Chocolate Hazelnut Babka Buns
These Chocolate hazelnut Babka buns are a pure delight! Twisty, twirly, chocolatey and packed full of hazelnuts, these sweet Jewish buns are packed full of chocolate and toasted hazelnut (cheeky splash of Nutella, or your favourite hazelnut spread) and they’re so easy to make. Perfect weekend treat with your morning coffee!
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Nick’s favorite thing…
Chocolate Hazelnut Babka Buns! There are so many things I love about these Swedish Babka Buns with Nutella! I love how soft they are. I love the chocolate and how crispy it gets on the edges, and I love the orange in the though which makes it so aromatic and gorgeous!
What does Chocolate Hazelnut Babka Buns taste like?
This isn’t just about flavors, but also about textures. Let me break it down:
- Hazelnut Spread – Delicious chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Hazelnuts – these buns are littered with deliciously nutty hazelnuts which gives them some extra texture.
- Orange Zest – The orange zest is so welcome with these buns. It kind of reminds me of sweet breads my grandma and mum would make when I was a kid.
- Soft pillowy buns! – The soft pillowy texture, especially when they’re warm, is what makes these buns so special!
What are the ingredients I need?
Milk – I used regular milk here. But you can use plant-based milk too if you like.
Unsalted Butter – if you use salted butter, leave out the salt in the recipe.
Eggs – I used large eggs for this recipe.
Bread Flour – Bread flour is commonly used for making bread and buns. It has a higher gluten ratio compared to regular flour, resulting in a chewy bun. If you don’t have bread flour or can’t get it, you may use regular all-purpose flour (plain flour).
Caster Sugar – This is also known as superfine sugar and is much finer than granulated sugar but not as fine as powdered sugar.
Salt – I used regular fine salt.
Instant Dry Yeast – Instant dry yeast comes in an almost powered form and is perfect for home bakers. You can buy it, leave it in the fridge and use it when you need it and it lasts for ages. Instant dry yeast particles are smaller than Active dry yeast which allows them to devolve quicker. Meaning that if you’re confident the yeast is fresh and good, you don’t need to test if the yeast will froth before adding to the dry ingredients. So make sure you buy Instant dry yeast for this recipe!
Orange Zest – This is a magic ingredient in this recipe! I love how aromatic it makes the buns and the flavor it adds. Honestly guys, so good. Try it!
Hazelnut Spread – You can use any brand of Chocolate hazelnut spread you like.
Dark Chocolate – I used good quality dark cooking chocolate.
Cocoa powder – I used unsweetened cocoa powder.
Hazelnuts – I would recommend toasting these in the oven on a baking tray for 10 min on 150C. Then de-shell them by rolling and rubbing them around in a clean kitchen towel. Then chopp them up. The toasting releases oils in the nuts which makes them taste even more delicious and almost sweet.
My Top Tips!
- I would recommend toasting your hazelnuts first.
- The first bun will look like a hot mess if you’ve never made these before. The key here is to keep your hands as clean as you can to get neat looking buns.
Other Recipes You Might Like!
- Double Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Simple And Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Easy Chocolate S’mores Cake
- Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
- Easy Chocolate and Rose Bundt Cake
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I hope you guys enjoyed this simple but delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Babka Buns recipe with me. Please comment in the comments section below, or feel free to share with your family and friends on social media.
I’ll see you all on the following recipe. Happy baking!
N x

Nutella Babka Buns
Serves 12 buns
Ingredients
Buns
- 1 1/4 cups (275 ml) milk
- 1/3 cup (g) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/3 cups (500 g) bread flour (see notes)
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pkt (7 g) instant dry yeast
- 1 orange, zested
Filling
- 1/4 cup (50 g) chocolate hazelnut spread
- 1/4 cup (40 g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (50 g) dark chocolate
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (50 g) hazelnuts, toasted
Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]
Instructions
Buns
- Add the milk and butter to a heatproof bowl or jug and microwave for 90 seconds or until the butter is melted. Then add the egg and use a whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the flour, caster sugar, salt, dry yeast, and orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer and fit with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until well combined. Alternatively, you can use a whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients while the mixer is on medium low speed. Once the mixture forms a ball of dough, continue mixing for 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, you can knead the dough against your workbench.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to rest in a warm spot for 1 hour. It will double in size.
Filling
- Add all the ingredients to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Stir until smooth. Add the toasted and chopped hazelnuts and mix.
Let's put them together!
- Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.
- Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, take out of the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead for 30 seconds until you form a smooth ball of dough. Split the dough into 12 pieces. I weighed the dough and then used kitchen scales to split evenly.
- Create little dough balls. Then roll each ball into a long shape. Use a rolling pin to flatten into a rectangle shape.Add 1 tbsp of filling on top and then carefully and neatly roll up as shown in the video. Use a large knife to cut each roll in half leaving about 2 centimeters or one inch of the top of the roll uncut. Twirl the two pieces around each other and then tie in a knot. This process can be messy but try not to let it get too messy so there’s a good separation of dough and filling.
- Once you’re done tying them all, lay on an oiled baking tray and lightly spray the top with more oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 45 minutes. Once they’ve had a second rising, brush with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
2 comments
hi, love the taste of these they are amazing! i would query though the serving size – these made 8 absolutely huge babka buns which looked a lot bigger than the ones in your video, can’t help thinking for 500g of flour should be more like 12 normal sized buns?
Hi Seher! Thanks for the feedback. I’ve gone in and edited the serving size and recipe instructions 🙂