From the Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook, Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez and the Bakers of Hot Bread Kitchen.
Ingredients
Dough ingredients:
- ¼ cup water room temp
- 1 teaspoon dry yeast
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
Chocolate filling ingredients:
- 17 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks+1 Tablespoon)
- 2 1/8 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
Directions
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook stir together the water and yeast. Add the egg, butter, flour, salt and sugar. Mix on low for 3 minutes, then mix for another 5 min on medium / high until the dough is smooth and elastic and cleans the side of the bowl. If mixing by hand, see note below.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, shape into a round ball, and place the dough onto a lightly floured baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes.
- Next, make the filling. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and cinnamon, mixing on low speed until well blended. Set the filling aside at ROOM TEMP, DO NOT REFRIGERATE! It’s ok to make filling in advance, the day before, and leave at room temp. Leaving the filling at room temp will make it super easy to spread.
- After dough has rested for 90 minutes, place dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll dough into a 10” disk with a rolling pin.
- Spread the chocolate filling over the disk, covering the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Roll the dough up tightly into a log. Cut the log in half lengthwise.
- Next twist the two pieces of dough together, (it should be about 4 twists) and again press the end of the twist with the heel of your hand to seal.
- Butter a 4×8 loaf pan well. Place the twisted dough in the buttered pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes. Dough is ready when poked with finger the indent stays, if the dough springs back, it needs more time rising.
- Preheat oven to 350F and position rack in middle of oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes until rich golden brown. Remove the loaf from the pan to completely cool before slicing.
*Note if mixing by hand: Stir the water and yeast together in a large bowl. Stir in the egg using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add all of the dry ingredients and the room temp butter. Mix all of the ingredients until all are well incorporated and form a loose ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic, continue with the recipe. When making the filling, cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer or wooden spoon.
