How To Make Rich & Decadent Chocolate Hazelnut Sourdough Star Bread
Create this beautiful sourdough star bread filled with rich chocolate hazelnut spread. With its impressive twisted design and buttery layers, this bread is perfect for special occasions or weekend brunch. The combination of tangy sourdough and sweet Nutella creates an unforgettable treat!
I absolutely love making this sourdough star bread because it combines two of my favorite things—the tang of sourdough and the richness of chocolate hazelnut spread. There’s something so satisfying about creating those beautiful twisted layers, and watching everyone’s faces light up when I bring it to the table.
While it looks incredibly complex, it’s actually quite manageable to make, especially if you break it down into steps and let the dough rise overnight. You can even make it ahead of time to finish up on Christmas morning for a festive celebration!
Why Bake With Sourdough?
Baking with sourdough has many benefits — delicious taste, better gut tolerance, more nutritious, better for blood sugar, and more. Plus, you can control the ingredients, so there are no unnecessary ones!
- Sourdough has a complex, tangy flavor that comes from the natural fermentation process of wild yeast. The long fermentation creates a depth of flavor that’s often missing in breads made with commercial yeast.
- The fermentation process also helps break down gluten and other carbohydrates, which can make sourdough easier to digest. This is true for everyone, but it is especially important for people who are sensitive to gluten (though it’s not gluten-free).
- Sourdough is often considered more nutritious. This is because the fermentation process makes minerals like magnesium, zinc, and iron more easy for the body to absorb.
- The natural bacteria in sourdough also produce lactic acid, which helps to lower the bread’s glycemic index. This means that sourdough bread creates a slower rise in blood sugar compared to conventional, yeasted bread.
What Is Sourdough Star Bread?
Sourdough star bread is a stunning braided bread that features layers of buttery sourdough dough filled with chocolate hazelnut spread, twisted to create a beautiful star pattern. This enriched dough, made with eggs, butter, and milk, creates a tender, brioche-like texture that pairs perfectly with the sweet filling. When baked, it transforms into a golden-brown masterpiece with dramatic swirls that reveal the chocolate hazelnut filling, making it as beautiful as it is delicious.
Why Make This Sourdough Star Bread?
This sourdough star bread is the perfect way to showcase your baking skills while creating something truly special for your family and friends. It combines the complex flavor of sourdough with the indulgent sweetness of chocolate hazelnut spread, creating a bread that’s perfect for special occasions, holiday mornings, or any time you want to make memories around the table. If that’s not enough to convince you, here are 5 more reasons you’ll want to make this bread.
- Show-stopping presentation: It creates a stunning centerpiece that’ll wow your guests. Leave as is with its beautiful golden brown, or top with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- This is a versatile recipe: It works with either active starter or discard and can be made with or without added yeast.
- Make-ahead friendly: It can rise overnight or be refrigerated, making it perfect for special morning gatherings.
- Customizable filling: It’s easy to adapt with different spreads or flavors.
- Perfect for sharing: It creates a natural pull-apart bread that’s fun to share.
Sourdough Star Bread Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Active sourdough starter: Follow my sourdough starter recipe here, but note that you can also use sourdough discard for this recipe.
- Yeast: This is optional, but the yeast helps the bread rise with the eggs and butter.
- Whole milk
- Eggs: We like to use fresh eggs from our chickens, but store-bought eggs work just as well.
- Butter
- Sugar
- Salt
- Nutella: Nutella or Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut butter are the best for this recipe, but any chocolate hazelnut spread works just fine, too.
- Water
- Powdered sugar: I typically buy it from Thrive Market or Azure Standard (organic for a really good price!), but use whatever you have!
Choosing Your Flour
When making sourdough recipes (or any bread recipe!), choosing the right flour can elevate both flavor and nutrition.
Ancient grains like kamut and einkorn are fantastic options for conventional breads and many other recipes, offering rich, nutty flavors and a boost of nutrients compared to modern wheat. These heritage grains are higher in protein, minerals, and antioxidants while being easier to digest for many. Their lower gluten content also gives the tortillas a tender texture and rustic character. By using ancient grains, you not only create wholesome, nutrient-packed tortillas but also celebrate traditional baking practices.
If ancient grains aren’t your go-to, organic, unbleached all-purpose flour works wonderfully for sourdough star bread and other recipes, too. It’s versatile, easy to work with, and still delivers soft, flavorful results while avoiding the additives found in bleached flours.
Sourdough FAQs
- How Do I Make a Sourdough Starter?
- Is Sourdough Bread Healthier?
- What Are the Health Benefits of Sourdough?
- How Do I Convert Between Dry and Liquid Sourdough Starters?
Other Sourdough Recipes You Should Try
- Artisan Bread
- Fluffy Sourdough English Muffins
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
- Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
Sourdough Star Bread Variations
- Cinnamon sugar star: For a classic breakfast treat, replace Nutella with a mixture of ground cinnamon, brown sugar, and softened butter.
- Cookie butter delight: For a unique variation, swap the chocolate hazelnut spread for Trader Joe’s cookie butter spread.
Sourdough Star Bread with Nutella
Create this stunning sourdough star bread filled with swirls of chocolate hazelnut spread—perfect for special occasions or whenever you want to make something extraordinary.
Ingredients
- 540 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g active sourdough starter (can also use discard)
- 6 g instant yeast (optional)
- 200 g whole milk, room temp
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 100 g butter, room temp
- 50 g sugar
- 10 g salt
- 200 g Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter, flour, and eggs and mix to a rough, shaggy dough. Set aside.
- Warm the milk slightly, then add the sugar, yeast and milk and mix until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the milk to the bowl with the dough, then knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Once the dough is smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, cover it with a wet towel and a plate, and allow it to rise at room temperature. You want the dough to double in size, usually about 8 hours or overnight.
- The next morning, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into four equal pieces. (It helps to use a scale to weigh them!)
- Roll each piece into a ball, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rolling it into a flat disc about 10 inches in diameter.
- Once you have four discs, place parchment paper onto a round baking tray or cooking sheet, then place one of the dough discs in the middle of the parchment.
- Spread 1/3 of the chocolate hazelnut butter onto the disc, then place another disc on top of it.
- Repeat another layer of chocolate hazelnut butter, then another disc.
- Repeat one more layer of chocolate hazelnut butter, then end with a disc.
- Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes, and then roll it out slightly using a rolling pin to ensure that all of the filling is spread evenly and the dough is cohesive.
- Place a small glass jar or cup directly in the middle of the dough, then use a sharp knife to cut the dough into fourths. Start from the jar and go straight out so that you have a circle that is uncut in the middle. Make sure to only cut up to the jar so the center stays intact.
- Then make a cut in the middle of each quarter, and then a cut between each of those—making 16 cuts in total.
- Take two pieces of dough and twist them away from each other, joining the back together at the top. Repeat this 7 more times to create 8 twists of dough, revealing the Nutella and making a pretty star.
- Preheat the oven to 350 and allow the dough to rest before baking.
- When the oven is preheated, brush an egg wash over the entire star using a pastry brush and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. The dough contains butter, milk and sugar and can burn easily, so check it often.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before dusting with a bit of powdered sugar.
Notes
- You can use sourdough discard in this recipe as well.
- The yeast helps the bread rise with the eggs and butter, but it is completely optional.
- I find it much easier to knead this brioche-style dough in a stand mixer.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
