Easy Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

On Sunday, I woke up with a whole day ahead of me and no rush to do stuff by Monday. So I set to the task of making cinnamon rolls, using the recipe I posted two years ago, with the addition of chopped balsamic strawberries snuck into the dough. As much as I love the result of that recipe, the fact remains that it took me a full five hours from start to finish.

See, I love cinnamon rolls, but I make no secret about the fact that I am one of the laziest people in the world (okay, total exaggeration). So I searched for another recipe that would only require one hour (one and a half, at a push), and my other must have is that the recipe uses yeast instead of baking powder or baking soda. There's just something about it, you know? Cinnamon rolls are essentially a bread... so, I want the bread texture that yeast yields but minus the half day of waiting.

I found just the right one, after searching for two days and trying out multiple recipes (thank God for large families!); I think this is it. This works perfectly, and dare I say it... is actually better than my previous one! So without further ado, here's the recipe, adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls with a Dark Chocolate Glaze

Yields 12(ish) rolls

• 2 3/4 all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dried yeast
• 120ml water
• 60ml milk 
• 40g unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cocoa powder for dusting

Filling:

• 40g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Dark Chocolate Glaze (actually a simple ganache):

• 1/4 cup double cream
• 150g dark chocolate, chopped

1. Mix 2 1/4 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup flour for step 3
2. Heat the water, milk, and butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan then pour into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to get all the ingredients wet
3. Add the egg and the reserved 1/2 cup flour, mix until a soft dough forms
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes, then place the dough in a lightly greased bowl (wipe down a large mixing bowl with some oil or butter). Allow to sit for 10 minutes
5. After 10 minutes, roll the dough out into roughly a 14x8 rectangle, spread the butter over it and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mix (stir the cinnamon and sugar together into a small bowl), and dark chocolate chips
6. Roll the dough (long edge) into itself and cut the log into 1 inch pieces, arrange the rolls cut side up in a lightly greased and floured 8" round baking tin. Cover the rolls with a clean cloth and allow to sit in a warm, dry place for 1 hour
7. When the hour is up, the dough should have plumped up into fat little rolls, preheat the oven to 180°C, brush the top of the rolls with milk and dust with cocoa powder and bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are a golden brown
8. Cool the rolls on a wire rack for 10 minutes. In the meantime, make the dark chocolate glaze by heating the cream in a saucepan, then pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until it melts and comes together. Pour the glaze over the rolls right before serving and enjoy!