teaesk Chocolate Chai Buns

(recipe makes 12 buns)

Gently spiced with our fragrant Chocolate Chai, and warming flavours of cinnamon and cardamom (and a little extra dark chocolate just for cheer!), these buns really are a delight. They look delicious but taste even better, the smell as you pull them from the oven will lift the room and take you to a foreign land.

Best served warm with a large pot of milky chai.

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons teaesk Chocolate Chai
500g plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tsp ground cardamom
80g caster sugar
7g instant dried yeast
250ml milk, warm
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 eggs
100g unsalted butter, softened

Filling:

125g unsalted butter, softened
110g brown sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
100g dark or milk chocolate, roughly chopped

Syrup:

55g caster sugar
60ml water
1 tsp Teaesk Chocolate Chai

Method:

• Line a 12 hole extra-large muffin tin with paper cases, or grease tins well with butter. Place 3 teaspoons of teaesk Chocolate Chai in a small spice grinder, or mortar and pestle, and grind until fine.

• Place flour, salt, ground chai, cardamom, caster sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix to combine.

• In a large jug, whisk milk, vanilla and 2 of the eggs together (reserving the last egg for egg wash). Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in milk mixture. Mix on low until combined, then increase speed slightly and continue to mix for 2-3 minutes. Add softened butter to the dough in three batches and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and coming away from the sides of the bowl (5-8 minutes). 

• Transfer dough to a well-greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap. Place somewhere warm and allow to prove until dough has doubled in size.

• Whilst dough is proving, make filling by combining softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla paste. Mix until smooth.

• When dough has risen, preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Knock dough down and place on a well-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into a rectangle roughly 60cm x 30cm in size and spread evenly with butter filling. Sprinkle over chopped chocolate then starting with one of the long edges use your fingers to gently roll the dough into a log, finishing with the seam underneath.

• Using a sharp knife, slice dough into 12 equal portions. Place one slice, spiral facing up, in each muffin case and set aside to prove again until buns are light and risen. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to gently coat the buns. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

• Whilst buns are cooking, make chai syrup by placing sugar, water and tea in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook until sugar has dissolved and syrup is bubbling. Continue to cook for a few minutes until syrup has reduced and thickened slightly. Strain, discarding tea leaves, and set aside.

• When buns are cooked, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a minute or two in their tins. Then, using a flat bladed knife, gently ease buns from tins and place on a cooling rack. Brush buns with hot syrup, allow to cool a little more, then serve warm with a big pot of chai tea.

These will knock your socks off. I suggest brewing up a pot of milky hot chai (see our 'how to brew chai' video here), finding a cosy spot and settling into a few moments of well deserved decadence.