Spiced chocolate Easter bread

Easter is a pretty big deal in my family, it’s like second Christmas both for religious reasons but also because most of us get quite a good amount of annual leave from work so we land at my parents’ for a few days.

People take Easter food seriously over here with their legs of lamb, cream eggs, simnel cake or anything with marzipan. I am not exactly a fan of either lamb or marzipan though. What I look forward to are the hot cross buns, warmed up sweet cinnamon buns spread with butter.

It is just simple enriched bread with spices and raisins with a flour cross on top, but for the British these little buns have a huge meaning and date back to the 12th century Britain, they are traditionally eaten on Easter weekend and they were traditionally hung on kitchens on Good Friday and people believed they would never go mouldy.

Queen Elizabeth I decreed that hot cross buns could no longer be sold on any day except for Good Friday, Christmas or for burials. They were simply too special to be eaten any other day, so people started to bake them in secret in their kitchens. I love the idea that people hid in their kitchens with flours and spices and put their lives at risk just to enjoy this bun. But with Elizabeth I long gone they are now available all year round in supermarkets. However I do still agree with Liz and see them strictly as an Easter treat.

So there was no way I would pass the opportunity of trying out my own version of the recipe. I tweaked slightly but left the traditional candied citrus peel and spices. My addition is chocolate (what would be Easter without it?) and a twist – literally – on the dough, which makes for a lovely centre piece.

There are a few warnings that come with making this bread, because enriched dough is not like your normal white loaf. The addition of eggs, butter and milk means that the dough can be quite needy. You may feel a wide range of emotions from testing enriched dough, from anger to despair. The main ingredient here is patience and fighting off the basic instinct of adding more flour to the dough. It is important to maintain the dough a little sticky so you can still get a crumbly texture after baking. Yes it is annoying and yes it will get everywhere but if you like to have a challenge in the kitchen, keep reading.

The addition of milk and butter retard the work of the yeast which means it will take its time to rise. My tip is to make the dough the night before and leave it to prove in the fridge.

Spiced chocolate Easter bread

375g strong white bread flour

4g salt

50g caster sugar

7g fast action yeast

1 tbsp grated nutmeg

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cloves

150g candied citrus peel

60g unsalted butter

200ml milk

1 egg and 1 yolk

Filling:

150g milk chocolate, chopped

30g unsalted butter

20g cocoa powder

1 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze:

2 tbsp golden syrup or honey

1 tsp cinnamon

10ml water

1. Tip the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and spices into a large mixing bowl.

2. Melt the butter and add the milk to it, heat this mixture until tepid. Add the egg and yolk to the flour mixture followed by half of the milk and butter and mix with your hands. Keep adding more of the milk mixture until all the flour has incorporated and you have a soft dough. Finally add the candied peel.

3. Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and knead the dough for 15 minutes, the dough will start very sticky but avoid adding more flour, it should become less sticky as you work it. Put the dough into a floured bowl and prove in a warm place, covered with a damp tea towel for 2 to 3 hours or until it doubles in size. Alternatively you can pop the dough in the fridge for 6-8 hours.

4. Make the filling by mixing all the ingredients together over low heat until all the chocolate is melted and butter is combined.

5. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it with a rolling pin. Spread the chocolate mixture on the dough and roll it up. Cut the hole in half and twist the two long pieces around each other, with the inside of the roll facing up as you do this. Make both ends meet and tuck them underneath each other so that it looks like a crown. Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Place the tray inside a clean plastic bag and leave to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.