Nutella challenge

Che mondo sarebbe senza Nutella?
With this post I'm taking part in Nutella challenge. Of all the challenges that I'm participating in or am reading about, this one is probably the sweetest and most irresistible. The idea was Paula's, you can read about it on her blog Bell'alimento.
It is a monthly challenge, so if you want to participate as well, all you need to do is come up with a recipe that includes Nutella, once a month.
This month is basicly over, but I just got back from my vacation (between, I had a great time, crossed Italy up and down, had a lot of great food, even picked up a new recipe that I hope to publish soon), but didn't want to miss the first appointment with Nutella.
Don't get misled by the name, cause these aren't really muffins, they are more like buns. In fact when I tasted them they reminded me of Pangoccioli, which are chocolate drops buns famous in Italy. But again, there isn't really the dough you can knead. Then what are they? Let's say they're half way between muffins and buns. How about that?
There were several things about the recipe that didn't really sound convincing when I read it. It said "1/2 teaspoon dry yeast (5 g)"?!?! 1/2 teaspoon is far from 5 g!?!? Then at certain point it said to knead the dough and form 20 g buns!?!? How can you knead something that is so soft and half liquid?
Well, once I started making these, I was convinced they were going to end up in the rubbish bin and in my FLOP section. But, since I had already arrived to the "add eggs" part and hated wasting all those ingredients, I decided to go all the way through and see what happens.
Conclusion: they looked exactly as in the magazine picture next to the recipe. They didn't taste like muffins, but as I said, more like chocolate buns. Best if eaten the same day, although they weren't that bad the following morning with coffee. My youngest (2-year-old) loved them. She's got a sweet tooth like her mom :))
Advice: don't bake them in paper cups. I used my sillicone 9-muffin tray, and had some leftover dough that I decided to bake in the paper cups (to avoid greasing and flouring my old muffin tray). Since there is no butter or oil in the dough they stuck to the paper incredibly and were impossible to take out.
I just realised this is the most critical introduction to a recipe I've ever written. Don't worry, it's a story with happy ending. They were eaten and enjoyed with pleasure.
Have a happy Nutella day! And, Welcome to the Nutella addicts club!



NUTELLA AND RICOTTA MUFFINS
(adapted from Cucina Moderna)

250 g flour
60 g sugar
50 ml water
1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
4 eggs
100 g ricotta
50 g chocolate drops
Nutella

Sift 100 g flour into a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, yeast and lukewarm water. Mix everything quickly and let it rest 10 minutes.

Add sugar (60 g), the rest of flour and the beaten eggs.


Mix well, cover and leave to rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Finally add ricotta and chocolate drops.

When the mixture is smooth, fill the muffin moulds (I used sillicone one, but if you're using the traditional one grease and flour it first),

and put a teaspoon of Nutella at the centre of each muffin. Stir them a bit with a toothpick trying to cover the Nutella with the dough. Let them rest again for 20 minutes.

Bake them in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 30 minutes (it took me less than that) or until golden brown.

NOTE: next time I'll try adding Nutella to the dough before filling the moulds.
Also, some flavouring, like lemon or orange zest or vanilla extract would cover the taste of eggs that I found a bit too strong.
Otherwise, I really recommend you prepare these for breakfast or snack, your kids will love them.



(CRO)
MAFINI S NUTELLOM I SVJEŽIM SIROM

250 g brašna
60 g šećera
50 ml vode
1/2 žličice suhog kvasca
4 jaja
100 g svježeg kravljeg sira
50 g čokoladnih kapljica
Nutella

Prosijte 100 g brašna u zdjelu, dodajte 1 žličicu šećera, suhi kvasac (1/2 žličice) i mlaku vodu. Brzo sve izmiješajte i ostavite da stoji 10 minuta.
Dodajte ostatak brašna, šećer (60 g) i razmućena jaja. Dobro izmiješajte, pokrijte i ostavite na toplom mjestu 45 minuta.
Na kraju umiješajte dobro ocijeđeni svježi sir i čokoladne kapljice.
Rasporedite tijesto u kalupe za mafine prethodno namaštene i pobrašnjene. Stavite žličicu Nutelle u sredinu svakog mafina i malo promiješajte čačkalicom. Ostavite opet da se dižu 20 minuta.
Pecite oko pola sata na 200°C ili dok ne dobiju zlatno smeđu boju.
Pospite po želji šećerom u prahu.



(ITA)
MUFFIN CON NUTELLA E RICOTTA
(dalla Cucina Moderna)

Rispetto la ricetta originale, ho aggiunto la Nutella, perché ci sta sempre bene.
La verità è che questi assomigliano più ai Pangoccioli che ai muffin. Ideali a collazione o come spuntini per i bambini. Attenzione però, sono anche abbastanza callorici.

250 g di farina
60 g di zucchero
50 ml di acqua
1/2 di cucchiaino di lieviti di birra disidratato
4 uova
100 g di ricotta
50 g di gocce di cioccolato
Nutella

In una terrina, mescolate 100 g di farina con il lievito, un cucchiaino di zucchero e acqua. Mescolate velocemente e lasciate riposare 10 minuti.
Aggiungete le uova sbattute, lo zucchero e la farina rimasta. Impastate, coprite la ciotola e fate lievitare per 45 minuti.
Unite la ricotta e le gocce di ciocolato all'impasto. Distribuite l'impasto in 12 stampini di silicone e mettete un cucchiaino di Nutella nel centro di ogni muffin. Mescolate un po' con uno stuzzicadenti per ricoprire la Nutella con l'impasto. Lasciate lievitare di nuovo per 20 minuti.
Cuocete in forno già caldo a 200°C per circa 30 minuti.

...and here are a few pictures from my last holiday...

My birthday cake


My crazy kids


Francesca (on the right) got a visit from the Toothfairy :)


Didn't get to visit the real Venice, but only the miniature one


...Sara





Visiting the Aquarium


In Otranto



Piece and calm