Chocolate and orange twists

Chocolate and orange twists

chocolate and orange twists close up

It’s been a while since Duncan’s buns (and other baked goods) made an appearance on the blog so I was very thrilled when he announced that he is willing to bake something again. He was like, ‘you know what I’m going to work on next? Chocolate and orange twists!’ As soon as I heard ‘chocolate and orange’ I tuned out.

It’s such a winning combination that whatever word was coming next, I knew I was going to be keen on it (well…maybe with the exception of a chocolate and orange risotto…).

If you’ve ever eyed up our chocolate & walnut challah recipe but for some reason felt a bit intimidated by all the braiding involved, this recipe is the one I would suggest you try first. All you need to do here is twist the two strands of chocolate and orange filled dough around each other and that’s it. The more rustic the end result the better. It’s meant to look homely and oozing with chocolate…

These guys are so addictive that I suggest you invite some friends over to enjoy them with you or else you might catch yourself, little by little, hoovering up all four. Sure you can always blame the cat, but your hips will know the truth.

We managed to offload some to our trusted recipe tester who lives across the road, Suzie. She looked super happy to receive them but judging by her later Facebook message to me, she might have overdosed on them a bit – shame that her boyfriend seems to have no sweet tooth at all, lucky bugger 🙂 .

chocolate and orange twists sidedown

chocolate and orange twists filling

chocolate and orange twists glazing

chocolate and orange twists top down

makes
4
PREP
45 min
COOKING
20 min
makes
4
PREPARATION
45 min
COOKING
20 min
INGREDIENTS

TWISTS

  • 150 g of strong (=bread) flour
  • 160 g of all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tbsp brown sugar
  • 7 g salt
  • 7 g sachet fast-action dried yeast
  • 200 ml of almond milk + a little extra for bread glazing
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 150 g dark (70%) chocolate
  • candied oranges, chopped finely (or homemade as per instructions below)

CANDIED ORANGES (OPTIONAL)

  • 2 oranges
  • 1 cup sugar (used brown)
  • 2 cups water
METHOD
  1. Mix the flour, salt, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Pour in the lukewarm (not cold!) almond milk and stir everything together with a large wooden spoon. Then add the olive oil and combine.
  3. When the mixture has mostly stuck together turn the mixture out on to a work surface or breadboard. Knead the mixture by holding one end of the dough in one hand and stretching it out with the other hand. Reform the dough, turn it 90 degrees and start again. Repeat this for 10 minutes. See this recipe for photos on how to knead if you’re unsure.
  4. When the dough is shiny and smooth, put it in a large mixing bowl, coat in a thin layer of olive oil and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Leave it in a warm place (but not too warm – ie not next to an open fire!) for between forty minutes and two hours (until it has doubled in size).
  5. Gently melt dark chocolate over a double boiler / bain marie.
  6. Empty the dough out on to a work surface and push the air out with your fingertips.
  7. Split the dough into four equal parts – best to use kitchen scales here. Roll one part of the dough into a rectangle approximately 30 cm wide and 20 cm high. Next, follow these 5 steps:
    • STEP 1 Apply melted dark chocolate to the surface.
    • STEP 2 Sprinkle it with small pieces of candied orange.
    • STEP 3 Starting from the shorter edge, roll the dough into a cylinder.
    • STEP 4 With a sharp knife, cut the cylinder in half lengthwise.
    • STEP 5 Now twist two halves around each other sealing the ends well. I stuck a few more pieces of candied orange in between the chocolate covered layers too.
  8. Place the finished twists on a paper-lined baking tray, leaving space between them as they will expand in the oven. Cover them with a kitchen towel and prove for another 60 minutes. Before the hour is up, preheat the oven to 180° C / 350° F.
  9. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Glaze the still-warm twists with the orange-infused sugar syrup you prepared earlier.

CANDIED ORANGES (OPTIONAL)

  1. Scrub oranges clean and if they have wax on them, soak them briefly in boiling water to get rid of it. Slice them into ½ cm slices.
  2. Put sliced oranges into a small pot with 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to the boil gently then simmer for another 45-60 mins until sugar syrup thickens and orange slices become translucent. Set aside to let them cool. Once cool, chop them up into small pieces.
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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
786
39%
sugars
78 g
86%
fats
19 g
27%
saturates
10 g
49%
proteins
15 g
29%
carbs
145 g
56%
*per twist
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4.8
6 reviews, 25 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Hannah:
Love making this at Christmas, so delicious with the balance of sweet orange and bitter chocolate. I use a dough hook for the kneading as I'm lazy!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Hannah! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the flavours of these and no shame in using a dough hook, I would do the same if I had a stand mixer for sure - sometimes your hands need a rest ;) x Ania
Michaela:
Could you make the dough the night before and leave it in the fridge?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Michaela,
    I have not tried that, but I do that to pizza dough and the pizza comes out delicious and very fluffy (see this recipe) so I think it will work well. Ania
Bridget Holloway:
Made these a few months ago for my husband's birthday and we LOVED them! Making them again for Easter!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, Bridget! That's so nice to hear! x Ania
LORNA GRAY:
Hi Ania
It is probably just me!
Lorna
Lorna Gray:
Very, very yummy.
Only gripe is a bit of a salty aftertaste! If I make them again, I might take a few grams of salt out and hope they still rise and make one large roll to cut into CHELSEA BUNS rather than the very large twists! I ended up cutting them into smaller pieces which spolit the look a bit.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Lorna,
    I'm glad the were a success overall. I'm sorry that you felt that these were too salty. We followed a standard breadmaking formula for salt to flour ratio here, plus salt is known to reinforces chocolate flavour, but you are of course welcome to adjust the amount to your preference. Ania
Andrea:
Oh my goodness. These are absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe - I can't wait to try more. :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Andrea! I'm delighted to hear that! Ania
Mia W:
I'm at a loss as to where the orange infused syrup ingredients and method are at too - they are not laid out in the recipe
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Mia,
    I'm not sure why you are not seeing those, they are both there under a heading 'CANDIED ORANGES'. Please let me know if you are still having trouble! Ania
Steena Facey:
I may need spectacles or something but where are the ingredients and steps for the orange-infused sugar syrup?
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm not sure, Steena, but they (ingredients and method) are both clearly laid out within the recipe. Ania
Angela:
Hi. What sort of shop bought pastry would you suggest?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Angela,
    Shop bought puff pastry (make sure it is vegan, a lot of them are!) would do well here! Hope that helps! Ania
Bri:
Is there any point in the recipe where you could put the dough in the refrigerator to bake the next morning?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Bri,
    Yes! It can be refrigerated. This paragraph explains:
    "All doughs can be refrigerated. Chilling dough slows the activity of the yeast, but it does not stop it completely. For this reason, it is necessary to punch down the dough a few times over the first few hours it is in the refrigerator. Once the dough has completely cooled, it needs to be punched down only once every 24 hours. A dough will last approximately three days in the refrigerator; however, it is best to use it within 48 hours."
    And it says the best time to refrigerate the dough is straight after kneeding. Good luck with it!
Eden Passante:
Beautiful! What a great idea! Chocolate and orange were made for each other and these prove that!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Eden! Glad you like it :)
Selb:
Would these work with 100% all-purpose flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Selb,
    It will work, but the dough will be a little bit different, less firm. Using half bread/strong flour is recommended but it's not a deal breaker if you only have an all-purpose one on hand. They will be just as tasty:)
      Selb:
      So I made these with 100% all-purpose flour and they were amazing! It definitely didn't seem like anything was missing. Thanks for a great recipe!
        Ania
        Ania:
        Yay! That's awesome to hear, Selb! :) Thanks for letting us know! x
Emily:
The glaze on these is seriously impressive looking! Well the whole twist is impressive looking. Gorgeous!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Emily! So nice to hear that.
Shannon:
These look unbelievable!! I have never been more sure of the fact that I need to eat a chocolate/orange dessert. The recipe and photos are both completely lush.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Shannon! Your lovely comment has made our day! I couldn't agree more - you ABSOLUTELY need chocolate and orange combo in your life, they taste especially good when twisted around each other ;)
Katrina:
That looks like a very tasty treat!
Looks like your Duncan is as good at making breads as my partner is! :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Katrina. Well, we would have to settle that in a bake-off. I'll happily do the judging ;) x
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