‘You can’t say anything bad about chocolate’
MT’s chocolate rolls are similar to the cinnamon rolls she made a few weeks ago, but the filling is different.
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
“Oh, that hit the spot,” sportswriter Kevin Carroll said with a happy sigh after tasting a chocolate roll from the Times Leader Test Kitchen.
“It was warm and soft and a little messy — but that’s OK,” he continued. “It was perfect to come in from the cold and find a plate of this.”
I’d brought the chocolate rolls to the newsroom on Tuesday, one of the coldest days we’ve had in years. And I’m pleased to say they were a hit.
“I give it two thumbs up,” said news editor Liz Baumeister. “I’d give it three thumbs up, if I had another hand.”
“It’s flavorful,” reporter Sam Zavada said. “A good snack for this time of year.”
“You can’t say anything bad about chocolate, ever,” said columnist Bill O’Boyle, pointing to the filling, for which I’d used the chocolate/hazelnut spread Nutella, straight from the jar.
The filling is “like a fudge,” said editor Will Billingsley, one of several tasters who said they were glad I’d warmed up the servings before I passed them around.
“I can tell it’s homemade dough,” Liz said.
As I admitted to a few tasters, I’m always nervous when I make something with yeast; I always seem to be holding my breath, hoping the yeast will indeed make the dough rise. This time, it worked. Whew!
For these rolls, I used the same dough recipe I’d used for cinnamon rolls in early December. And I substituted whole-wheat flour for one of the four cups of all-purpose flour in the recipe. To make the rolls chocolate instead of cinnamon, I spread almost the entire contents of a 13-ounce jar of Nutella over the dough before I rolled it into a log.
Closer to home, our neighbor Roger called the chocolate rolls “delightful” and “almost decadent,” and husband Mark said, “It’s so rich you’ll be tempted to eat it with a fork.” Mark actually thought the chocolate rolls were a little too rich, and seemed to like the cinnamon rolls better.
Now here is the recipe I used, based on one from Ursula at the Lil Vienna food blog, but adapted for chocolate filling.
CHOCOLATE ROLLS
For the dough:
1 ¼ cups lukewarm milk
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and lightly cooled
1 large egg
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 ¼ teaspoons fine salt
For the filling:
About 12 ounces of chocolate/hazelnut spread
Making the dough:
You can make the dough by hand or in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm milk and sugar. Sprinkle instant yeast on top and let sit for 1 minute (or 5 minutes if using active dry yeast). Add in the melted butter and egg, stirring to combine.
Add in salt and roughly half the flour (simply eyeball it), stirring until mixed well. Add in the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes on medium-low. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and be slightly sticky. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more flour if necessary.
Place dough inside an oiled bowl. Turn to coat and cover with a fitting lid or plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the room temperature.
After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Put the dough on a well-floured counter and roll it out into a 22 x 15-inch rectangle for rolls with many fine layers. If you prefer several thick layers, roll the dough into a 15-inch square. While rolling, frequently flour dough and counter underneath to prevent sticking.
Use a knife or a soft spatula to spread the chocolate/hazelnut spread over the dough.
Roll up the dough into a 15-inch long log. Position it seam side down. Cut dough into 12 equal slices, each about 1.25 inch.
To bake: Arrange the rolls cut side up in a 9×13-inch baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Let rolls rise covered at room temperature until puffy (but not doubled in size), about 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.
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