Braids with Walnuts and Chocolate

The braids with walnuts and chocolate are a delightful variation of sweet bread, perfect for a rich breakfast or a delicious snack. Here’s the recipe to make them.

Ingredients

• 500 g of type 00 flour
• 200 ml of lukewarm milk
• 100 g of sugar
• 100 g of soft butter
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 packet of dry yeast (7 g) or 25 g of fresh brewer’s yeast
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100 g of chopped walnuts
• 100 g of chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
• 1 egg for glazing

Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix the dry yeast with lukewarm milk and a teaspoon of sugar taken from the total, and let it rest for a few minutes.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl and create a well in the center. Add the yeast and milk mixture, eggs, softened butter in pieces, salt, and the remaining sugar. Knead well until you have a smooth and homogeneous dough.
3. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in volume.
4. Once risen, add the chopped walnuts and chocolate to the dough and knead again to evenly distribute.
5. Divide the dough into pieces of about 80-100 g each. With each piece, form long cylinders and braid them to form braids.
6. Arrange the braids on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover them with a tea towel, and let them rise for another 30 minutes.
7. Beat the remaining egg and brush the braids to give a nice glaze.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Curiosity

Sweet braids are often a way to sweeten up breakfast or snack time, especially in some Northern European countries where the culture of braided sweet bread is very deep-rooted. There are endless variations, and the addition of walnuts and chocolate makes this bread a perfect combination of taste and energy.

Remember that for an even more Italian touch, you can also add grated orange zest to the dough or replace the walnuts with chopped hazelnuts, which also pair very well with chocolate. Enjoy your preparation!