Chocolate truffle praline buns
almond and hazelnut praline mixed into a cream chocolate mixture, filled fluffy buns.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
For the dough
- 350 grams strong white bread flour
- 7 g sachet of fast action yeast
- 5 g salt
- 40 g sugar
- 100 ml whole milk (warmed in the microwave for 35 seconds)
- 3 medium eggs lightly beaten
- 20 g butter softened
For the chocolate praline filling
- 100 g blanched hazelnuts
- 30 g flaked almonds
- 2 tbsp water
- 150 g caster sugar
- 100 g dark chocolate I used a bar of sea salt dark chocolate, add a pinch of flaked salt if using regular dark chocolate
- 150 ml double cream
Instructions
For the dough
- To make the dough add the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the packet of fast action yeast to one side of the bowl, pour in the milk and start mixing. Add the eggs and beat at high speed, kneading the dough for 5 minutes. Add the butter a little at a time, kneading for 3 more minutes. Alternatively knead by hand
- Place in an oiled bowl and leave to rise for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size. Alternatively, rise in the fridge overnight.
Praline filling
- To make the praline, gently toast the nuts in a dry pan for 1 minute. Remove from pan and spread out on some baking paper. In a heavy based pan add the sugar and water and stir until just combined. Leave to simmer, brushing the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush so it doesn’t burn. When it turns a golden amber colour, check it’s at hard boil stage by dripping a little in a bowl of water. If it instantly sets hard it’s ready. Pour over the nuts and leave until it sets hard. (carefully as it will be very hot)
- Break up the praline and whiz in a food processor until it is very finely ground. Break up the chocolate and add to the food processor with the ground praline to finely chop it up.
- Heat the cream in a pan. When it is simmering, pour in the chocolate and praline and mix until the chocolate is melted and it is smooth. Pour the mixture into jars and leave to cool.
- Knock the air out of the dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough out and spread on the filling. (if the filling has been in the fridge you may need to microwave it for 5 to 10 seconds) Roll up into a log, cut into buns and place in a lined tin. Leave to rise again for 1 hour.
- Alternatively, you can shape the buns like stars. Divide the dough into four balls. Cut each ball into three and roll them into flat circles. Working through the four groups containing three circles of dough, spread the filling on and then add the next layer of dough until all three are stacked. Place a small circular object in the centre and then cut the dough in 16 lines around the circle, each cut starting at the circular object and coming out in a straight line to the edge of the dough. Taking 2 sections at a time, twist them together 3 times, press the ends together, arrange them like a star and leave to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Brush the buns with a beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes until golden
- We added some maple and cocoa sweetened mascarpone to some of the buns by simply mixing a few tbsp of maple syrup with 1 tbsp cocoa powder to 250g of mascarpone, then grated some chocolate on top,