Homemade cinnamon rolls. Fluffy, light, beautiful. Full of chocolate and walnuts. Truly a perfect sweet treat.
Although they are typically seen as a breakfast item, being someone who doesn't tolerate early sweets all that well, I find them excellent for brunch or an after-lunch indulgence. With that being said, they are on the sweeter side because of the chocolate in the dough and the chocolate glaze, so serving them with coffee will always be my heartfelt recommendation.
The filling acts almost as a thin brownie layer in the centre of each of them, and it is beyond perfect when served hot out of the pan. I mean, they are good even cold, but serving them straight from the oven is what I adore for that molten reason alone.
Given that the recipe makes 8 very large rolls, you can absolutely divide the roll into 12 smaller pieces and bake them for a shorter time, making sure they stay soft and pillowy. The dark chocolate glaze is optional, but very welcome, I promise you.
Ingredients
For the soft dough
375 grams plain flour180 millilitres almond milk, warm
30 millilitres neutral oil
20 grams fresh yeast
35 grams granulated sugar
10 grams salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the chocolate walnut filling
80 grams vegan block butter60 grams dark chocolate (75%)
60 grams icing sugar, sifted
20 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
30 grams toasted walnuts, finely ground
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
To serve
50 grams extra dark chocolate (85-90%)Preparation
Start by making the dough. Take a medium bowl, crumble in the fresh yeast, add in the sugar and warm almond milk, and mix well. Set the bowl aside for about 10-15 minutes so the yeast can activate.
Separately sift the flour into a large bowl, add in the salt, and blend well. Once the yeast is ready, make a well in the centre, pour it in, and add in the vanilla and oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until a very soft dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes or so, until it becomes smooth and elastic. If it is sticking too much to your hands or the surface, feel free to add a tablespoon of flour more. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour, or until doubled.
When the dough is almost risen and ready, make the filling. Place the vegan butter, chopped chocolate, sifted cocoa powder, and icing sugar into a saucepan, and place it over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, let everything melt together until completely liquid. Remove from the heat, add in the ground walnuts, cornflour, cinnamon, and vanilla, and blend very well.
As soon as the filling is ready, let the oven preheat to 200°C and line a rectangular baking pan (20x30 cm) with baking parchment. Take the dough out of the bowl, knead it gently, and then roll it out into a large rectangle. Spread half of the filling onto the dough, and fold it into thirds, like folding a letter. Almost as if you were laminating it like croissant dough. Rotate it 90°, roll it out once again, and repeat the folding process once more. Finally, rotate the dough again, roll it out to about 1 centimetre in thickness, and roll it up into a tight roll. Slice into 8 equal pieces.
Arrange them into the prepared pan, cover and let them rise for another 20 minutes. Bake in a nicely preheated oven, at 200°C, for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden. If you wish, you can brush them with a bit of vegan butter for an additionally soft and rich crust. Serve them right away with melted dark chocolate. Yields 8 very rich servings.
