The recipe for my Chocolate Swirls - a sweet dough with a dark chocolate mix running through. Chocolate & bread...what more could you ask for?
This includes a recipe for my sweet dough that can be used to make an endless list of different sweet treats. You can use this dough recipe with any filling you wish and create any shape you like with it. You can also add flavour to the dough if you wish, or even run some dried fruit through. This recipe can be easily doubled too - this is the amount I use in my cinnamon buns recipe.
I really love these chocolate swirls, they taste lovely warmed up with a coffee in the morning! They're not super sweet, so adding some sugar to the tops before baking would be a good idea if you have a real sweet tooth. You could also increase the amount of sugar in the filling, personally I prefer it how it is - the chocolate is quite bitter which I like & I think it's perfectly balanced - but feel free to play around with the sugar amounts. If you like, you can roll the dough into a wider rectangle & create bigger swirls, or do it even thinner to create mini ones, just remember to alter the baking time slightly if you do this!
RECIPE
Ingredients:
This recipe makes 14-16 chocolate swirls.
For the sweet dough:
- 120ml milk (warm)
- 50g caster sugar
- 2tsp active dried yeast
- 260g plain flour
- 2 eggs (one for egg wash)
- 1/2tsp salt
- 55g unsalted butter (softened)
For the filling:
- 30g light brown soft sugar
- 30g caster sugar
- 60g unsalted butter
- 2tbsp cocoa powder
- 100g dark chocolate
You will need:
- 3 baking trays
- baking paper
- rolling pin
Method:
Step-By-Step Rolling Process
Dough:
- Stir together half the sugar and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl if you're working by hand. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. Give it a stir to ensure all the yeast has been incorporated & leave to activate for around 5 minutes. The mix should froth slightly (see step-by-step photos).
- Once the yeast has been activated, add the rest of the sugar, the salt, 1/4 of the flour, and stir to combine.
- Add 1 egg and stir, making sure all of the ingredients are combined.
- Stand mixer: Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed whilst gradually adding the remaining flour (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl in between additions). By hand: Use a wooden spoon to mix in the rest of the flour (this may take a while but be patient!).
- Stand mixer: increase the speed to medium, and add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Then beat for an additional 4 minutes until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth, slightly sticky, and stretchy. By hand: Incorporate the butter into the dough using a wooden spoon (again, this may take a while - but it's worth it!). Then knead the dough on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, slightly sticky and stretchy. For a how-to on kneading, check out my 'tips & tricks' section below.
- Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm spot to prove for 1-2 hours until at least doubled in size.
- After proving, the dough should have roughly doubled in size and be light and airy - if not, leave it a little while longer.
- When your dough is ready, punch out the air and bring the dough together in the bowl.
- Filling: Add the butter & both sugars to a saucepan and heat on low until melted, stirring every so often. Once melted, add the cocoa powder & chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Set this mixture aside.
- Tip your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. Make a cut down the centre of the rectangle to create two equal pieces (see step-by-step photos).
- Spread the slightly cooled filling over both piecesand place one on top of the over to enclose the filling. Pinch the edges to seal the dough.
- Roll out lengthways & begin to cut 1" strips of dough. Half these strips and roll up to create your swirls. Repeat until you've used up all of the dough.
- Space the swirls out onto baking trays lined with baking paper.
- Leave to prove for a second time for around 40 minutes.
- When you have 20 minutes left on the clock for the second prove, preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan.
- Beat the remaining egg and brush over the top of the chocolate swirls. You can also sprinkle some demarara sugar on top too before placing in the oven.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. They should be nice and golden on top (don't worry if you think they look a little burnt - trust me, they're not). Take the chocolate swirls out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Either allow the to cool completely or enjoy them fresh out of the oven - I think they taste best warm!
I recommend eating your chocolate swirls warm. Eat them straight out of the oven, or, for best taste and texture, once cool place in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before eating!
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They should last for up to 3 days.
P.S. your kitchen should smell like a bakery!
ENJOY!
Tips & Tricks
Yeast:
- To activate the yeast, the liquid should be warm, but not hot - too hot and it will kill the yeast.
- After leaving to activate for 5 minutes, the mixture should be frothy, if not, your best bet is to tip it out and start again!
Kneading:
- Kneading develops the gluten and allows the dough to become stretchy and smooth. Without kneading, your dough will not rise whilst proving.
- To knead by hand: On a floured surface, push the dough away from you with one hand, whilst pulling towards you with the other (don't push/pull enough to tear the dough though!). Bring the dough back together and repeat this action for 10 minutes. The dough will be properly kneaded when your hands are free from dough!
Proving:
- Make sure that once the dough is kneaded, it is still a little sticky. If the dough is dry or coated in flour, it will not rise properly during the proving period.
- Without using an excess amount of oil, ensure the bowl and the dough is well greased before covering.
- Cover tightly with cling film.
- The dough will rise best in a warm environment.
If anyone is struggling with measurements, check out my conversion charts - these are really handy for any recipe, so save or print them so you have them to hand for any tasty treat you bake.
Thank you so much for reading this blog post! I've also uploaded a video tutorial of this recipe to my Instagram, so head over and take a look at that if you want to follow along with me! Or, try this recipe out using the steps and photos to follow along. If you do, or if you try different shapes and flavours, please send over a picture of the finished product and let me know how it tastes! Share this recipe with your family and friends, everyone will be able to alter this recipe slightly to achieve a treat they'll love, all whilst learning some key skills for baking.
Please leave a rating below, let me know if you found this recipe easy to follow, and ask any questions you might have - i'll get back to you! Suggestions for other recipes are also welcome.
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Until next time,
Abby x
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