Double Chocolate Chip Iced Buns

Christmas will soon be upon us and among the festive food chocolate plays a prominent role.  Whether in advent calendars, selection packs, gold coins or the many foil wrapped, boxed and displayed chocolate treats, it is central to celebration feasting.  Therefore these Double Chocolate Chip Iced Buns are the perfect treat to share and enjoy over the holiday season, or any special occasion.

Since, if you’re going to make a chocolate bun it really should be THE BEST tasting chocolate bun ever.  While light and fluffy these buns are packed with chocolate chips and finished with a thick chocolate icing.  Also these buns tick every box , not too sweet, not too rich, simply the perfect balance of flavour and texture baked into the very best tasting breakfast bun.  Alternatively eaten with coffee as an afternoon treat, these buns need no excuse to be eaten!

Chocolate Buns – the ultimate breakfast – dessert

While these incredible tasting, chocolate packed buns were made with Christmas in mind, there really is no reason at all to stop you baking them at other times.  Any chocolate lover would appreciate a birthday breakfast of Double Chocolate Chip Iced Buns.  Especially if you have friends staying, sleepovers, special occasions, all the perfect excuse to bake.  Finally, they are made and left to prove overnight, so all that’s left to do is bake and glaze in the morning.  Easy.

As soon as my chief taste testers, here at Feasting headquarters had tasted these buns, success was proclaimed.  Even from the harshest of my critics.  Yummy, mmm are there more, escaped from messy chocolate mouths.  As for me, the harshest judge of all, well, I am impressed.  All of the attempts at making the perfect chocolate swirl bread have paid off.  Flavour and texture in perfect chocolate swirled harmony.

Recipe: Double Chocolate Iced Buns makes 10

300ml/10.5fl oz Whole Milk

75g/3oz Unsalted Butter

7g Dried Yeast

2tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

1tsp Caster Sugar

2 Large Free Range Eggs

50g/2oz Cocoa Powder – I use Callebaut

500g/1lb 2oz Strong White Flour

7g Salt – I use Maldon

250g/9oz Milk Chocolate Chips or chopped chocolate – do not use stabilised chocolate chips, as you would for chocolate chip cookies, the chocolate should melt when baked.

Glaze:

250g/9oz Icing Sugar

50g/2oz Cocoa Powder

Method:

Note: I strongly recommend using a stand mixer with dough hook attachment for mixing the dough.  The chocolate dough has a high butter content and is extremely sticky.  Using a stand mixer ensures thorough mixing of the dough.

Making the chocolate brioche dough

• Measure the milk into a microwaveable jug and then add the butter broken into small pieces.  Zap in the microwave until the milk is slightly warmed.  It should feel the same as body temperature.  Also the butter will soften and start to melt.
• Pour the warmed milk/butter into the bowl of the stand mixer.
• Add the yeast, sugar, vanilla extract and both eggs to the bowl.
• Next add the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
• With the dough hook attached mix slowly until the ingredients are combined into a dough.  Continue mixing on medium speed for a further 20 minutes.
• Stop the mixer, lift the dough hook and scrape any dough back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a draft free place until doubled in size.  This first prove may take up to 2 hours.

Shaping the chocolate dough into rolls

• As soon as the dough is ready, turn out on to a lightly floured worktop.  A plastic scraper will help release all of the dough from the bowl.
• Using the technique shown in Easy Homemade Cottage Loaf, pull out the dough and press into the centre. Continue around the edge until the dough is neat and smooth.
• Roll the dough out until it is 30.5cm D x 35.5cm W (12” x 14”) rectangle.
• Sprinkle the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate evenly over the dough.

• Rolling from the wide side of the dough, take the front edge, starting at one side, roll and tuck the chocolate and dough.  Continue across the front edge of the dough until you have formed the beginning of a roll.  Evenly roll the entire dough, tucking and ensuring it is even.  Finish with the seam underneath the finished roll.
• Using a sharp knife cut off the uneven sides.  Divide the roll in half and then cut 5 even potions from each half.  Saw through the dough, using the blade to cut through.
• Place the buns into a large, well buttered baking tin with deep sides. Alternatively  butter 2 deep 8 inch cake tins and place 5 chocolate buns into each.  Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.  The dough will prove very slowly in the cold fridge.

Baking The Double Chocolate Chip Buns

• The next morning remove the chocolate buns from the fridge and allow to come up to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes.
• While the buns are warming preheat the oven 200C/180C fan, 400F, gas mark 6.

• As soon as the buns have warmed place in to the centre of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• While the buns are baking make the chocolate icing glaze.  Weigh the icing sugar and cocoa into a large jug.  Add approximately 6 tablespoons of hot water and stir to mix. The icing should be thick yet still able to pour.  If needed add extra hot water one tablespoon at a time.  Note – the icing will thicken on cooling.
• Check the buns after 30 minutes.  They are baked when the top of the buns are firm and sounds hollow when tapped.
• Once baked remove from the oven.
• Run a palette knife around the outside edge of the buns, carefully lifting the edge of the buns as you do so.
• Place a large board, (I use a chopping board) over the top of the baking tin. Using oven gloves to protect from the heat turn the buns out of the tin.
• Again place a serving dish over the board flip over and the chocolate buns will be right side up, ready to be glazed.
• Use a knife to gently cut through where each bun joins the next.  Move the buns so there is a small gap between them, this ensures the glaze can drip down the sides.

Pouring on the icing

• While the buns are still hot pour over the thick, glossy, chocolate icing.

Serve the buns warm for breakfast as an extra special treat.  While these buns are best eaten on the day they are baked they will keep for 2 days in an airtight container.  A quick 10 second zap in the microwave warms cold buns ready to eat.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Double Chocolate Chip Iced Buns you may also like these:

Homemade Chelsea Buns

Cinnamon Plaited Brioche Bread

Christmas Spiced Fruit Loaf

Make ahead recipes  are a great way to enjoy incredible feasts without having to get up early or spend all day in the kitchen. Because spending time with family and friends enjoying food together is always more important than being stuck in the kitchen, away from the fun. While it is fun to bake and cook together, not everyone has large, open plan kitchens that make this possible. Therefore having this recipe enables you to serve freshly baked buns with minimal effort.

Would you like more make ahead recipes, here on Feasting is Fun?

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing your feast

Sammie xx

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