With Easter just around the corner makes this a perfect time to shar another Hot Cross Buns recipe. I had been making Hot Cross Buns at least once a year, every Easter. Although there is nothing wrong maing this bread anytime of the year, Easter is the best time to make it to coincide with the Lenten Season and Easter Celebration. Whether you observe it or not, once thing fo sure we will be on the same page when it comes to this Triple Chocolate Hot Cross Buns.

Why is it called Hot Cross Buns?

The term “hot cross buns” is derived from the traditional spiced sweet bun which is marked with a cross on the top. The “hot” in the name refers to the baking process, as the buns are baked and served warm. The cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus and is traditionally iced or marked with pastry before serving. This symbolism makes hot cross buns a popular treat during the Easter period.

Nowadays there are different variation of Hot Cross Buns, some may not be authentic but I guess the cross marking on the top is what makes it still look like as Hot Cross Buns.

I’ve made few variations of Hot Cross Buns and I often tweak it according to my preference. Maybe some people will sya it is not authentic, that is totally fine. You do you 🙂

Orange Hot Cross Buns

The first variation I made was the Orange Hot Cross Buns and I fell it love with it. It was soft and fluffy, with a nice hint of citus flavor and slight mix of spices. I am not a huge fan of spices on bread but I do not mind adding a sall amount when it calls for it. This was when I started making it and told myself I will make different variation at least every year.

Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns

The secnd one I made was a Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns. What can I say except I was head over heels in love with this one. I even love this more than I love the Orange Hot Cross Buns. The Bread was still the same soft and fluffy, but the bits and pieces of mini chocolate chips inside and out made this switched to my favorite one. I mean chocolate chips in bread?? What’s not to like? Look at those peaking melting chocoate chips? The bread, the bread! So fluffy just like how want it.

Triple Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns

Because the Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns was a total hit, I knew I had to make a chocolate variaton of it. That is what I am sharing with you in this post. A Triple Chocolate Hot Cross Buns, decadent indulgent chocolate buns that you will not be able to resist.

Triple Chocolate, yes! A trio of cocoa powder, melted chocolate and chocolate chips is what made this truly amazing, hands-down favorite. I am telling you, I cannot stop eating this bread which kind of dangerous so take that as a heads-up 🙂

Sticky Dough, Stick to it

One thing different for this bread dough is that it is a bit soft and wet than your usual bread dough. That is because of the addition of melted chocolate. Do NOT skip it or replace it with more cocoa powder. The melted chocolate is what keeps this bread soft and moist. I hve to admit I was a bit worried when I tarnsferred the final dough on the counter as it was really sticking to my hands. I did add 1/2 tablespoon extra bread flour but that is just about it. Adding more could make the bread dense. One of the major challenge in baking with cocoa powder is that it has a tendency to dry out the end product. This is even more true when added to a bread dough. I made 2 batches of this using purely cocoa powder and the bread is a bit more dense and dry.

Chocolate Chips inside and out

Most of the time when I want to fill a bread dough with chocolate chips I would just stuff it in the center. That is an easier way to do it and you can definitely do that. For this one, I did a slightly different approach. I mix in small amount of chcolate chip to the portioned dough, light roll and knead it and then I stuffed it with more chocolate chips in the center. By doing this, you get the chocolate distributed in teh bread rather than just in the center. See how the melted chocolate travels across the buns and not only in the center? This way, every bite gives you that decadent chocolate treat.

Spice it up or maybe not?

As I mentioned above, I am not a fan of spices in bread or pastries. I did not add any spices in this bread but certainly feel free to add anout 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder or All-Spice or combination of different warming spices like nutmeg, ginger etc.

Shine baby shine

Do it! Hot Cross Buns is sometimes called sticky buns for a reason. What made it a sticky buns is the sticky glaze that is brused on top of the bread. The glaze also makes the buns shiny and more appealing, just aesthethic but stil it des count. Appearnce counts a lot especially when you are serving it with family and friends. Often times, a jam is used to brush the top which is what I did with my Orange Hot Cross Buns. For thisvariation, I found and even easier option, sugar syrup! I happen to have some Orange Sugar Syrup and that is just what I used. it is much easier to brush on top as it is not as thick as a jam. To make a simple sugar syrup, simply simmer sugar (white or brwon) and water (2:1 ratio for thick syrup or 1:1 for lighter syrup). Make this ahead of time at least a day or two to allow the consistency to thicken. You can use it as sweetner for cold beverages.

Dark Chocolate or Semi-Sweet

I would say the choice is yours, but my personal choice is dark chocolate for a more intense decadent chocolate flavor. Use 50 – 70% for a stronger flavor. I like how the dark chocolate is not too sweet so I can enjoy more buns without getting overwhelmed. I did not mention white chocolate because I just don’t think it matches, but hey, its your buns so do as you like 🙂

Why Does Dough Need to Rise Twice?

I’ve made quite a lot of bread recipes, from all around dinner rolls, versatile sandwich bread, easy burgers buns, creamy brioche bread and beautiful cinnamon rolls. Most of these bread have something in common, they are all yeast bread that requires the dough to rest twice. It takes a lot of time, but for me it is really worth it. But why do we need to let the dough rise twice? There is a science behind all this and some confusing terminologies involved, so I will save us all that effort of remembering those words and get straight to the point. Juts remember two words, flavor and texture. Allowing the dough to rest twice produces better flavor, and chewier texture because it allows yeast more time to get to work. But this doesn’t mean the we cannot produce a soft and fluffy bread with just 1 proofing. There are variety of recipe now a days that do not require as much time as traditional bread, like this recipe that I am sharing with you. A 1 proofing/rise bread recipe that produces the ultimate soft and fluffy texture. You will be pleased to see how it looks like when you take it out from the oven. Even more, you will not be able to stop singing praise for yourself when you taste how good they are. Trust me, this 1 proofing bread rolls did not compromise any texture and flavor. It taste as good as twice proof bread, but with less time required to make it.

Tips for a Successful Soft Homemade Bread

1. Liquid Temperature – Yeast grows in temperature between 105 – 110F, so its important to have the water that you are using to “proof” it in this range. If you go lower or higher, the yeast might not proof properly. That means the bread will not rise as much, resulting to a flat and tough bread. 
2. Check Yeast Expiry a Date – you might be wondering how come the bread did not rise when you followed exactly the recipe. Well, first thing first, make sure the yeast is not yet expired. Expired yeast is the common reason for flat and dense bread. If your bread did not expand or rise during the rest period, it is most likely that the yeast is not fresh or the water temperature is too hot or cold.
3. Amount of Yeast – Just because you want a tall bread doesn’t mean you have to put as much yeast in the mixture. Sometimes adding too much yeast can cause the bread to collapse during the rest period. Just imagine putting more air than what is needed in a balloon, the balloon will explode. The same case with bread. 
4. Right Type of Yeast – Make sure to use the right one for your recipe, and make necessary adjustments if you want to swap one from another. 
5. Rest Period – Yeast bread needs time to rise. There are bread that uses less yeast but requires more rest time, the likes of No Knead Bread or Artisan Bread which usually require 8- 16 hours rest period to get the volume and to develop the flavor. There are 1 hour bread like my Rosemary Dinner Rolls which used this same bread dough, and there is 1 proofing only bread like this one. The point is, give it time to rest, don’t touch it just leave it in a warm place. The first rest period (if doing double rest) will normally tell you if your dough is good or not. If it rise and almost double in size, then your on the right track. If working on 1 proofing bread like this, your bread should be puff up after the first and only rest period.
6. Expiration and Quality of the Flour – The quality of the flour greatly affect the texture of the bread. All-purpose flour could differ from country to country although they are all called as all-purpose flour. Sometimes it depends on the brand too. The closer the flour to expiration date or if it is already expired, the flour could tend to be drier, which means it would require more liquid than mentioned in the recipe. This is a common issue of way sometimes the dough tend to be tough and dry. This is why sometimes you have to add few more tablespoon from the suggested flour measurement to get the right texture. The dough should be soft, smooth and elastic. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour until it is no longer to sticky to handle. If it is too dry, a small amount of liquid helps provide moisture to the dough. A clean side of the bowl, with the dough slightly sticking at the bottom, a soft, smooth and elastic dough is what You are aiming for.

Ingredients:

• 30g/ 1/4 cup Dark chocolate – melted
• 130ml Lukewarm Milk (110F)
• 6g/ 2 teaspoon Active dry yeast
• 250g 1 3/4 cup Bread Flour
• 7g / 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
• 30g / 1/8 cup granulated Sugar
• 2.5g/ 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Whole Egg
• 20g 1 1/2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 60g/ 1/2 cup Chocolate chips – for the buns
• 3 tablespoon Melted Chocolate – for the cross on top

Instructions:

1. Activate the Yeast: In the mixing bowl, stir in sugar, active dry yeast and warm milk. Leave for 15 minutes to activate. The mixture should be foamy.

Melt 30g Chocolate: Melt the chocolate in the microwave. If you do not have a microwave, pour hot water in a bowl. Put the chocolate in a separate bowl and put the bowl in the bowl with hot water. Cover until the chocolate is melted.

Knead: To the yeast, add bread flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, melted chocolate and egg. Knead for 15 minutes until the dough is soft and well combined. If the dough is too wet, add 1/2 – 1 tablespoon extra bread flour.

Add Butter. Add the softened butter to the dough and knead for another 15 minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky that regular dinner roll bread. This is expected.

First Rest Period: Grease a bowl with oil. Grease your ahnds awith oil and transfer the dough and shape into a ball. Cover and leave in a warm place for 60 minutes or until double in size.

Roll and Shape: Remove the dough and divide to 9 portions. Use a kicthn weighing scale if you have one. Cover the dough as you work on each piece one by one. Flatten and sprinkle few pieces of chocolate chips then roll and light knead. Flatten again and add more chocolate chips in the center. Form into a ball and pinch to seal.

Second Rest Period: Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. Arrange the dough in the pan. 3 rows, 3 pieces each row. Cover and let reast for another 60 minutes.

Pre-Heat the Oven: Pre-heat the oven to 370F.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, rotating the pan half way through the baking.

Cool: Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Transfer in a wirerack to cool down. Do NOT leave on the pan as the steam will make the bottom of the read wet and soggy.

Brush with Glaze: Once cooled down, brush the buns with sugar syrup or jam syrup for a shiny sticky top. Leave for few minutes until the glaze is dry.

Cross on the Buns: Melt 3 tablespoon of chocolate. I recommend dark chocolate for a darker chocolate flavor. Let cool slightly. Transfer in a ziplock sandwich bag and snip the corner to make small opening. Make a vertical and horizontal line on top using the melted chocolate.

Recipe Notes:

• Re-heating suggestion. Re-heat in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds.

Enjoy! If you make this, share and tag me in Instagram #SweetNSpicyLiving. I would like to see your creations too.

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