These Chocolate Buns are pillowy soft and an indulgent chocolate filling makes them moreish. A match made in the oven as I like to say. Baking with yeast is my latest obsession and even then, I like to keep it simple and easy. This recipe is both. With a fail-proof dough recipe, giving you options for a filling of your choice, it couldn’t get easier than this. All you need is some good dry yeast and some patience.
Baking with Yeast
Baking with yeast can be intimidating. It does require some extra time on the whole because you have to wait for the dough to rise, and that’s the important bit; that the dough rises. As such, you want to make sure, your yeast is of good quality and will properly activate and rise. All that waiting and a dough that doesn’t rise can be frustrating.
Here are some important things to ensure your yeast does its work
- Pick a good quality yeast to begin with.
- Make sure the yeast activates. To do this, as given in the recipe instructions in most cases, mix the yeast with a bit of sugar and warm water and set aside for a bit. If the mixture turns foamy and bubbly, your yeast mixture is good to use. Otherwise, discard and start again.
- The water or liquid you mix the yeast in should be just slightly warm. Cold or water that is too hot won’t be conducive for the yeast to activate. So, ensure the liquid is only slightly warm
- Once you’ve made the dough, leave it in a warm place to rise. If the weather is cold, warm your oven for just 5 minutes, turn it off and leave your dough inside the oven to rise. In warmer weather, like we’re currently having in Bangalore, leaving it on the kitchen counter will work just fine
Filling for the chocolate buns
I’ve used Nutella for some buns and dark chocolate for the others. Use a filling of your choice. You can try jam, fruit conserve, chocolate chips, or any chocolate spread too. I loved the chocolate filling the best.
Soft and fluffy buns, filled with chocolate, these Chocolate buns are just the recipe you need.
Adapted from ” Now for Something Sweet” by the Monday Morning Cooking Club
Ingredients
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 tsp aniseed
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp yeast
3 1/2 cups flour
100 gms chocolate chopped /Nutella
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
2 tbsp granulated sugar for sprinkling
Directions
- Place the milk, oil, sugar and 1/4 tsp of aniseed and salt in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat, just until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside until it is lukewarm
- Add the eggs, one at a time to the lukewarm milk mixture, mixing well after each addition
- Then add the yeast, and stir well, followed by the flour and the remaining aniseed
- Tip the mixture onto a clean counter and knead for about 10 minutes until you have a soft dough
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes or until double in size
- Once the dough has risen, divide it into 10 equal parts. Flatten and shape each portion into a square and press one tbsp of the chopped chocolate/Nutella into the centre
- Cover the chocolate with the ends of the square, shape it into a ball and leave it on a lined baking tray, seam side down
- Continue this with the rest of the dough and then leave the stuffed buns to rise for about an hour again
- Preheat the oven to 180 C. Brush the top of the buns with some beaten egg, sprinkle sugar on them and bake the buns for about 15-18 mins, until they are golden on the top and cooked fully.
