Baked Nutella Iris combines fluffy dough and rich Nutella in one cosy homemade treat with soft centres and lightly golden tops, perfect for breakfast or afternoon coffee.
Sicilian street food is among the best food in the world. You can find everything there, from desserts and savoury snacks to pasta served in street food form.
One of the sweet treats I enjoy most is what’s known as “Iris”, a soft bun traditionally fried, filled with sweetened ricotta, and dusted with icing sugar.
For this version, I wanted to make a baked iris filled with Nutella. I use this dough recipe often because it’s easy to handle and works really well with both sweet and savoury fillings. The buns turn out light, fluffy, and soft in the centre with a creamy Nutella filling inside.
My kids absolutely love these Baked Nutella Iris, especially while they’re still slightly warm. I usually have to make an extra batch because they get eaten so quickly around here!
Why We Love Italian Nutella Buns
- Soft, fluffy buns with warm Nutella in the centre feel especially good with coffee in the afternoon.
- Freshly baked buns still taste good later in the day once the filling becomes softer and creamier.
- Homemade iris feels a little more special than regular sweet buns from a bakery.
Key Ingredients for Baked Nutella Iris
Nutella
Nutella gives the buns their creamy chocolate and hazelnut filling. Slightly chilled Nutella is easier to portion and helps keep the filling centred while shaping the buns.
Lard
Lard gives the dough a delicate richness and helps keep the buns soft after baking. Traditional Sicilian sweet buns are often made with lard, though softened butter can be used for a slightly richer flavour.
Sugar
Sugar adds light sweetness to the dough and helps the buns brown gently during baking. It also supports the yeast during the first rise.
Milk
Using whole milk for brushing helps buns develop a light golden colour while keeping surfaces soft and delicate. Extra fat gives a smoother finish and softer crust.
Find the complete list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Baked Nutella Iris
Prepare the Yeast and Dough
Step 1: Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water together with 1 tbsp of the sugar. Set it aside until the mixture becomes frothy.
Step 2: In the meantime, put the remaining sugar, flour, salt, and lard into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once the yeast mixture becomes frothy, add it to the bowl and knead until you obtain a smooth and pliable dough.
Step 3: Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Shape the Buns
Step 1: Divide the dough into 12 balls. Flatten each one with a rolling pin and place some Nutella in the centre of each dough circle. Gather the edges together to seal the filling, then place the buns seam-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Step 2: Brush the buns with milk.
Bake and Serve
Step 1: Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C – 390°F for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 2: Let the buns cool completely, then dust with icing sugar and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, softened butter works well in place of lard and gives buns a slightly richer flavour. Texture becomes a little less light but still stays soft.
Keeping filling centred and sealing dough properly helps buns bake more neatly. Smaller spoonfuls of Nutella are also less likely to leak during baking.
Yes, baked buns freeze well for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Freeze them without icing sugar and dust the tops after reheating.
Yes, this dough works really well with other sweet fillings such as pistachio cream, sweetened ricotta, chocolate spread, or thick jams. Softer fillings are usually easiest to seal inside the buns.
Extra Help from the Kitchen
Use Slightly Oiled Hands – Lightly oil your hands before shaping if the dough starts sticking too much while working. Dough stays smoother and softer without needing extra flour, making buns less dense.
Leave Space Between Buns – Leave enough room between each bun on the tray because the dough expands quite a bit while baking. Extra space helps buns keep their round shape and bake more evenly.
Rotate the Tray Halfway Through Baking – Turn the tray around halfway through baking if your oven colours unevenly on one side. This helps tops and bottoms bake at a more even pace.
Check the Dough Temperature – Slightly warm dough rises more evenly and produces softer buns. Cold dough can slow the rising time and make the texture a little heavier.
Let Buns Cool Slightly Before Eating – Nutella filling stays extremely hot straight from the oven. Leaving buns for several minutes helps the filling settle slightly and makes the texture softer inside.
Variations and Twists
Fill with Sweetened Ricotta – Replace Nutella with well-drained sweetened ricotta and chocolate chips for a more classic Sicilian iris filling. Creamier texture and lighter sweetness make these feel much closer to bakery-style iris sold in Sicily.
Add Cocoa Powder to the Dough – Mix a small amount of cocoa powder into the dough for a deeper chocolate flavour. Darker dough makes golden colour harder to spot, which makes sticking to the 10-minute baking time especially important.
Scatter Chopped Hazelnuts on Top – Sprinkle finely chopped toasted hazelnuts over the tops before baking for extra crunch and nuttier flavour. Toast the hazelnuts first to bring out more aroma and keep the flavour richer.
Add Orange Zest to the Dough – Mix finely grated orange zest into the dough for a light citrus flavour which works really well with chocolate and hazelnut, giving buns a fresher finish.
Use Ricotta with Citrus Zest – Combine sweetened ricotta with chocolate chips and a little orange or lemon zest for a softer, fresher filling. Small bits of chocolate inside ricotta make the filling feel more traditional and less sweet than Nutella.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store Baked Nutella Iris in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days to keep the buns soft. If your kitchen is very warm or humid, you can refrigerate them for another 1 to 2 days, though the texture may become slightly firmer.
Freeze cooled buns in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months without icing sugar. Let them thaw at room temperature, then warm them for a few minutes in the oven at 180°C – 350°F before dusting with fresh icing sugar and serving.
Other Ways to Enjoy Nutella
- Three-Ingredient Nutella Doughnuts
- Nutella Tarts
- Nutella Roses
- Nutella Dorayaki
- Peanut Butter Nutella Banana Bites
Baked Nutella Iris Recipe (Italian Nutella Buns)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g – 4 cups flour
- 250 ml – 1 cup lukewarm water
- 50 g – 1.75 oz lard
- 50 g – 1.75 oz sugar
- 10 g – 2 tsp salt
- 7 g – 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- Nutella – as needed
- milk – for brushing
Instructions
Prepare the Yeast and Dough
- Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water together with 1 tbsp of the sugar. Set it aside until the mixture becomes frothy.
- In the meantime, put the remaining sugar, flour, salt, and lard into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once the yeast mixture becomes frothy, add it to the bowl and knead until you obtain a smooth and pliable dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Shape the Buns
- Divide the dough into 12 balls. Flatten each one with a rolling pin and place some Nutella in the centre of each dough circle. Gather the edges together to seal the filling, then place the buns seam-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Brush the buns with milk.
Bake and Serve
- Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C – 390°F for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the buns cool completely, then dust with icing sugar and serve.
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Manu, these are so beautiful, I finally bought two big jars of Nutella so I can make them. Thank you for posting the recipe. Will you post the recipe for ricotta iris? Would the dough be the same? I have fresh ricotta and I would love to try them too. Thank you again, I’ll make the iris soon and I’ll be back with my thoughts.
I’m from Sicilia and that’s not an Iris. That’s a panzerotto. The difference between the two is that one is baked and one is fried. Iris’ are meant to be fried.
Dear Stefanie
I know. That’s why I called them “baked Iris” and not just Iris. The dough is the one used to make Iris.
Hello,
What type of flour do you need to use? Is it just plain?
Also if you don’t have a electric whisk with dough hook can you just use an electric whisk?
Hi Uma
I use plain flour for this recipe. The dough will be too hard for a whisk, but if you do not have a hook, you can knead it by hand. It’s sort of like pizza/bread dough. 🙂
Thank you very much. Looks good. Going to try this today.
Thanks for posting 🙂
Hi,
do you have a recipe for minestrone soup?
Thanks
Hi Ed! Yes, it’s here: http://www.manusmenu.com/minestrone 🙂
Thank you so munch
can you use anything else instead of lard?
You can substitute it with the same amount of softened butter. 🙂
Thank looking forward to making them at the weekend 🙂
These look incredible! I love anything nutella too so this recipe is perfect.