CHOCOLATE, HAZELNUT AND CINNAMON BABKA BUNS

Cinnamon-spiced enriched bread dough is filled with a dark chocolate and toasted hazelnut spread.

Preparation 1 hour, plus proving, cooling and chilling Cooking about 35 minutes Makes 12

FOR THE DOUGH

275ML WHOLE MILK

500G STRONG WHITE FLOUR, PLUS EXTRA TO DUST

7G SACHET FAST-ACTION DRIED YEAST

40G CASTER SUGAR

2 TSP GROUND CINNAMON

2 MEDIUM EGGS

100G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED AND CUBED; EXTRA TO GREASE

FOR THE FILLING

125G BLANCHED HAZELNUTS

75G DARK CHOCOLATE

75G UNSALTED BUTTER

40G CASTER SUGAR

1 TBSP COCOA POWDER

1½ TSP GROUND CINNAMON

1 TBSP ICING SUGAR

FOR THE GLAZE

100G GRANULATED SUGAR AND ½ TSP GROUND CINNAMON

1 Heat the milk in a pan until it begins to steam; set aside until warm. 2 Put the flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl or electric stand mixer, making a well in the centre. Beat one of the eggs into the lukewarm milk and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well.

3 Add the butter a cube at a time, beating well to create a smooth dough. Knead for 10 minutes. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Cover; leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

4 Meanwhile, make the filling. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Put the hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes; cool completely. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool.

5 Put 75g cooled hazelnuts in a food processor with the caster sugar and blitz until smooth. Roughly chop the remaining nuts.

6 Add the blitzed hazelnut mixture to the melted chocolate with 25g chopped hazelnuts, the remaining filling ingredients and a pinch of salt; mix well. Cover and chill for about 30 minutes.

7 Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Turn the dough onto a floured worksurface and knead for 1 minute. Roll out to a 35cm x 50cm rectangle, trimming to a neat shape. Spread the chocolate mixture in an even layer over the dough, then fold one of the shorter ends over two-thirds and fold the remaining third over, like an envelope, so you have three layers. Roll out so it’s 18cm-20cm wide. Transfer to the baking sheet, cover and chill for 30 minutes.

8 With the shorter side facing you, cut the dough into 12 x 2cm strips. Taking both ends of a strip, twist a few times in opposite directions, keeping the dough flat. Tie into a loose knot and tuck ends under.

9 Put on the baking sheet, 7cm apart, cover and leave to prove for 45 minutes-1 hour, until slightly puffed up.

10 Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) gas mark 5. Beat the remaining egg, brush the buns and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small pan over a low heat, dissolve the sugar with 100ml water and the cinnamon. Increase the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until syrupy.

11 Remove buns from oven; brush with syrup. Sprinkle over hazelnuts.