
Thankfully, out of the school lunchbox doesn't mean off the home menu. While my mom didn't grow up with Nutella, and certainly doesn't have the addiction my younger sibling did, she does enjoy the flavours of bittersweet chocolate and toasted hazelnuts. Looking to create a hearty, crusty and lightly sweet loaf to go with her weekly soup lunches, I took a slightly different tack when it came to infusing flavour throughout the whole crumb. While warming the milk for the dough, I added whole hazelnuts which steeped and softened, giving rich nutty hints to the liquid. Bittersweet chocolate and the merest touch of sourdough starter helped cut through the richness of the nuts and any sticky-sweetness in the dough (which only contained 3 tbsp of brown sugar), and the whole wheat body of the bread stayed moist and tender thanks to both the milk and a touch of soy lecithin. Originally, I wanted to do this recipe with the hazelnut milk I had spotted at the supermarket, but (of course) by the time I got around to baking day it was MIA - no doubt sold out to other hazelnut fans!
A slice of this loaf made for a perfect "end of lunch" carb, not being too sweet but decadent enough for a light dessert when topped with butter or Terry's Chocolate Marmalade. Of course, for breakfast I would totally spread on the peanut butter or cream cheese, and if I wanted a rich weeknight dessert for one I'd make a slab into French toast topped with melted Nutella and dried cherries. Oh yes - I went there!
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