We made the softest Nutella croissant brioche. Because who doesn’t want to eat a brioche shaped like a croissant? I have been wanting to make real croissants for a while, but I never find the time to do so; that’s why croissant brioche is!

This delicious and pillowy soft brioche is so fun and easy to prepare.

We have shared many Nutella brioche recipes in the past, Nutella bombs, Nutella brioche loaf, brioche, rolls…we always get such positive reviews, and we enjoy eating them so much. We are posting a recipe every day for the rest of the year, and today we bring another fun recipe to make.

Add to your shopping list!

Most of the ingredients for this recipe you probably already have in your house; if not, you can easily find them at the grocery store. You can substitute Nutella for any other brand of chocolate spread.

Granulated sugar: It will sweeten the dough and also help feed the yeast. Adding sugar to your dough gives it a beautiful golden brown color. If you add too much sugar, it will also slow down the proofing process and will take much longer.
Active dry yeast: always make sure it’s fresh and not old. We don’t want to use expired or old yeast, as it will affect the texture and final result.
Flour: We are using all-purpose flour for this recipe
Milk: we need it warm but not hot, as it can kill the yeast.
Eggs: use room temperature eggs. Put them in the counter at least 1hour before you start with this recipe, this way it will be ready when needed.
Salt: it enhances the flavor of the dough. If you use too much salt, the dough will not rise properly.
Butter: This is the last ingredient we add to the dough. In the last 10 minutes, we add it and continue kneading. This helps the bread to keep its structure.
Nutella: the main ingredient for this dessert, any chocolate spread brand will work fine.

Key points in this recipe:

Proper kneading. To prepare this dough, knead it for 15 minutes without the butter. After 15 minutes, you can add butter and knead for 10 more minutes. This will help with the structure; instead of a flat brioche that flops when it bakes, this one will rise beautifully in the oven.
Proofing. It’s one of the most important things when preparing a brioche recipe, respecting the proofing times and temperature.
Shaping. Shaping the brioche is slightly more difficult than shaping a real croissant. The brioche dough is very soft, and you have to be gentler.
Baking. Don’t over-bake them! You don’t want dry brioche.

How to prepare the dough

Start by preparing the sponge mixture, which is a foamy mixture you will create by combining warm milk, sugar, and active dry yeast. To prepare the croissants, you need to have this mixture active and ready.

If the yeast doesn’t activate, there might be an issue with your yeast, or it could be sleeping/dead.

The temperature of the milk is very important; if you touch it and it hurts, it burns, it will kill the yeast.

Ideal milk temperature to activate the yeast: 110F-115F (43C-46C). At this temperature, the yeast will be activated. It will feel warm to the touch, but it doesn’t burn.
Too cold: under 100F (38 °C), the yeast won’t be activated; it’s sleeping.
Too hot: at 120F (49 °C) the yeast will be killed. You will need to start from zero as the yeast is not going to be active.

We knead the dough for 15 minutes; it’s ideal to use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment (speed: medium-low). The dough is sticky.

After 15 minutes, you can add the soft butter and knead for 10 more minutes; the dough will become less sticky and easier to handle.

Kneading and proofing

Two of the most important steps in this recipe. Without a good kneading, the dough will be hard and dense, and the same will happen if there’s not enough proofing. Instead of a pillowy soft brioche croissant, you will have a rock croissant, which is something you don’t want.

To knead the dough we start by kneading all the ingreidents minus the butter, which is added at the last 10 minutes, this will help with the structure of the croissant brioche.

If the temperature is too cold, the dough will not proof or will take longer than expected, that’s because it needs to be in a warm environment to work.

If the temperature is too hot, be careful, the dough will grow too fast and have a funny, sour smell/taste.

To have better control over the temperature, I use a dough proofer machine, which is an investment worth making if you love making dough. I set the temperature to about 80F (27C) and let it proof without having to worry about wind or cold weather.

This recipe needs the dough to be proofed twice, once after kneading and then another one after it’s been shaped and filled with Nutella.

Best tips to make Nutella brioche croissants

Add the butter at the right time, don’t rush it.
Egg wash is ideal to help the dough have a nice golden brown color.
Be gentle when you handle the dough, it’s very soft it’s not like a croissant dough.
Try to use a sharp knife to cut through the dough.
After a brioche is baked, ideally, you would brush butter so it has a shiny look.
Don’t rush the proofing times. This dough needs to be proofed twice, once after we knead the dough, which is the longest time, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and another time after we shape it, which takes about 30 minutes. When we proof the dough, we want to see the dough growing in size; it will become soft to the touch and airy.
Proofing temperature matters. I proof my doughs always from 26° C (78.8F) to 30 °C (86F), depending on what I am making. The dough grows beautifully every time.

Shaping the dough

The process is exactly as you would do a croissant, with the only difference being the dough we are using. This brioche dough is very soft and delicate, so you have to be very gentle when working with it.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle, then measure and make a small cut where you should actually cut. You can either spread the Nutella now on all the dough, or you can individually do each one of the croissants after it’s been cut.

We are choosing option number one just because it’s faster. Spread the Nutella and then cut the croissants. Roll each of the croissants starting from the base to the tip.

Grab the right tools!

This recipe requires basic tools you probably have lying around your house. It also calls for a stand mixer, if you have one. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can still do the recipe; you’ll just have to knead by hand.

Mixing bowl or the stand mixer bowl: this is where you will prepare the dough and the yeast mixture. You can use the same stand mixer bowl to avoid washing more dishes.
Rolling pin: we will need it to roll out the dough.
Offset spatula: very useful to spread the Nutella all over the dough.
Ruler: needed to measure the dough to make the right cuts.
A baking tray: any tray or baking dish you have for the oven.
Parchment paper: makes cleaning much easier and faster, and it prevents the dough from sticking to the pan.
Brush: for the egg wash.
Knife: Use a big, sharp knife to cut the triangles.
Dough proofer machine: super important if you love making dough recipes, this will be super helpful to proof the dough easily.

And that’s it! If you try this recipe, make sure to leave us a review below, select as many stars as you think this recipe deserves, and leave a small comment. We appreciate every review you can give. And don’t forget to follow our brand-new Facebook page!