Michelle Darmody: How to bake the perfect chocolate rolls

Sweet danish chocolate pastry and cup of coffee,selective focus

Following on from last week's yeast-based recipe. This is a sweet version of a yeast dough, a chocolate-filled yeast bun. There is something wonderfully satisfying about pulling apart these warm swirled rolls after they come out of the oven. 

I am always at pains to let them cool down properly and I bounce them between my fingers, trying to cool them enough to pop a piece into my mouth. Waiting is the hardest part when the chocolate and fresh bread smells have filled the kitchen

This recipe is a twist on a babka, which is popular throughout Eastern Europe and in many Jewish communities. A more commonly known version from Scandinavia is cinnamon rolls, which are often made with the addition of chopped pecan nuts in the United States. 

These all use a yeast dough. Powdered granules of yeast have made it easier to create these buns at home. 

Do keep an eye on the expiry date on the sachets of yeast, as any past the use-by date, will doubtfully be active. 

Yeast needs to activate during the kneading and proving process; it is the activation from the yeast that gives these buns their wonderful rise. 

Chocolate rolls

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This recipe is a twist on a babka, which is popular throughout Eastern Europe and in many Jewish communities. A more commonly known version from Scandinavia is cinnamon rolls, which are often made with the addition of chopped pecan nuts in the United Stat

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 110ml milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 egg

• 300g strong flour

• 7g fast acting yeast

• 60g golden caster sugar

• ½ tsp ground cardamom

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• pinch of fine sea salt

• Dash of light rapeseed or sunflower oil

• For the filing:

• 100g dark chocolate, melted

• 75g butter

• 50g light muscovado sugar

• 50g ground almonds

• 2 tsp cocoa powder

• 1 egg, lightly whisked

Method

1. Place the butter and milk into a saucepan and heat gently over a low heat until shivering on top.

2. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

3. Lightly whisk the egg and vanilla together and set aside.

4. Stir the flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and salt together until combined.

5. Make a well in the centre and add the cooled milk and the egg mixture. Bring everything together with a wooden spoon or with a dough hook if you have a

6. Knead with your mixer or by hand on a lightly floured surface for just over eight minutes or until the dough forms into a smooth ball.

7. Oil a large bowl which will fit into your fridge and place the ball of dough into it.

8. Cover the bowl in a damp tea towel and place it in your fridge overnight.

9. To make the filling, whisk the butter, sugar, ground almonds and cocoa powder until combined. Stir in the melted chocolate and set aside to firm up.

10. Remove your dough from the fridge, lightly oil a clean work surface and shape the dough into a large rectangle with your hands.

11. Spread the filling over the dough.

12. Roll the dough into a long sausage shape.

13. Lightly oil a large flat baking tray.

14. Cut the sausage into 8 discs. Pinch the seams tight and place the rolls on the baking tray.

15. Set aside, covered, in a warm place to rise for about two hours.

16. Preheat your oven to 180ºC.

17. Brush the buns with egg wash.

18. Bake for about 30 minutes until risen and golden.

Baker's tips

Do not worry if the dough has not risen much when it is resting overnight in the fridge. It is a slow rise at that temperature and mainly serves to add complexity to the flavour.

When you are doing the second rise of the dough, you do want to add air bubbles and some height to the rolls. This needs to happen in a warm place. If your kitchen is chilly perhaps place the tray into a hot press. You want the dough to rise by about half again. Keep it covered with a damp tea towel and tray and keep the tea towel from touching the dough. Covering the rolls with a damp tea towel keeps the dough soft and allow it to rise properly until it is puffed up and light.

Evenly spread the filling over the rectangle of dough, leaving a centimeter free around the edge so it does not ooze out when rolling.

You can use two trays and place four rolls on each tray if you wish. They will have a bit more room to expand as they bake and will not touch each other. Either way you can turn the tray or trays towards the end of baking if your oven has hot spots.

When slicing the sausage of dough, it is best to use a sharp serrated knife, so the dough is not compressed too much. Gently saw the dough with the knife and press down lightly as you do.

If you find rolling and cutting the sausage of dough creates untidy rolls you can spread the topping on the rectangle and use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips then roll these strips up to form individual rolls. This does not work for bulkier toppings like the raspberry or fruit and nut rolls, below.

You can make this recipe up to the second rise, then freeze the rolls. Before you would like to serve them, let the buns thaw overnight in the fridge then let rise in a warm place, and bake as instructed.

These are best eaten on the day they are baked, but will stay fresh at room temperature for two days in a sealed container.

Three delicious variations

Cinnamon buns

Blend 150g of soft brown sugar with 125g of soft butter and 3 teaspoons of powdered cinnamon until well combined. Spread this over the dough in the same way you did the chocolate filling and continue with the recipe.

Raspberry rolls

I love raspberries in this recipe: you can add a combination of raspberry jam, fresh raspberries and orange zest. I omit the powdered cinnamon from the dough and double up the cardamom instead. Mash 100g of raspberries with 150g of raspberry jam and the zest of an orange.

Fruit and nut rolls

You can make a celebration of dried fruit and nuts by combining dried 80g cranberries, orange zest from 2 oranges, 100g brown sugar, 100g chopped pecans, 80g golden raisins and a tablespoon of brandy. Allow to soak and for the flavours to blend, then make the rolls with this as the filling instead of the chocolate.