Dessert Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Star Bread

Instructions

1. Heat the coconut milk or dairy-free milk to 110F. Too hot will kill the yeast, and too cool won’t activate and therefore the dough won’t rise. Combine the heated coconut milk, yeast, and coconut sugar in a bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes. The yeast should start to foam, and this is how you’ll know that the yeast is activated and working. It will also smell like yeast!
2. Next, sift in the flour, and start to mix the dough, either in a stand mixer with the bread paddle attachment or with a spoon. Add in the vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil/vegan butter, and continue to lightly knead or mix until it’s well combined. Round the dough into a ball.
3. Grease a large glass bowl with a little bit of coconut oil or olive oil, and place the vegan star bread dough into the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and place in a warm area or set your oven to “proof” if you have that option! Let the dough rise for 30-45 minutes. It should be double in size. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, and set aside.
4. Lightly dust a clean surface, as well as your rolling pin, and roll one piece of the star bread dough into a circle, about 10″ in diameter. If you can’t get it exactly 10″, don’t worry. Just make sure that your circles are all equal in diameter. Repeat for the remaining pieces of dough, and set each aside nearby for the next step.
5. Take one piece of rolled dough and place it onto a flour-dusted baking sheet. Lightly brush it with melted coconut oil and 1-2 tbsp of vegan chocolate hazelnut spread. Place another circle of dough on top and repeat the coconut oil and chocolate hazelnut spread assembly. Place the third circle of dough on top and repeat.
6. For the last circle of dough, do not add the coconut oil and chocolate hazelnut spread on top, but do place the dough on top of the third piece of dough, as you did the others.
7. First, press the edges of a 3″ bowl lightly into the center of the stacked star bread dough. This is where you’ll slice from the outside in and stop at the light line. Next, use a pizza cutter to slice 16 slices into the dough to create 16 equal strips. I suggest first making quarters, then eighths from there.
8. Take two pieces of the sliced star bread dough, twist away from each other once then pinch the tops together to create an oval, as seen below. Repeat for all of the pieces of sliced star bread dough.
9. Once you’ve finished that step, brush the star bread with the remaining melted coconut oil and add the optional sprinkled sugar on top. Cover the star bread and place in a warm area to rest while the oven preheats to 350F. When the oven is preheated and the dough has rested enough, place the baking sheet into the oven (without the cover) and bake for 35 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
10. Serve with dusted powdered sugar, and enjoy! This will keep fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days, and in the fridge for 4-6 days.

Nutritionals 

Calories 318 | Total Fat 21.4g | Saturated Fat 8.8g | Sodium 157mg | Total Carbohydrate 28.7g | Dietary Fiber 1.5g | Total Sugars 8.1g | Protein 3.9g | Calcium 8mg | Iron 2mg | Potassium 93mg |