½ inch border around the edge if desired. 

 Starting at the long end, roll into a spiral log.  Use a serrated knife to cut the dough long ways, from rolled up end, to rolled up end leaving long stripes exposed. Cross the pieces over like a large “X”.  Twist the pieces over each other several times to create swirls, and pinch each end together to seal up the ends of the loaf.  Let rise 15 minutes, then stash in the fridge overnight to bake in the morning (or to bake the same day rise 45 minutes instead of 15).

In the morning preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Take the bread out of the fridge when you begin preheating to take some of the chill off.  Brush with the beaten egg.  Bake the masterpiece for 45 minutes until the internal temperature is 205 F and it is lightly tan and risen.  Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes. 

Mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together (start with the smaller amount of milk and add the rest if the glaze is too thick).  Drizzle the glaze over the bread. It’s finally time to eat!!

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