Our very own Panache has been trying to persuade Nutella they should sponsor a cycling team. And why not? Most cyclists seem to have the famous chocolate and hazelnut spread as part of their armoury.

Who knew that there were so many Nutella recipes? Not me! Anyway, given that Nutella is often enjoyed at the breakfast table, here’s my own homage to the famous spread: Nutella breakfast rolls.

Ingredients (makes nine)

• 500g (4 cups) strong white bread flour T110
• 2 large organic eggs, weighing approximately 45g without shells
• 100g (7 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 40g (¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 20g (⅛ cup) fine sea salt
• 30g (1 oz) fresh yeast
• 200ml (¾ cup) cold water
• 200g (1 cup) Nutella
• 100g (3½oz) dark (semi-sweet) chocolate melted in microwave or bain-marie
• 90g (1½ cups) hazelnuts, toasted, skins rubbed off in a tea towel and chopped

Weapons of choice (Image: Sheree)

Method

1. Measure the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of your mixer and, using the paddle attachment, mix gently to evenly distribute the ingredients.

2. Crumble the fresh yeast into the cold water and mix gently to dissolve. Add to the flour and continue to mix on low.

3. Add two eggs to the mixture, one by one, and continue to mix until the mixture starts to come together.

4. Now add the cold chunks of butter.

5. Continue to mix the dough on low until you have a smooth shiny dough – around 15-20 minutes.

6. Put the ball of dough into a glass bowl, cover with cling-film (plastic wrap) and a clean tea towel and leave to prove in a warm spot in the kitchen for a couple of hours.

7. When the dough has doubled in size, knock out the air and knead by hand for five or so minutes, return it to the glass bowl and recover. At this point I will generally freeze any dough I’m not intending to immediately use.

8. When the dough has once more doubled in size, take it out of the bowl, knock out the air and pat out using hands or gently roll with a rolling-pin into an approximately 30cm square.

9. Smooth Nutella thickly over the surface of the dough and scatter over three-quarters of the chopped hazelnuts. Roll tightly into a roll, a bit like a Swiss roll. Cut into nine portions and place them three by three in a 30cm deep square baking tin, pre-lined with greaseproof (parchment) paper. Leave for a further 20 minutes or so before baking in a pre-heated oven  at 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 (400°F/350°F fan) for 30 minutes.

10. The rolls are ready when they sound hollow if you tap them on their bases. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

11. Once they’re cool, drizzle over melted dark chocolate with a spoon and add the remaining chopped toasted hazelnuts.

12. Enjoy once the chocolate has cooled – if you can wait that long!

An alternative to pain au chocolat (Image: Sheree)

Sheree’s Handy Hints

1. All ingredients, except the butter, should be at room temperature.

2. When I’m baking I always use a timer as it’s so easy to lose track of time. Once you’ve put the buns in the oven, put the timer on for five minutes less than they should take to bake and then check regularly.

3. For a slightly richer breakfast roll, add two finely chopped pears (either tinned or poached, but ensure they are drained properly) at the same time as the Nutella.

4. Alternatively, skip the Nutella – heresy, I know – and fill with spiced apple and Dulce de Leche for an even more decadent treat. To be honest, there’s no end to the possibilities  – sweet or savoury – when it comes to fillings for these buns!