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Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Icing

Prep Time1 hour 50 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Servings: 12 buns

Ingredients

Dough (see note 1):

  • 1 egg
  • 250ml (1 cup) milk
  • 50g (3 tbsp + 2 tsp) butter
  • 400-450g (3⅓ -3¾ cups) spelt flour (see note 2)
  • 30g (4 tbs) cocoa
  • 40g (¼ cup) brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar / extract
  • 7g (2 tsp) dried yeast (see note 3)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

  • 75g (⅓ cup) butter (room temperature)
  • 60g (⅓ cup) brown sugar
  • 20g (1½ tbsp) white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Additional ingredients

  • 30g (1 ounce) milk chocolate (chopped into chunks)
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar / extract
  • icing sugar (enough to make a thick paste)

Instructions

DOUGH

    Bread Machine:

    • Add the egg, milk and butter to your bread machine pan. Then add 400g (3¼ cups) of flour, and the remaining dough ingredients, taking care to keep the yeast and salt separate as much as possible. Set your machine to make dough.
    • On a very well-floured surface (the dough will be very sticky) work in just as much flour as you need to make a soft, pliable, but still a little tacky, dough.

    Stand Mixer:

    • Add the egg, milk and butter to your stand mixer bowl, and mix together. If the butter is straight out of the fridge, it won't combine with the other wet ingredients too much, but that's okay.
    • Add 450g (3¾ cups) of flour, and the remaining ingredients. The dough should be sticky, but if you need more flour, just add a little at a time. Be careful: too much flour will result in dry bread.
    • Switch to a dough hook (if you have one) and allow the mixer to knead the dough for around 10 minutes, just until soft. The dough will still feel a little tacky to the touch, but will be able to slowly drop off the hook.
    • Cover the dough and leave to proof (until it has doubled in size - usually about an hour).
    • When the dough is ready, knock it back, and on a floured surface, form into a rough ball.

    Both Methods:

    • Roll out the dough until you have a rectangle of around 37cm x 52cm (have the shorter side facing you).
    • Spread the butter evenly over the dough, leaving a narrow edge (around 1cm) all the way round.
    • Combine the sugars and cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter, using your fingers to evenly distributed the mixture.
    • Carefully begin to roll up the dough, pulling it fairly taut as you roll.
    • Place the dough, seam side down, and cut into 12 rolls.
    • Pop the rolls on a lined baking tray or in a greased tin, allowing for a little space in between. Cover the dish or tray with a tea-towel.
    • If baking immediately: pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400℃. Cover the buns with a tea-towel, and leave them to rest for around 30 minutes.
    • Overnight buns:  cover the buns with clingfilm and place in the fridge. In the morning, pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400℃ and allow the buns to come up to room temperature (I usually sit the dish on top of my oven as it's heating up).
    • When ready to bake, sprinkle with the chocolate chunks.
    • Bake for around 20-25 minutes.

    Frosting:

    • Allow the buns to cool for a while.
    • Prepare the frosting by mixing the milk and vanilla essence together, then add as much icing sugar as needed to make a thick paste.
    • Drizzle with a spoon, or pour over the buns and eat while still warm. Enjoy!

    Notes

     
    1. I have made the dough using both a stand mixer and bread machine. Although I see no reason why you couldn't make the dough by hand, I have not personally tried it.
    2. You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
    3. In Sweden we have something called dried yeast. It is used both in warm liquid to proof and also added directly to flour. I am aware that the US has two options for dried yeast, and I believe dry active yeast is the most similar to our dried yeast.
     
    DISCLAIMER:
     
    I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made the recipe with imperial measurements.
     
    In addition, many ingredients are different in Europe compared to North America. I do all I can to offer possible alternatives and to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone. However, results cannot always be guaranteed if you have not used the same ingredients, measurements or methods as me.
     
    Lastly, I do everything I can to ensure that my recipes (and instructions) are accurate and easy to follow. However, I am human, and don't always get it right. If you notice anything strange, a mistake, or even a typo, please let me know in the comments.