These soft and fluffy Nutella cinnamon rolls are packed with Nutella spread and chopped hazelnuts! This recipe features the Tangzhong method, which guarantees cinnamon buns that stay soft for days. Plus, you only need 9 ingredients to make this recipe!
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
When I was testing my small batch cinnamon rolls, I made a couple of them with a Nutella filling. After trying this gooey cinnamon roll packed with (still warm!) chocolate hazelnut spread, I knew I had to make a separate recipe for them!
Just like those cinnamon rolls, these Nutella cinnamon rolls use the Tangzhong method. All that means is we make a paste on the stove with flour and liquid (usually milk or water, or a combo). This adds more hydration to our dough = softer cinnamon rolls!
Grab your ingredients!
- Nutella: Kind of a must-have ingredient for Nutella cinnamon rolls! You can, of course, swap it out for another brand of chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Butter: If you can, try to use European-style butter, which has a higher butterfat content. More butterfat = more delicious!
- Chopped Hazelnuts: I bought ready-chopped and roasted hazelnuts at my local grocery store to amp up the hazelnut flavor.
- Yeast: I'm using instant yeast here.
Let's Make This Recipe!
- Start by making the Tanzhong. In a small saucepan, whisk the flour with the water and milk over medium-low heat. Whisk until it becomes super thick (it should look like mashed potatoes). Then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Add the Tanzhong paste to your mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for 12-15 minutes.
- Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Spread Nutella on the dough and sprinkle over chopped hazelnuts.
- Use a pizza cutter to slice up the rectangle of dough (from the long side) into 12 equal pieces. Carefully roll each piece of dough into a bun and place them in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Let the Nutella rolls rise for an additional 40-50 minutes. While those are rising, preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake in the oven for X, removing when golden brown.
My Go-To Baking Tips!
- Slicing up rolls: I've tried a bunch of methods for slicing up cinnamon rolls (serrated knife, dental floss, etc.), but my new method is using a pizza cutter to slice up the dough into strips, and then rolling them up individually. I find this gives the best looking rolls, which aren't too smushed!
- Check Expiration: Make sure your yeast hasn't expired before you start this recipe!
- Heavy Cream: In a lot of my cinnamon roll recipes, I pour warmed heavy cream on the rolls just before baking. I have tested this recipe with and without cream. If you want gooey cinnamon rolls, then pour over 8 tablespoons of heavy cream just before baking.
- Icing: I didn't add icing to these rolls because 1) I think they look GORGEOUS as they are and 2) they're already pretty sweet. If you do want to add a cream cheese frosting, I recommend using the one from my small batch cinnamon bun recipe, but just double it.
Storage & Freezing
Store the cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. I recommend microwaving them before enjoying (but I love a warm roll!)
Freeze the rolls in ziploc bags for up to 2 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Made This Recipe?
Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! You can tag me on Instagram @alpineella or follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok!
Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Easy Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
These soft and gooey Nutella cinnamon rolls are filled with Nutella and chopped hazelnuts! They stay soft for days thanks to the Tanzhong method.
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk
- ¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
Dough
- 4 cups (480 grams) bread flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons instant yeast
- ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated sugar
Nutella Hazelnut Filling
- 1 cup (300 grams) Nutella
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) toasted chopped hazelnuts
Ella's Baking Tip!Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale for the best results!
Instructions
Make the Tangzhong
- Whisk water, milk, and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low, whisking constantly, until thick like mashed potatoes. Transfer to the bowl of your mixer and let cool slightly. Making this paste is going to add a lot of hydration to our dough, so it stays soft and fluffy.¼ cup water, ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, ¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
Make the Dough
- Add the milk, eggs, flour, salt, sugar, butter, and yeast to the tangzhong.4 cups (480 grams) bread flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3 teaspoons instant yeast, ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk, 2 large eggs, 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated sugar
- Mix on medium speed with the dough hook for 12-15 minutes, until smooth and slightly sticky.
- If still too sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time (up to ¼ cup).
- Remove the dough from the bowl and lightly oil the bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size. It all depends on how warm your kitchen is!
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 18×12-inch rectangle with a rolling pin.
- Spread an even layer of Nutella over the dough, leaving a ¼-inch border. Sprinkle evenly with chopped hazelnuts.1 cup (300 grams) Nutella, ⅓ cup (40 grams) toasted chopped hazelnuts
- From the long edge, use a pizza cutter to slice into 12 equal strips. Gently roll each one into a bun.
- Place into a greased 9×13 baking pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise 40-50 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°Fahrenheit / 175°Celsius.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Enjoy!
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Video
Notes
My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It's also much easier to measure out the brown butter with a kitchen scale instead of tablespoons! I have provided a conversion to US cups but please note that I haven't tested the recipe with this method. Just click on 'US Customary' above the ingredients
Storage: Cover the rolls and keep them at room temperature for up to 4 days. I recommend microwaving them before enjoying.
Flour: I'm using bread flour but you can swap it out for all-purpose flour.
Overnight: If you want to prep these the night before, make the rolls until they're in the pan. Cover them with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight. The next morning, let them come to room temperature for 45-60 minutes before baking them in the oven.
Gooey Rolls: For extra gooey cinnamon rolls, heat up 8 tablespoons of heavy cream. Pour over the cinnamon rolls just before baking.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can see what you made!
Leave a Reply