Here is a quick variation on my previous recipe, using chocolate chips and a reduced amount of milk.
I made it for friends who are slightly lactose intolerant, but it’s proven to be a big hit with everyone else as well. Each bun contained just 1¾ teaspoons of milk. The glaze was made simply of water and sugar, with a little butter added to reduce flakiness (there’s almost no lactose in butter).
I’ve increased the hydration slightly to lighten the crumb, resulting in a slightly stickier dough that’s a bit harder to work with. It’s worth the extra effort though, as the finished bun is fluffy and light, with a brioche-like texture. I’ve also omitted the spice, as I wasn’t sure how it would go with the chocolate.
For 12 buns, I used the following ingredients (please resize quantities as needed):
Dough
- 500g bakers/bread flour
- 50g ripe, bubbly sourdough starter
- 7g fine sea salt
- 40g brown sugar
- 60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large (60g) free range eggs
- 100g dark chocolate chips (I used Callebaut 811 54%)
- 100g full cream milk, heated gently and then cooled to blood temperature, or UHT milk, unrefrigerated
- 150g water
Cross
- 2 tablespoons self raising flour
- 1 – 1½ tablespoons cold water
Glaze
- 4 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 teaspoons (approximately) of unsalted butter
Note: Please follow the method outlined in our previous recipe. I baked this batch of 12 in a small lamington tin (29 x 19cm). Enjoy!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Looks like you are on a roll, Celia… pardon the pun!
Do try with spice next time, I love cinnamon and allspice with dark chocolate, it’s a great combination. And *surely* you’ll need more buns over Easter…?
These look fantastic. I haven’t had carbs for over 2 months now so these look particularly inviting.
In Kenya with my Pete at the moment with new possibilities on the horizon yet again.
Much love and hugs,
xoxo
Looks scrummy!
Chocolate chips and hot cross buns? Yes, please! I think these will be a hit with the children. Tomorrow I’m baking, so I will make several batches, traditional and chocolate chip. There’ll be plenty to share with friends and relatives. Thanks Celia!
I have the sourdough currant buns ready for the oven now and even before they’re cooked they smell wonderfully, plumptiously, spicy.
I was just wondering today if I would make some hot cross buns and then here you are! This is irresistible. Thank you, Celia. And Happy Easter.
Looks good. Celia I went to a hot cross buns baking class at Tanunda a couple of weeks ago – great day – but they mentioned that commercial hot x buns often had a bit of gelatine in the glaze to stop it being quite so sticky and in particular, from adhering to paper bags and cellophane. Ours were incidentally vegan – ie, no ideology, that was how they did them, which is why the subject came up. Oh, the point, yes, sorry – you can leave out the butter in the glaze if you want to; we used a thin mix of boiling water, spice and sugar and there wasn’t any flaking, but you could add gelatine if its keeping you awake. http://www.bakerstreat.com.au/ btw and recommended.