Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Bread

Chocolate hazelnut spread is a close second to peanut butter in my favorite treats category.  So, when the nice folks at Bob's Red Mill sent me a bag of their hazelnut flour to experiment with, my mind immediately conjured up thoughts of that spread.  And I wondered, if I used it to bake a sweet bread and included chocolate chips, would the flavor resemble the spread at all.

The answer, it turned out, was overwhelmingly, yes!  The gooey chocolate chips, partially melted into the hazelnut dough tasted exactly like chocolate hazelnut spread in baked form.  The aroma while it was baking was so enticing and I loved the tiny bit of "tooth" from the ground hazelnuts.  So good!  And although I glazed the bread, it was really just fine without it.  Just dust the top with a bit of powdered sugar, pour yourself a tall glass of milk and enjoy!






Ingredients

Bread:
1 Egg
1 Cup sugar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Cup buttermilk
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup hazelnut flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Cup chocolate chips plus a few extra for sprinkling on top

Glaze:
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon chocolate hazelnut spread
Tiny pinch of sea salt

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and egg using a hand or stand mixer.  Add the butter and beat until smooth.  Beat in the vanilla and buttermilk.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet until all the flour is incorporated and then fold in the chocolate chips.  Butter and flour a loaf pan (add parchment paper for easy removal) and pour in the batter.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk, chocolate hazelnut spread and salt until smooth.  Drizzle over the bread and top with some chocolate chips before serving.  Makes approximately 10 servings.



Note:  Although I received the bag of hazelnut meal as a gift, I was not otherwise compensated and under no obligation to write about it or use it in a recipe.