Chocolate, Hazelnut, Praline Brioche Loaf

Brioche (the day before)

Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the milk and eggs and bring the mixture together using a large spatula to make a soft dough. Continue to mix with a beating and kneading action in the bowl for 5-6 minutes until the dough has become smooth.Add the softened butter in small pieces and continue to work the mixture with the spatula for 4-5 minutes more. Cover and rest in the refrigerator overnight.

Praline and chocolate filling

Place the sugar with the water into a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer and cook until a golden, caramel colour is achieved.Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts. Turn the mixture out on to a baking sheet, press flat and leave to set.Place the set nutty caramel into a strong plastic bag, crush with a rolling pin and set to one side.Place the chocolate, cream and cocoa in a small pan and melt together over a gentle heat until smooth. Remove from the heat and leave in the warm pan whilst you roll out the dough.

To make the loaf

Using a spatula turn the chilled dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Dust your hands and a rolling pin with some of the extra flour and roll the dough to a 35cm square, handling as little as possible.Spread the chocolate sauce over the dough leaving a 2.5cm border around the edges and sprinkle over the crushed praline.Brush the border with water and roll up like a Swiss roll, tucking the ends securely underneath to seal in the filling.Place the loaf with the seam side down into the tin. Cover and rest for 2½-3 hours or until it doubles in size. Pre-heat the oven towards the end of the resting time to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 6. Glaze the loaf with the beaten egg and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4 and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes until golden. Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.To finish, melt the remaining chocolate in a small bowl over pan of hot water. Drizzle over the top of cooled loaf and sprinkle over the 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts.

Chilling the dough overnight in the refrigerator makes handling and rolling easier. As the brioche is an enriched bread and has been chilled, the rising will be a longer and slower process than for standard bread.Any leftover brioche makes excellent bread and butter pudding.