The fluffiest milk bread small batch gingerbread nutella rolls filled with nutella, gingerbread spices, and topped with a nutella gingerbread glaze.
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small batch gingerbread nutella rolls
The perfect sweet holiday breakfast is here and it’s these gingerbread nutella rolls. First of all, the dough is super hydrated which makes it ridiculously light and fluffy. It also uses molasses which both sweetens and flavors the dough to have that classic gingerbread flavor. The filling is nutella that gets mixed with ground ginger and cinnamon, and to top it all off is a cream cheese frosting. Small batch which makes these perfect for sharing between 2-3 people, or for keeping all to yourself (no judgements here!)
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before you’ll need them.
the dough will take a while to knead
Kneading this dough will take a longer time than you are probably used to. This dough is enriched with eggs and butter which makes it take longer for the proper amount of gluten to develop. Kneading in the mixer can take me anywhere from 10-20 minutes. The dough is ready to be used when it passes the windowpane test and has pulled away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are weighing your ingredients, just trust the process! If you are using cup measurements and the dough just is not coming together after 15 minutes, try adding in 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
how to tell your dough is done kneading: the windowpane test
The windowpane test is (in my opinion) the best way to tell that your dough has been properly kneaded. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl, it is most likely ready. However, just to be sure that it’s good to go I check if it passes the windowpane test. To do that, take some of the dough in your hands and start to slowly stretch it out. If it can get thin enough to where light passes through it before tearing, then it’s good to go! If not, keep kneading until it does!
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for small batch gingerbread nutella rolls
Milk bread dough:
- Bread flour: for structure. I recommend bread flour because I think it produces a better dough, however, you can use an all purpose flour with a higher protein %, such as King Arthur (11.7%) so that your gluten will develop. If you’re using a low protein flour, the gluten will not develop enough and you will have to add a lot more flour to the brioche.
- Active dry yeast: for making the dough rise. You can easily substitute in instant yeast if that is what you have on hand. You will just skip the step of combining the warm milk, sugar, and yeast!
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the brioche. Salt also “controls” the yeast to make sure that it does not overly expand.
- Egg: for binding and adding moisture.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the brioche rolls and giving them a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. I would not recommend substituting in salted butter since salt is important to controlling yeast growth and the amount of salt in salted butter is a little variable.
- Whole milk: for tenderizing and hydrating the dough. Whole milk will provide the softest rolls because the extra fat helps tenderize the dough. You can however swap in 1%, 2% or your favorite non dairy milk alternative! Just note that the dough may be a little less soft and fluffy due to the varying fat content.
- Molasses: for sweetening the brioche and for helping the yeast with rising. Make sure you are using unsulphured molasses. You could also replace this with dark brown sugar – just note that you will have less of that classic gingerbread taste in the dough itself.
nutella filling:
- Nutella: you can use nutella or any chocolate hazelnut spread!
- Ground ginger, cinnamon & cloves : for nice, warm gingerbread flavor. You can use a pre-made gingerbread spice, or your own favorite blend of gingerbread spices here as well.
gingerbread nutella glaze:
- Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze.
- Molasses: for flavor – make sure you are using unsulphured molasses.
- Nutella: for flavor.
- Whole milk: to thin out the glaze. Use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk here.
how to make small batch gingerbread nutella rolls
Here’s what making these delicious gingerbread nutella cinnamon rolls looks like! The full recipe with instructions can be found at the end of this blog post.
- Make the dough and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and roll it out into a 12×16″ rectangle.
- Spread the nutella and gingerbread spices over the dough.
- Roll up the dough and slice it into 6 rolls. (The best way to do this? Floss!)
- Let the dough rise for a second time, then (optional) brush each roll with egg wash.
- Bake, cover with icing, and enjoy!
small batch gingerbread nutella rolls
recipe q&a
what is tangzhong / milk bread?
Tangzhong is a cooking method that involves cooking a portion of the flour in a recipe with 4-5x the amount of liquid. Cooking the flour pre-gelatinizes the starch in the flour, allowing it to hold on to more liquid. This leads to a bread that can hold way more liquid than it normally would be able to, which makes the bread softer, and fluffier, and keeps it from staling as fast. It’s basically a secret ingredient for better bread, using ingredients you already need for the bread! If you ever see the word “milk bread”, that means that that bread uses tangzhong!
how to store nutella rolls
These rolls are definitely going to taste the best the day that they are baked, and I highly *highly* recommend serving them on the same day. They will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
can I double this recipe?
Definitely! I even more strongly recommend using a kitchen scale if you are scaling up the recipe, for the best results.
can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Definitely – just pop all of the dough ingredients into your mixing bowl to start kneading. I recommend refrigerating the dough overnight to make it easier to work with and more flavorful. However, if you are making the recipe all in one day, and using instant yeast, let the dough rest for just 10 minutes as the first rise (or whatever the instructions are on your yeast packet), then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, and I highly recommend it! Brioche dough is a very enriched dough that can be hard to work with when warm. Knead the dough together, cover it, and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready, take the dough out of the fridge and proceed with the recipe.
if the dough just isn’t coming together
I can’t recommend the use of a kitchen scale enough, especially for this super-hydrated dough. If you’ve been kneading and kneading and the dough still won’t come together, add 1 tbsp. of flour at a time and knead for 2 minutes until the dough comes together. Please note that the dough at times has taken me up to 20 minutes to knead and pass the windowpane test!
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Small Batch Gingerbread Nutella Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 24 g bread flour (3 tbsp.)
- 100 g whole milk (⅓ c. + 2 tbsp.)
Dough
- 90 g whole milk (⅓ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 30 g molasses (2 tbsp.)
- 1 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 egg room temperature
- 240 g bread flour (2 c.)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 56 g unsalted butter room temperature (4 tbsp.)
Filling
- 150 g nutella (½ c.)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
Gingerbread Nutella Glaze
- 150 g powdered sugar (1 ¼ c.)
- 2 tbsp. nutella melted
- 1 tbsp. molasses
- 2 tbsp. whole milk
Instructions
Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, continuously stir together the flour and milk until the mixture and thickens into a thick slurry. Take off the heat and set aside. Alternatively, whisk together the flour and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until the mixture becomes a thick slurry.
Dough
- Add all of the ingredients, including the tangzhong, into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Knead the mixture on medium speed for ~15-20 minutes. The dough is ready when it is no longer sticking to the sides or bottom of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.*
- Once the dough is done kneading, shape the dough into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm area to rise until doubled in size (~1 hr.)**
Filling
- In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, ginger and cloves
- Once the dough has finished rising, lightly punch it down to remove any excess air in it. Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly floured surface, then roll it out to a 12″ x 16″ (30 x 40 cm) rectangle. If the dough keeps springing back a lot while rolling it out, let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Dollop the nutella over the dough, then carefully spread it out into an even layer. Sprinkle the spice mix over the nutella.
- From the longer side, cut the dough into 6 strips, then roll each strip up. Alternatively, roll the dough up into a log then use floss to slice it into 6 rolls.
- Transfer the rolls to a lightly buttered and/or lined eighth sheet pan*** Lightly cover the pan with a towel, and let the rolls rise in a warm environment until doubled in size (~30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- (Optional, for browning) Make an egg wash by whisking together an egg with 1 tbsp. milk, then brush it over the rolls.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes, until the tops of the rolls are golden brown and the internal temperature of the rolls has reached 190°F / 88°C.
Gingerbread Nutella Icing
- Slightly melt the nutella in the microwave until it's loose and runny.
- Add the powdered sugar, melted nutella, molasses and milk to a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until smooth.
- Spread the icing over the warm rolls, then serve and enjoy!