Delicious Nutella Duo rolls, soft and pillowy soft chocolate dough mixed with normal cinnamon rolls dough, creating a beautiful pattern. They’re filled with lots of Nutella and covered with a thick layer of Nutella to finish.

We recently made Nutella chocolate rolls that so many people loved, and we wanted to create a different version of this sweet roll. Creating them was so fun.

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For this recipe and most of the recipes we post here, we are using very normal ingredients that you probably already have, or can easily find at the store. You can substitute the Nutella for any other spread you like or chocolate.

Granulated sugar: It will sweeten the dough, and it also helps the dough grow in the oven faster. If you add too much, it will slow down the proofing of the dough.
Active dry yeast: make sure it is a fresh yeast, not expired, not old. I store mine in the fridge so it stays fresh longer.
Milk: warm milk to help activate the yeast. Water would be a great substitute, too.
All-purpose flour: gives structure to the dough.
Cocoa powder: We are using a 100% no sugar-added cocoa powder. It has an intense flavor and doesn’t add extra sweetness to the dough. We are only adding cocoa powder to half of the dough.
Butter: it should be soft, room temperature, unsalted butter.
Egg: Make sure to use room temperature eggs.
Salt: great to enhance the flavor of the dessert in general. We add just a little; we don’t want it to be a savory roll.
Nutella: that’s the star of this roll recipe. We will spread a nice thick layer on top of the thin dough, and then after it is baked, we will add a dollop of Nutella on each one, which will act as an icing.

Key points in this recipe

Activation of the yeast
Proper kneading
Proofing the dough for enough time
Baking

How to make the duo dough

We start by preparing the yeast mixture. This is very important because if at this point you notice the yeast is not active, you know not to continue using the same yeast as it won’t proof the dough.

To activate the yeast, we mix it with warm (not hot!) milk and sugar. After 10-15 minutes, you should see bubbles or foam on the top.

We knead all the ingredients minus the butter and the cocoa powder. We leave the butter for the last 10 minutes of kneading to have a nice and strong dough that can rise properly.

After the butter is added and the dough is kneaded for 10 minutes, weigh the dough and divide it in half. In one of the portions of the dough, add cocoa powder and knead until it’s fully incorporated in the dough; it might take from 5 to 8 minutes.

Best temperature to proof the dough

Proofing dough at the right temperature is super important. At the right temperature, this dough will proof in 1h and a half hours. If the environment were cold, if it were windy, it would take much longer to do so.

I have a dough proofer machine that I think is a great investment if you love making bread and doughs. I set the temperature to about 27 C (80F) and let it proof without having to worry about the cold.

Try to find a warm environment or next to the fireplace to proof them, it will help with growing.

How to create the duo pattern

We have divided the dough into two: a plain one and a cocoa dough. Separate each of the proofed dough into 5 balls. Place them on the surface, creating the pattern you prefer. You can stick them slightly with water if you feel like they don’t stick together too well.

Roll out the dough as you would for cinnamon rolls.

You will see how all the doughs stick together. Something that you should always do is keep the ‘uglier’ side on the inside and the prettier, smoother side on the outside.

it doens’t have to be perfect at all, you can do different sizes and position them however you want to. try to keep the dough shapped like a rectangle as it will make it easier to work with it and have more equal sized rolls. trim any weird sides and place them on top, roll out until it’s all sticked.

*If you add too much flour to the surface, they will have trouble sticking to each other. That’s when the water might be useful. Using a brush, remove all extra flour. Brush water where you want it to stick. If the water touches the rolling pin, it will make the dough all sticky.

Best way to cut rolls

There are different methods; everyone has their own favorite. I’ll explain to you all the options you have that I know of so you can choose whatever is your preferred method.

Cut into strips. Roll out the dough following the pattern we showed, spread the Nutella, and then cut into strips. Roll each strip individually. I love this method, so I have more control over the final shape of the roll. I don’t worry about squishing or flattening the rolls accidentally.
The traditional way, or simply the one I have seen the most online, is to roll out the dough, spread the Nutella, roll the dough tightly into a log, and then slice with a knife. It’s fast and efficient. The only thing I don’t like about this method is how you squish the shape too much, and if the dough is too soft, you will struggle with giving the shape back, or if it has a very moist filling.
Using a kitchen twine or unscented dental floss. Roll out the dough, spread Nutella, roll the dough tightly into a log, grab a long piece of twine, and put it under where you want to cut the roll. Bring the tops together and cross them, applying pressure; this will cut the rolls.

The nutella is very sticky so i highly recommend you use a very sharp knife to be able to cut the dough without breaking it.

Make sure you don’t melt the Nutella, it has to be slightly warm so you can spread it, but if it’s too warm it will be a horrible mess to work with the dough.

How to store and enjoy

We all know homemade enriched doughs are not the same after a couple of days. The first day, it’s super soft and pillowy. The next day, it’s drier and just not soft. If you reheat it properly, you can have it taste fresh every day.

I personally recommend you freeze it. Any leftover brioche rolls you have, freeze them and then microwave them from frozen to defrost. This is my favorite way of reheating any doughy dessert, donuts, rolls, or breads. It always tastes just like fresh.

If you choose to store it in the fridge, it’s good to enjoy it for up to 4 days. Make sure to reheat them every time before you eat the Nutella roll so it has the best flavor and texture.

*Any food you freeze needs to have a date and a name added to the container or freezer-safe bag. Make sure you are storing it in a bag or container made to go to the freezer so it can stay safe.

Grab the right tools

Mixing bowl, or the same stand mixer bowl. We need a bowl so we can prepare the yeast mixture, and we can use the same bowl after kneading the dough.
Rollin pin. We need to roll out the dough, then spread the Nutella and cut it into strips; those strips will be rolls.
Offset spatula or spoon. To spread the Nutella, I love using an offset spatula because it is gentler with the dough.
Knife. Or a pizza cutter works too. It’s to cut the dough into strips.
Ruler. I like to measure the dough to make sure all the rolls are about the same thickness. We are doing a 3 cm (1.18 inches) wide strip.
Thermometer. Might be useful if you’d like to check if the dough is ready, but if you follow the recommended time in the recipe, it should be ready about the time I mention.
Baking tray. We need a tray so we can bake the rolls. Use anything of your choice that is safe in the oven.
Parchment paper. It will make cleaning so much easier and faster. It also helps with the rolls not sticking to the pan.
Dough proofer: optional but amazing to use for any dough recipes.

Best tips to make duo rolls

Knead the dough at a slow speed for about 20-25 minutes. I recommend using a stand mixer so it can do so. In the last 10 minutes, we add the butter; we don’t add it at the beginning as we want to have a strong dough that can proof properly.
We are adding the cocoa powder to half of the dough only.
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.
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.

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