chocolate for breakfast

Of the three main meals, breakfast has got to be the most overlooked for me. Thanks to my weak stomach, anything heavy, egg-y or milky is a definite no, so most of the times I find myself either skipping breakfast for a heavy lunch, or enjoying plain toast or fruits every other day. With a somewhat limited choice for breakfast, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I often sneak bakes for the next morning (how else do you think I’ve been able to tell if it’s better the next day?);– cakes, brownies and muffins in their day-old glory.

Yes, I am terribly guilty of having sweets for breakfast. One of the perks of being an adult, no?

Ah, but this is one of those rare times when I actually don’t feel guilty for having chocolate for breakfast. And of course, another excuse to dip your finger into that large jar of Nutella, albeit in a more elegant manner.

I am sure you can probably attest to my obsession with Nutella by now. And any recipe with the mere mention of this sweet hazelnut chocolate spread would immediately see me either attempting to lick enticing photographs off the screen, or do the next best thing, and run off to the oven with a proposal.

But of course, there are other recipes that would simply sound better if they had Nutella in it.

The original recipe for these breakfast scones called for finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate, but Nutella definitely sounded much more interesting in my books. That, and the fact that incorporating chocolate (or in my case, Nutella) in a typically fuss-free adult breakfast treat spells pretty much godsent to me.

These scones were crumbly, a little flaky, yet somewhat cakey, with a tinge of sweetness coming from the Nutella. I only spread a little layer, fearing that the Nutella would ooze out, but if I were to give this another visit (which I will), I would probably slab on a little more, since the Nutella flavour wasn’t as pronounced as I would have liked it to be. But it made for a great breakfast treat, nonetheless; the scone texture itself was perfect, and the Nutella added a little flavour which wasn’t too overwhelming for the non-chocoholics to still enjoy.

Now, who says you can’t have chocolate for breakfast?

Nutella Swirl Scone Loaf
(adapted from Donna Hay Issue 41)

1 1/2 cup (225g) self raising flour
1/4 cup sugar
40g cold butter, chopped
1/2 cup milk, plus extra for brushing
about 1/2 cup Nutella (or 100g finely chopped chocolate)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and mix to combine.
3. Add the butter and rub it into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk little by little, using a butter knife to gradually mix the milk to the flour mixture until just combined.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface, and gently bring the dough together.
6. Roll out to an 18cm x 24cm rectangle, and spread the Nutella on the dough. (If using finely chopped chocolate, just sprinkle the chocolate on the dough.) Roll up to enclose.
7. Place in a greased and floured loaf tin, and brush the top with the extra milk.
8. Bake at 180C for 25-30mins, or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in the tin for 5mins before turning it out onto a cooling rack.

Recipe Notes:

1. The dough is VERY sticky to work with, so just use the flour measurement as a guide, and add as you please, without overworking the dough.
2. I didn’t measure out the Nutella, so feel free to add according to your own preference.
   

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