Belated Happy New Year to all my readers!

Another year has rolled in silently, and my first post in the new year is a sunflower Nutella brioche. My mind has been racing with many thoughts and some new plans to simplify my life are brewing slowly, which explains the silence.

2017 was a very volatile year in terms of relationship and work, which involved two-city life. It has finally come to an end and we will start 2018 with more stability. Fingers crossed xx

What it would mean, though, that I won’t be able to eat with you in Istanbul as much as I’d like to. It’s already happened, I know, since I took a semi-permanent séjour at the winery.

Having said that, my winery posts are among the most popular posts on my blog! Anyway, I’ll continue to inspire with delicious stories, travels, more adventures as a cellar rat and a WSET Dip student, and the stories of living in Canakkale.

Nutella… Mr.O has a weakness for it.  Hey, who isn’t? But not for the nasty commercial Nutella. Hazelnut chocolate spread is everyone’s dream and I used to make it at home for sweet-toothed Mr.O when the earth was greener: the hazelnut price has gone up by 40%!

While forbidden from eating any nutella kinds outside, he was recently caught sneakily putting a single serving pack of Nutella onto a tray at a breakfast buffet.

So I decided to make ‘healthy’ Nutella to cheer up Mr.O, who had been very busy with setting up his new office in Canakkale. Whether you make it from scratch or with ready-made hazelnut paste, it is far better than bought ones. I think Turkish hazelnut paste is superior to Nutella so I often buy it for overseas friends and family. #respectfood #eatlocal #slowfood

In Turkey, it’s still hard to find pastry made with pure butter and my suppressed desire explodes sometimes, making me roll up the sleeves and get messy with flour at an awkward hours, usually at night.

You’ve probably seen the seductive video of Nutella Braided Star Bread on social media. The link is the original creator, Steve’s Kitchen. While thinking of whipping up a quick brioche, that video suddenly popped up in my head; I never thought I’d be making it when I first saw it!

For a touch of holiday, I added some whiskey to the Nutella spread and topped it off with Cointreau for our boozy family. Oh, the almost-empty Cointreau bottle and honey roasted hazelnuts remind me of the crazy night we went to Babakale for octopus and calamari.

Most recipes tell you to place a plate on top and trim the edges off but if you roll the dough more carefully, you don’t need to trim the edges.

It looked pretty impressive and the result was worth the effort. In fact, I was amazed how easy it was to make it. I’ll probably make it more often, even with savoury fillings.

Since I made this from my visual memories of a snack-sized video, I missed the part of joining the ‘petals’ but it made it more like a flower or even shining sun by accident.

My version is soft like a brioche and has an addition of yogurt, for no explicit reason other than the fact that I live in a yogurt ‘culture’.

This yummy brioche kept us from not going hungry on the new year’s day in Alexandroupoli when all shops were closed! I might be going to Alexandroupoli soon again, my 3rd trip(!), and I’ll share the story and foodie tips with you when I get back.

Also, the highlight of my winery adventure is yet to come. If you’re curious about how my wine has turned out, please stick around!

Whiskey Nutella Flower Brioche with Cointreau
(aka. Boozy Nutella Brioche)

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour
7g dry active yeast
2 large eggs + 1 yolk (total 2 yolks and 1 white for the dough)
1/2 cup(115g) butter, melted
1 cup milk (yogurt or half milk half yogurt if you like)
5-6 Tbsp Nutella
1 tsp salt
70g (1/3 cup) sugar (adjust to your preference)
3 Tbsp Contreau or whisky (optional)
Egg wash (1 egg white + 1Tbsp milk)

Steps:

1. Warm the milk(40’C), combine with 1 tsp of sugar, and sprinkle yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Set aside.

3. Stir the 3 yolks and one white(keep one white for glazing), butter and milk yeast mixture, and add into the dry ingredients and combine well into a dough.

4. Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.

5. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp towel or clingfilm and allow to rise for an hour until doubled in size or overnight in the refrigerator for a morning treat.

6. Punch down the dough and place it onto a lightly floured surface, and form into a sausage shape and divide it into 4 pieces.

7. Roll the each dough into a 10 inch circle and spread the warmed Nutella(add whiskey if you like) all around to the edges. (Leave a little space along the edges)

8. Repeat with two more layers and place the last one(plain with no nutella) on top. Place a dinner plate on top and trim off the edges with a sharp knife.

9. Place a glass in the center and press gently to make an indentation. Cut the outer dough into quarters, then each quarter in half, and half again so you have 16 petals. Twist each petal twice  and do the same with the next petal but in the opposite direction. Repeat with the rest. Pinch two petals together or leave them.

10. Cover the dough with a damp towel or clingfilm and leave to rise for 20-30 mins.

11. Preheat the oven to 180’C / 350’F. Once the dough has risen, brush it with egg wash and bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Brush it with Cointreau or sugar and water for a glossy finish.

Simply pull it apart with friends and family and enjoy it!

You can modify the recipes on The Baker Chick and Simply Home Cooked, and watch the video on Tastemade