- Prep Time:40m
- Cook Time:1h
- Total Time:4h 10m
- Serves: 6
- Yield: 1 large loaf
Ingredients
For the dough
- 300 g (10½ oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 40 g (1½ oz) caster sugar
- 7 g salt
- 10 g (⅓ oz) fast-action yeast
- 30 g (1oz) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- 150 mL (5½ fl oz) whole milk, warmed
For the filling
- 280 g (10 oz) walnut pieces
- 100 g (3½ oz) sugar
- 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 60 g (2¼ oz) unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp. whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
Pre-filling
- 15 g (½ oz) butter, melted
Egg-wash
- 1 egg white, beaten
For the icing (optional)
- 100 g (3½ oz) icing sugar
- a few drops of water
Instructions
Prepping the dough
- Mix the flour, sugar, salt, yeast in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add all the wet ingredients (egg, butter, milk and vanilla). Stir to combine.
- If using an electric mixer, use the paddle or bread kneading attachment and mix on medium speed until you get a soft, smooth dough that springs back when pressed. If doing this by hand, tip the sticky batter onto a clean workspace, and knead with your fingers, pulling and stretching the wet dough until you get a soft, smooth dough,
- Rub some oil in a clean large bowl, and place the smooth dough. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour.
Prep the filling
- In a food processor, blitz the walnuts, cocoa and sugar until you end up with a sand-like gritty mixture. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, milk, vanilla and egg yolk. Set aside.
Rolling the dough
- Lay a clean bed sheet or large cloth on the work surface. Cover it with cling film.
- Transfer the risen dough onto the cling film surface.
- Roll out the dough into a rough rectangle about 20" x 12"
- Using a pastry brush, spread the 15g melted butter over the rolled out dough evenly.
- Use your fingers and stretch the dough into a rectangle about 40" x 24". If it rips, pinch it together. Stretch it till you can see the bed sheet underneath in places.
Filling and rolling the dough
- Mixing wet and dry ingredients of the filling and spread over the stretched dough.
- Lift the bed sheet at one end and tip it so that the dough rolls itself. Alternatively, use your hands to roll the filled dough like a swiss-roll.
Into the tin it goes
- Rub a little oil on the insides of a loaf tin (approx measuring 19x12x9cm).
- Lay the rolled dough into the tin, going around once at the base in a \'U\', then piling the loop again on top. Tuck the open end in.
- Cover with a large plastic bag and let it rise in a warm space for an hour.
Bake!
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F.
- Brush the risen loaf with egg wash.
- Bake at 180°C/ 350°F for 15 minutes.
- Reduce temperature to 150°C/300°F and continue baking for 45 minutes. If the loaf starts to darken on the top, cover with foil.
- Remove from the oven and let the loaf cool within the tin over a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
Icing the bread: (optional)
- Mix a little water with the icing sugar to get a smooth, runny paste.
- Turn out the loaf from the tin.
- Drizzle over the loaf, slice and serve after the icing sets hard.
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