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Sourdough chocolate buns with cream cheese

They are seriously delicious buns, and not too sweet at all.
While writing Homemade Sourdough, I tested and slightly adapted a recipe for chocolate and cream cheese buns.  Up front:  the original recipe is not mine and for the life of me I cannot remember whose it is. If the author is reading this please let me know!
This is one of many sourdough recipes on my website and I hope that the collection on the site is enough to inspire you to get sourdough baking and, of course, to buy the book - which is terrific, by the way!
Back to the buns.  I confess I was dubious.  I thought they would be dreadful.  I had never made chocolate bread before.  I thought the filling would be sickly. How wrong I was.
Cook Time30 minutes
Servings:0
Author:Jane Mason
Cost:££

Equipment

  • bowls, scrapers, baking tray, non stick parchment, scale

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 50 g Wheat sourdough starter from the vat in the fridge
  • 350 g White wheat flour
  • 50 g Water
  • 160 g Milk
  • 50 g White sugar
  • 50 g Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 6 Salt
  • 1.5 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 30 g Cacao powder
  • 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda This is necessary to help the buns stay soft

For the filling

  • 225 g Cream cheese
  • 25 g White sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 Egg
  • 60 g Unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 Pinch Salt

Before baking

  • 2 tbsp butter melted and cooled

Icing (optional)

  • 110 g Icing sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 60 g Milk

Instructions

Day One

  • Measure the sourdough starter into a large bowl and return any remaining starter to the refrigerator.
  • Add 50 g of the flour and all the water.  Stir and cover with a shower hat, and leave on the counter for around 8 hours or overnight

Day Two

  • Add the remaining 300 g of flour and all the other dough ingredients and knead well for 10 minutes.
  • Put the dough in a bowl, cover it with a shower hat and leave for 4 hours.
  • Meanwhile, using a hand beater, beat together the ingredients for the filling.
  • Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and roll it into a  rectangle that is 55 cm x 25 cm.
  • Gently spread the filling all over the dough - this is harder than it sounds so just be patient.
  • Roll the dough up from one of the long ends, using a scraper to help you.
  • Place it seam side down on the counter and slice the sausage of dough into 18 equal pieces.
  • Place the pieces of dough on baking tray that you have lined with non stick parchment paper.
  • Brush the tops and sides with butter and then lightly cover with plastic wrap and let the buns rest for 2 hours or until they pass the probe test.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and put the buns in.
  • Bake the buns for 30 minutes.
  • Remove them from the tray and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
  • If you want to ice them, do it when they are cool.

Notes

If you would like to ice them, mix the icing ingredients together and then, with a spoon, dribble the icing all over the tops of the buns.