![DSCN0132 - Kopie.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmaxrVdrcTVASF218JW5etxMph9geFKjFovtCiGKLJPmmX/DSCN0132%20-%20Kopie.JPG) The perfect hazelnut braid. An easy step-by-step recipe so that you can enjoy this delicious cake as well. Nutty with a rich cacao flavor and a sweet glaze. --- --- So I did a similar recipe a couple days ago with the braided [Challah](https://steemit.com/blog/@fromaboveheaven/challah-bread-hefezopf-step-by-step-recipe-and-food-photoshoot). This recipe will be even better than the Challah one and I might even like this hazelnut braid a bit more. It just has this deep nutty, chocolate flavor that added together with the glaze just tastes amazing. I could honestly eat those every weekend. There is not much else to say about this other than that it is honestly very simple to do yourself at home. So try it, you won't regret it. I promise. ![DSCN0084.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQme54HotDTjsxdxNQTbVCwBA7oMYuoAUFrK5pV9VqZ1BRP/DSCN0084.JPG) --- # Preparations: As I already mentioned. This one is really easy. So obviously you won't need to prepare a lot. As long as you have about 2 hours and some kitchen equipment like a kitchen machine and a mixer, you are good to go. So what else do you need? --- # Ingredients: **For the dough** | **For the filling** | **For the glaze** --- | --- | --- 500g Plain flour / all purpose flour | 150g Chopped Hazelnuts | 200g Powdered sugar 7g Active dry yeast | 150g Ground Hazelnuts | Milk / Water / Lemon juice 80g Sugar | 4 Tbsp Sugar | A pinch of salt | 3 Tbsp cacao 250ml Warm milk | 1 Tsp Cinnamon 80g Warm butter | 1 Egg 1 Egg | Some milk --- # Instructions: ![DSCN0076.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmejsZa39TDLfXTeyju7JYSLSb2PmZfk9xSvgpuEtU218N/DSCN0076.JPG) --- **Step 1:** I like to have a mix of chopped and ground hazelnuts in my braid. So if your supermarket doesn't sell chopped hazelnuts like mine does, then you have to buy normal hazelnuts, toast them, peel them, and chop them. ![DSCN9954.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNyg8zNEVrqTYRVJZDirwNHJy2gM7HHFW8dL6YiJAdqam/DSCN9954.JPG) *Step 1* *Preheat your oven to 180° C / 350° F* *Place your hazelnuts onto a rack and bake them for 8-10 minutes.* *Once baked, immediately place the still hot hazelnuts onto an old towel, cover them and rub the nuts around. The skin should come off easily and through the toasting, the nuts will gain a deeper flavor.* ![DSCN9962.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQ68NfL52N5duFXjw7oKE1ihYHnVJpcQ38NAbYQ1MEX7k/DSCN9962.JPG) --- **Step 2:** To make the dough you have to first mix the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Make sure that the yeast is evenly spread throughout the flour. Heat up the butter and milk in to separate bowls until they are lukewarm. Once done, pour the milk and the egg into the flour mixture and start slowly combining them. Increase the speed of your kitchen machine and once the milk and flour have combined a bit, pour in the warm butter. ![DSCN9967.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVPifU9FiTJfn2TbCvZqFLfLQ57un68qsE8ciNnSYUW5S/DSCN9967.JPG) --- **Step 3:** Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until you end up with a smooth and elastic but still slightly sticky dough. Place your dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead it into a ball. Place your dough into a well-greased bowl, cover with a wet towel and set aside for 30-60 minutes or until double the size ![DSCN9977.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZe4CY1FTASf8Y1WYQVpvsmS3NXP35b8Ddng1JCzyKyd4/DSCN9977.JPG) *(To make sure your dough is just right, try the windowpane test, it should look similar to [this](https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-5f5d2d3223b99b190a1e5a9534237113-c) )* --- **Step 4:** Make the filling while the dough is resting. For that, fill a bowl with your hazelnuts, sugar, cacao, cinnamon, and egg and start mixing them with a spoon. ![DSCN9996.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSc91updUfVbpZH5957X2ogrDKk8VgAZVQau9wbD3W3CB/DSCN9996.JPG) (*Note that the egg is missing in the picture but you should add that as well.*) **Step 5:** Once the ingredients for the filling are starting to form a dense mass start adding spoons of milk. The mass should end up being wet and soft enough to be spread out on the dough. Preheat your oven to 180° C /360 ° F. --- ![DSCN0011.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRgUtTmXHFAb5ZmbPuURm1SzMY6WT6BdhfjrN5n6SRRqB/DSCN0011.JPG) **Step 6:** Roll out the dough into a rectangle (~40 x 35 cm) and spread the filling evenly onto your dough. Once you are done with that it's time the to roll dough into one log. (*I should have taken pictures of the next step but I messed up and rolled the dough into a one meter long rectangle 😓, and thus forgot to take pictures of how to do the braiding, sorry.*) **Step 7:** To get the braiding you need 2 rolls. So cut along the middle of the log so that you end up with 2 halves *(to make this clearer, don't simply half the log but rather half the entire length of the roll)* and weave them by laying one roll on top of the other. ![DSCN0044.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQv7XDdJV53rZFCPdM6yuLngzcMUbyPVtCqQNBivFiWTg/DSCN0044.JPG) --- **Step 8:** Bake them for 25-30 minutes. After about 20 minutes you should prepare your glaze. It's a simple glaze so just combine the powdered sugar with some milk until it has a smooth texture. Once the braid is done baking, let it rest for another 3-5 minutes and then apply the glaze and you are **done**. ![DSCN0089.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTNYrth8u7gHST2kW4XVxh6ag1R6eEps8ETe9Hhq5DiR2/DSCN0089.JPG) --- # Footer: *And with that my 7th recipe post is done. On other news, my semester has finally really ended and I now have a lot more time to focus on other things. So I'm planning to increase my posting frequency to every other day. Which means you will get a new recipe every second day for the next couple weeks if everything goes smoothly. I'm open for requests and ideas, so if there is something you want me to cook or bake simply let me know. And as always thank you for the follows and likes, I appreciate it a lot.* ![DSCN0099.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbjvQXSkePZTk8aBvGU3UKXy4arFgqsZsruNdavy5hES4/DSCN0099.JPG) ### - FromAboveHeaven --- ## My other Recipes: - [Jelly Donuts](https://steemit.com/food/@fromaboveheaven/classic-jelly-donuts-recipe-by-fromaboveheaven) - [Classic Krispy Kreme Donuts](https://steemit.com/food/@fromaboveheaven/classic-donuts-krispy-kreme-style) - [Cinnamon Rolls](https://steemit.com/food/@fromaboveheaven/cinnamon-rolls-step-by-step-recipe) - [Eclairs Indepth Recipe](https://steemit.com/blog/@fromaboveheaven/homemade-vanilla-eclairs-detailed-step-by-step-recipe) - [Challah / Hefezopf](https://steemit.com/blog/@fromaboveheaven/challah-bread-hefezopf-step-by-step-recipe-and-food-photoshoot) - [Garlic Knots](https://steemit.com/blog/@fromaboveheaven/garlic-knots-quick-and-short) ---- *Source image [window pane test](https://www.quora.com/How-can-you-tell-if-your-bread-dough-has-been-kneaded-enough)*