German Braided Loaf with Nut Filling (Nusszopf Recipe)

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If you’re looking for an easy, traditional German nut braid, this Nusszopf recipe is exactly what you need. Soft, moist Braided Loaf with Nut Filling: full of flavor, while still being simple to make with dry yeast. The homemade nut filling with walnuts and hazelnuts keeps the braid perfectly juicy and gives it that authentic, old-fashioned taste — without the risk of a dry or underbaked center.

Here is my recipe for classic German Nusszopf ( Nut Braid) — inspired by those old-school German granny recipes and, if you have German ancestors, the kind of baking your Oma probably did without ever writing anything down properly.

But I made a few very intentional changes to this German Nut Braid.

Because while those traditional recipes are great in theory, they also have a tendency to give you a braid that looks perfect on the outside and then… are a bit drier than you would like them to.

So this one has a proper homemade nut filling with walnuts and hazelnuts, cream instead of milk (non-negotiable), more cinnamon, and an optional spoon of hazelnut butter that makes the whole thing feel a bit more ‘refined’.

What you get is a yeasted braided loaf that’s soft, rich, actually flavorful and, most importantly, fully baked through without drying out. Which, apparently, is more rare than it should be.

Reasons to love this recipe

• The filling is actually moist and flavorful, not dry and sad
• Made with simple ingredients and dry yeast
• Optional hazelnut butter takes it from “nice” to “wow”
• Reliable baking method — no raw center surprises

Tips how to make German Nut Braided Loaf

This is where things usually go wrong.

Most recipes bake filled yeasted dough too hot and too fast. Instead:

• Bake at 340°F / 170°C (top/bottom heat)
• Bake for 35–45 minutes

If it browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil and keep baking.

Done when:

• Deep golden brown
• Sounds slightly hollow when tapped
• Internal temp: 198–203°F / 92–95°C (if you want to be precise)

If in doubt: leave it in 5–10 minutes longer. Yeast dough forgives that. Raw centers do not.

Tips

• Let the filling cool slightly before spreading
• Don’t overload the filling or it will slide everywhere
• Let the braid cool completely before slicing (yes, this is the hardest part)

For more traditional German recipes, try my Poppy Seed Braided Loaf and if you like nuts, you will also enjoy my German Hazelnut Cake

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German Nut Braid – Nusszopf Recipe

If you’re looking for an easy, traditional German nut braid, this Nusszopf recipe is exactly what you need. Soft, moist Braided Loaf with Nut Filling: full of flavor, while still being simple to make with dry yeast. The homemade nut filling with walnuts and hazelnuts keeps the braid perfectly juicy and gives it that authentic, old-fashioned taste — without the risk of a dry or underbaked center.

Course Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine German

Keyword braided loaf with nut filling, german nusszopf, german nut braid

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Resting 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 3 hours

Servings 9 -12

Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients

• Ingredients

For the dough:

• 4 1/4 cups 525 g all-purpose flour
• 1 packet 7 g dry yeast
• 1/4 cup 60 g sugar
• 1 cup minus 1 tbsp 225 ml milk
• 1/4 cup 60 g butter, softened
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the filling:

• 2 cups 200 g ground walnuts (or hazelnuts or almonds)
• 1 cup 100 g chopped hazelnuts
• 2/3 cup 150 ml heavy cream
• 3/4 cup 150 g sugar
• 1 1/2 –2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• optional: 1 tbsp hazelnut butter
• 2 tbsp rum optional but thats how granny did it

Icing

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, dry yeast and sugar.
2. Warm the milk and butter gently until the butter is melted. It should be just lukewarm, not hot.
3. Add the milk mixture, egg and salt to the flour and knead into a dough. Knead for 5–10 minutes (or 10–15 by hand) until smooth and elastic.
4. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

5. For the filling, combine walnuts, hazelnuts, cinnamon and cocoa. Heat cream and sugar. Add hazelnut butter and rum if using and stir until dissolved, then pour over the nuts. Stir well and let cool slightly.

6. Roll the dough into a rectangle (about 18 x 12 inches / 45 x 30 cm). Spread the filling evenly.
7. Roll up tightly from the long side into a log. Slice lengthwise and twist the two strands together with the cut sides facing up.
8. Place on a lined baking sheet, cover and let rise again for 25–30 minutes.
9. Bake at 340°F / 170°C for 35–45 minutes. Cover with foil if it browns too quickly.
10. Let cool completely before slicing.

11. For serving, I drizzle a simple icing made from icing sugar and lemon juice over it. For that, just stir lemon juice into icing sugar. You can also use cream or rum instead of lemon juice.