Mini Nutella and walnut pies

We made these simple mini-pies in an attempt to recreate something a bit more homey and rustic in the kitchen, using good old yeast-based dough, allowing it to rise at its own pace and topping it with nutella cream and walnuts. The delicious topping gains, of course, a lovely roasted flavor during the baking time, while the dough becomes a fluffy, slightly sweet thick disc you can sink your teeth in. Needless to say, the mini-pies (which are perfectly stack-able after baking, the nutella won't smear) made the perfect thing to take away in our lunch boxes :)


Last year: Vegetarian chili tacos with avocado-salsa, Caribbean romance (cocktail), French chocolate mousse and Carrot bread (with walnuts). 




Ingredients (for 2 baking trays): 

• 300 ml milk

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 20-25 g fresh yeast (or 1 and 1/2 satchel dried yeast)

• 1 egg

• 600 g all-purpose flour

• 50 g butter

• 50 g powder sugar

• 1-2 tablespoons walnut oil (optional)

For the filling: 

• 150 g walnut halves
• 3/5 jar of nutella

Mix the yeast in the milk at room temperature. Add the 2 teaspoons of sugar and let the whole liquid rest for 10-15 minutes. Prepare the flour in a large bowl, making a little well in its center.

Add the egg and butter (melted or at room temperature) to the flour. 

Also pour the yeast-ed milk and work everything into a smooth, elastic dough. When it doesn't stick to your hands anymore, add the walnut oil and powder sugar:

Work it again until all is incorporated. Make a ball out of it and let it rest for a couple of hours or until doubled-tripled in size.

After said time, it should look like this:

Line a baking sheet with baking paper and preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Get about half a handful of dough at a time and work it into a ball with your hands, then press it into a disc. Punch the middle of the disc to make it slightly thinner in the middle:

Don't bother making them too regular-shaped, the baking will even everything :). Put them on the sheet as you finish, with some space between them:

Take a spoonful of nutella and spread it on each center of mini-pie in a circular motion (it's very important to have the chocolate cream at room temperature in order to be able to do this):

Then top each with a walnut half. Put the tray(s) in the preheated oven:

...And bake for 25 minutes. Take them out and allow to cool:

Enjoy them with your friends :). 
P.S: As we've said, the mini-pies are perfectly stack-able:

Dig in! :)