Twisty Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Buns

Twisty Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Buns
Makes around 30 small buns or 14 larger ones. I always make a large batch and freeze at half to pull out and bake when we fancy them.

500g strong bread flour
250g regular spelt or wholemeal flour

5tsp fast-action dried yeast
A pinch of sea salt
120g unsalted butter, melted
475ml milk of your choice
150ml maple syrup (you could use local honey)

For the hazelnut SQUIDGE:

1x200g jar @seggianofoods crunchy hazelnut cacao spread

100g 70% fair-trade dark chocolate, chopped

1 beaten egg, for glaze and bake

Straight into the bowl of a kitchen aid or food processor tip the flours, salt and dried yeast. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the milk, maple syrup or honey and heat to blood temp. Tip: when you stick your finger in the pan, the liquid should be neither hot nor cold, just tepid. 

Using the dough hook (or by hand if not) add the liquid to the flour and knead for about 10minutes or until the dough is no longer sticky. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size. 

Here comes the TWIST: 

This recipe makes BIG buns, so if you don’t fancy that divide the dough in half and roll out in 2 batches for smaller ones. 

Throw a little flour on your work bench rolling out the dough into a large rectangle, I’d say roughly 60 x 40cm. Spread over the hazelnut butter then scatter the chopped chocolate. Carefully lift one third of the dough (closest to you) and fold it two-thirds of the way up, then fold down the top third, so you have a sort of envelope. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into roughly 14 x 3 cm wide strips. With each strip, carefully stretch and twist it three times around your fingers, tying into loose knot-shaped bun with the end tucked into the middle. Prove the buns on a baking sheet lined with reusable bake-o-glide, a silicone mat or compostable parchment for another half an hour.  

Pre-heat the oven to 200c fan, brush the buns with beaten egg and bake for 10minutes, then turn down the temperature to 180-190c (you know your oven) and finish with a final ten minute blast. 

TIP: if you don’t want to bake (or eat) such a large batch at once, twist them all up, prove the buns you want to eat, then any remaining ones pop into the freezer, covered, and pull out to bake whenever you want one. 

Check out my instagram reels for twisting the buns, too!