Saturday Morning Chocolate Rolls
There is nothing like bread and chocolate on a lazy Saturday morning. The French call it pain au chocolat. I call it YUM!
My chocolate rolls are a cross between a cinnamon roll and a chocolate croissant. They are easy to make and can be frozen either before or after baking.
The Ingredients:
For the rolls:
1 cup whole milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1/4 cup for kneading) 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 Tbsp salt
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
For the rolls:
1/4 cup softened butter
sugar for sprinkling
The Directions:
Heat milk, oil and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat until it starts to simmer. Make sure to remove it from the heat before it boils. It's going to look foamy like this:
Cool the milk mixture just until it is warm. This takes about 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
Add the yeast and let it sit for one minute, until it starts to bloom.
Add the 2 cups of flour, stir with a wooden spoon.
When fully combined, cover with a towel and let it sit in a warm spot for 1 hour. Next add the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
Add enough of the remaining flour to make a tacky (not sticky and not dry) dough. Stir to combine. There is usually no need to knead this dough.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Mix the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together in a microwavable bowl. Heat for one minute, 15 seconds and then stir until chips are melted and smooth. Flour a surface. Put the dough on it and roll it out into a long rectangular shape. Roll it very thin, lots of layers make this better.
Spread the chocolate mixture on top of the dough. Don't let the chocolate sit too long before doing this step, it will thicken and become hard to spread. Roll the dough up and pinch the seam together at the end. Flip the seam to the bottom. Butter a baking pan.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve equal pieces.
Places the rolls into the pan, place a small amount of butter on each roll and sprinkle with sugar. Flip rolls over. This step isn't necessary, but gives the rolls a nice, crispy, carmalized bottom.
Cover with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
They will not rise much during this time. Don't worry. They will rise in the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not overbake. The rolls should be browning on the top, but not too brown on the sides.
I don't put any frosting or icing on these rolls. I think the chocolate is sweet enough. These are best eaten warm.
