Nutella babka

Mix the flour, yeast, salt and 50g sugar in a large bowl, then make a well in the centre. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Pour into the well, followed by the eggs; mix into a smooth, stiff dough. Dust the worktop with flour; tip the dough onto it. Knead in the butter a few cubes at a time, ensuring it’s incorporated before adding more – the dough will be quite sticky but will get easier to work with as you go, so don’t add more flour. (Alternatively, use a freestanding mixer with a dough hook: add the butter while mixing on medium until smooth – around 6-8 minutes.)

Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a clean damp tea towel. Boil a kettle. Half-fill a roasting tin with just-boiled water; sit it in the base of the oven. Put the bowl of dough on the shelf above and close the door to create a steamy environment. It should take 1-2 hours to double in size.

Dust the work surface with flour. Knock back the dough, then tip onto the work surface and roll out to a 40cm x 30cm rectangle. Use a palette knife or rubber spatula to spread the Nutella over the dough, then scatter with the hazelnuts. Roll up tightly like a Swiss roll, starting from one of the shorter sides.

Use a floured knife to halve the dough lengthways. Lay the pieces next to each other with the cut sides facing up. Pinch the tops together, then tightly twist the 2 strips around each other so you can see the vertical filling stripes.

Tuck the ends under; lower into the greased tin. Cover with a clean damp tea towel; leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes-1 hour, until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the base sounds hollow when tapped. Turn out onto a rack. Put the remaining 25g sugar in a small pan with 1 ½ (one and a half) tbsp water; boil for 2 minutes, until syrupy. Brush the syrup over the top. It’s best on the day but will last up to 3 days in an airtight container.