A few weeks ago, we celebrated my dad’s birthday, it fell on a Saturday which is my last bake day of the week. Yet, despite being in a bakery all day, I didn’t have time to make a cake! . So in the morning before we left to go down to the river (where we would camp and celebrate), I grabbed a box of celebration chocolates, encased each one in sweet dough and rolled into a ball. They were then baked and dusted with powdered sugar before being packed into the picnic basket.
The thing about celebration chocolate is that everyone has an order from the chocolates they love to the chocolates they hate. Usually this is represented by what gets eaten first (the mini snickers) and what gets left in the box ( the mini bounties). However, because each chocolate was covered in dough, it created a ‘revel’ like experience, no one new what they had until they bit into the roll.
And so these buns not only became a great delicious dessert but also a great game. We had to guess which chocolate we had then would either win if we chose right (or got our favourite) or loose if we guessed incorrectly (and got our least favourite).
I think these buns will definitely make an appearance for all foreseeable celebrations (Christmas, birthdays and, well, just for fun)
Ingredients -Vg conversion in brackets()
For the dough
200ml warm milk (250ml soy milk)
120g melted butter (120g plant based butter)
1 egg (no egg)
500g strong white bread flour
7g instant dried yeast
10g salt
50g caster sugar
Filling
1 pack of celebration chocolates (or any assorted chocolates!)
icing sugar to sprinkle- optional
Method
1) Starting with the wet, pour all your dough ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Either knead by hand for 8 minutes or in a stand mixer fitted in a dough hook for 5. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes (this relaxes the gluten and helps it form bonds) then knead for another 3-4 mins.
2) Scoop the dough into an oiled bowl, pop a cloth over the top and prove for 1hr before placing in the fridge to stiffen. Leave in the fridge for anywhere between 1-24hrs (completely up to you and your bun desire).
3) Scoop the dough onto a floured surface, cut into 18-20 chunks. Place a chocolate in the middle of each chunk, pinch the sides of the dough into the centre and roll into a ball. Place seam side down onto a lined baking tray. Pop a cover over the top and proof for 30 mins.
Preheat your oven to 220c/200fan.
4) Brush the buns with a little milk, then bake for 10-15 mins until golden. Cool for 10 minutes then dust with icing sugar and enjoy! Best served warm ;)
Happy belated birthday to one of the best dads in the world! 🍞