Chocolate Espresso Buns

Chocolate Espresso Braided Buns with a Brown Sugar Drizzle

Dough Ingredients:

• 350g bread flour
• 45g sugar
• 15g milk powder
• 7g instant dry yeast
• 5g salt
• 200g whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature and diced

Chocolate Espresso Filling:

• 70g unsalted butter
• 80g dark chocolate
• 65g powdered sugar
• 18g rich cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant espresso granules
• A hint of salt

Espresso-infused Brown Sugar Syrup:

• 50g brown sugar
• 50g water
• ½ tsp instant espresso granules

Baking Steps:

For the Dough:

1. In a mixer bowl equipped with a dough hook, combine all dough ingredients excluding the butter.
2. Knead at a low-medium setting for 10 minutes.
3. Gradually incorporate the butter, adding one piece at a time.
4. Continue kneading for an additional 10-20 minutes or until the dough is stretchy and smooth.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl.

Proofing:

1. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until it expands by 60-70%.
2. Relocate the dough to the refrigerator and let it continue to rise until it doubles in size. Monitor closely as the time can vary based on dough and fridge temperatures.

For the Filling:

1. Gently melt butter over a low flame.
2. Blend in the chocolate until it’s entirely melted.
3. Introduce the remaining ingredients and stir to a smooth consistency.
4. Shift to a bowl and chill for half an hour, ensuring to stir at five-minute intervals until it attains a spreadable consistency.

Shaping and Baking:

1. Place the cold dough on a floured surface.
2. Shape the dough into a 40×40 cm square.
3. Evenly smear the chocolate mixture over the dough.
4. Fold the dough in thirds: Start by folding one edge to cover two-thirds of the dough and then fold the remaining third over it.
5. Segment the dough into nine equal parts.
6. Split each part into four strands and braid them. (You can refer to the provided video for braiding instructions.)
7. Set the braided dough into large muffin cups.
8. Allow them to rise for about 30 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven and bake at 180C/350F for 12-15 minutes.

For the Espresso Drizzle:

1. Heat water and sugar in a saucepan until sugar dissolves, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
2. Take it off the heat, mix in the espresso granules, and blend well.
3. Immediately after removing the buns from the oven, drizzle them generously with the syrup.

Enjoy your delectable Chocolate Espresso Braided Buns!

🫶