Chocolate and Orange Buns
Is there anything nicer than the smell of orange and chocolate wafting from the kitchen? Especially when cinnamon and ginger are in the mix. I cannot think that there is. These buns, which are light in texture and heavily spiced, are exactly what you want with a cup of tea after working in the garden on a chilly morning.
makes 8-10 buns
what you need
1 cup of warm milk
7g instant yeast
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
70g butter, melted
1 egg
juice and zest from 1 orange
1 teaspoon of rosewater
550g of plain flour
1/2 cup of raw sugar
3 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of currants
3/4 cup of chocolate chips or cooking chocolate
decorative sugar to sprinkle on top
what to do
Combine the orange zest and juice, rosewater and currants in a small bowl and allow the currants to plump up for 30 minutes.
Whisk the milk, vanilla extract, caster sugar and yeast in a bowl and allow to stand for 10 minutes until foamy. Add the egg, melted butter and the juice from the currants and give it a whisk. Transfer to a stand mixer with the dough hook attached or knead by hand if you don’t have one.
Combine the flour, raw sugar, salt, spices, currants and chocolate chips in a bowl and stir to combine.
Add flour mix to the wet one cup at a time and then knead for 15 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky, but that is how you want it. Oil your hands with a bit of olive oil and transfer the dough to a large bowl, also coated with olive oil. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size.
Once risen, punch down the dough and then gently form it into a log. Divide the log into 8 larger or 10 smaller sized buns. Place onto baking trays with high sides, cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for at least an hour. Ideally, you would place these in the fridge to slow prove overnight and bake them in the morning. This allows the flavours to develop really nicely. The texture of the buns is also improved by doing this.
However, if you do not have the time for an overnight rise, a solid hour in a warm spot will do. After they have proved, brush the buns with egg and sprinkle the decorative sugar on top.
Bake in a fan-forced preheated 170C oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to cool on a wire rack before eating. Then enjoy them, cut in half and toasted under the grill and then slathered in butter. I find this simple way is best.