Glazed Nutella Twisted Buns

FOR THE DOUGH

• 325 g (2 1/2 cups) Bread Flour, plus more for kneading 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 6 g (2 tsp) instant dry yeast 
•  37 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 57 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1 egg, UK-medium sized (without shell = 52 g), at room temperature 
• 185 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) Warm Full Fat Milk

FOR FILLING

•  1/2 cup Nutella
•  2 tbsp unsalted butter

FOR GLAZE

• 1/3 Cup water
• 25 g (2 tbsp) light brown sugar
• 25 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• Few drops of lemon

FOR EGG WASH

• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp milk

THE DOUGH (NO MIXER REQUIRED)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the bread flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat the milk on the stovetop over medium heat then remove from heat and add in the softened butter, whisk to combine. Let it cool slightly. Once the mixture is warm to touch or the temperature of the liquid is around 116F/47C, whisk in the egg.
3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix all the ingredients with the help of a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough is formed. If it is super sticky, add flour little by little, and start with one tsp until it is not super sticky anymore. Don’t add too much flour as I didn’t add any extra flour. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit at room temperature just for 5-6 minutes.
4. After that, transfer the dough to the lightly floured work surface and grease your hands with oil before kneading. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes or until you have a smooth, soft, slightly sticky, glossy and very elastic dough. You can use a scraper to flip the dough upside down, scrape it up from the work surface and clean the surface. You can use the oil to grease your hands and work surface while kneading to avoid sticking. Stop kneading the dough when it passes the windowpane test.
5. Now transfer the dough ball to a well-oiled large bowl with enough room for the dough to rise. Grease the dough top with some oil to prevent it from drying and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise (First Rise) in a warm place like an oven for 1 hour-1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in size (depending upon how warm the environment is). You can turn on your oven just for one minute at 50C/122F before keeping the dough in the oven.

NUTELLA FILLING

1. Microwave two tbsp of butter in a heat-safe bowl, add in the half cup of Nutella, mix it with a spoon and microwave it just for 5-10 seconds. Mix until smooth and set aside.

SHAPING THE BUNS

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough gently. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into an 11 x 16 inch rectangle (you don’t need to be too exact). You can sprinkle some flour on the dough and the rolling pin if it is difficult to roll out the dough.
2. Use an offset spatula to spread the Nutella spread on the dough, leaving an inch border from the wider sides. 
3. Fold the dough lengthwise in half and divide it into 10 strips using a pizza cutter.
4. Slightly twist each strip then roll up that twisted strip and tuck the end of it under the bun. You can sprinkle some flour on the workplace to avoid sticking.
5. Line the two baking trays with baking paper. Place these twisted buns on a lined baking tray covered with plastic wrap and again let them rise for at least 30-45 minutes (Second Rise) or until puffy.
6. Once the buns have risen, brush them with egg wash (whisk an egg + 1 tsp milk together).
7. Bake them in a preheated fan oven at 155C/311F (for conventional oven, 175C/347F) for 18-20 minutes or until the buns are golden brown on top.

THE GLAZE

1. While the buns are baking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, add water, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. Bring it to a boil, and let it simmer on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.
2. When the buns are out of the oven, immediately brush the buns with hot sugar syrup using a pastry brush.

NOTES

1. Homemade buns are best eaten the same day they are baked and still warm when served. But you can store any leftover buns in an airtight container for up to two days at room temperature and 4-5 days in the fridge. However, the buns will harden a little bit in the fridge so warm them in the microwave just for a few seconds to soften them.