Completely decadent, yet still low fat and clean-eating friendly!
I really procrastinated on writing yesterday’s Sunday Funday post. I walked my neighbor’s golden retrievers, mixed up a new batch of cookie dough, strolled around the park with our own chihuahua (no scarecrows this time!), wandered around Trader Joe’s and Safeway, and cheered on the Sharks from my comfy couch until their nail-biting shootout. Around 10:30 pm, I finally sat down with a pen and paper to sift through my jumbled thoughts from the week.
An hour later, my fingers tap-danced across the keyboard as I typed up my scribbles. Armed with my favorite snack, I powered through uploading photos and proofreading each paragraph. But forever the perfectionist, I didn’t shut my laptop screen until 1:30 am.
PJs on, teeth brushed, and face washed, I finally slid between the sheets. I rolled over to turn off the alarm, then blinked. And rubbed my eyes. And blinked again.
Why was the clock glowing “1:00”??
This year, daylight savings time crept up and completely caught me by surprise! Although typically overjoyed by the extra hour to sleep in, I actually groaned in frustration last night. I now need to reschedule all of my recipe photo shoots an hour earlier to maintain the same natural lighting.
Oh, the life of a food blogger!
Just like the time change, these rolls might catch you off-guard. They look like ordinary wheat rolls, but as your teeth sink into the tender bread, you hit a surprise filling: smooth and rich dark chocolate! Its deep earthy flavor reminds me of the insides of a Parisian chocolate croissant, just without all of the messy flaky pastry clinging to your clothes after the final bite.
Many people find baking bread intimidating, but I promise this recipe is practically fail-proof! You probably have all of the ingredients hiding in your kitchen already: water, milk, honey, salt, a packet of yeast, and whole wheat flour.
I’m very particular about my whole wheat flour, and I almost exclusively buy bags of Gold Medal. When baking 100% whole wheat goods, many other brands fail to rise, turning out dense and rocklike, but every recipe I’ve made with Gold Medal whole wheat flour puffs up like all-purpose.
Begin by mixing everything but the flour in a medium bowl. Usually it’s really important to warm the water to exactly 100-110°F so you don’t harm the yeast. But in this recipe, you add hot water to cold milk, which results in the perfect temperature for the yeast. Now walk away for 10 minutes! Watch the news, read a magazine article, or browse through Pinterest. While the yeast sits undisturbed, it becomes frothy—that’s how you know it’s ready to go!
Start mixing in the wheat flour about ½ cup at a time. When the dough begins to pull away from the bowl and refuses to absorb more flour, you can stop. It should require between 1¾ to 2 cups to reach this point.
Tape down a sheet of wax paper, spread out a Silpat, or simply work directly on your clean dry countertop. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on the space, rub some on your hands, and plop down the dough to knead. I prefer the fold-and-press technique: fold the dough in half towards you, then press down firmly with the heel of your palm. Repeat going left to right, then away from you, then right to left, until the dough stops feeling sticky and springs back about halfway when you gently press your index finger into it.
Now it’s time to let the gluten relax and the yeast work its magic! Shape the dough into a ball, roll it around in a greased bowl, and let it sit for an hour with a tea towel on top. No peeking!
While you wait, mix up the chocolate filling. Add cocoa powder, applesauce, honey, and milk to a bowl. Stir. All done!
After the dough puffs up like a balloon, punch it down. (That’s fancy language for “knead it gently 4 or 5 times to knock out the air.”) Divide it into 10 segments, roll each into a ball, and carefully flatten to about ½” thick. Place a heaping tablespoon of chocolate in the center, and fold up the edges to hide the surprise filling inside. Pinch the dough together really well, and set the roll seam-side down in a 9” round pan.
The rolls look tiny now, but after an hour alone, they rise and spread to fill up the entire pan! After a quick 10 minutes in the hot oven, they’re all done.
Look at you! You just baked bread completely from scratch! (And your home now smells like a sweet flour-filled bakery.) Doesn’t it feel rewarding?
Just wait until your first mouthful of these Chocolate-Filled Wheat Rolls… You may never pay for store-bought bread again!
Whole wheat rolls with a dark chocolate center. They’re almost like a healthier version of chocolate croissants! Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 or 5 days.
- To prepare the rolls, combine the water, milk, honey, and salt in a large bowl. Add in the yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes or until frothy. Mix in ½ cup of the wheat flour at a time until a dough begins to form. (It should take between 1 ¾ to 2 cups). Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead for 3-5 minutes, or until the dough springs back when you press your finger into it. Shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a clean bowl with nonstick cooking spray, and roll the dough ball around inside. Cover the top with a clean towel, and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, prepare the filling. Mix the cocoa, applesauce, honey, and milk in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Lightly coat a 9” round springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, punch down the risen dough. Divide into 10 balls. Working with one ball at a time, gently flatten into a circle, and place a heaping tablespoon of the chocolate filling in the center. Pinch the edges of the dough closed over the filling, and place seam-side down into the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining dough balls and filling. Cover the top of the pan with a clean towel, and let the rolls rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 400°F. Once the rolls have doubled in size, bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, or until barely golden. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: For 100% whole wheat baked goods, I’ve had the most success with the Gold Medal brand of whole wheat flour. Other whole wheat flours have failed to rise and yielded dense, chewy rolls. If using a different brand, then use all-purpose flour for kneading the dough. This will add a little extra gluten, which will help the rolls rise and be lighter.
For a vegan version, replace the skim milk with your favorite nondairy milk, and use maple syrup or agave instead of the honey.
These look awesome – I’ll take seven, please! 😉
Thanks Consuelo! Why don’t I just give you all 10 — the entire batch? 🙂
These look amazing. And you can feel healthy about the wheat, but be satisfied by the dark chocolate simultaneously! What a brain twister…Thanks for the neat recipe. 🙂
That was my exact thought! Nothing wrong with indulging in a little chocolate every now and then… Or a little more often than that! 😉
I loveee that you know exactly what time of day to take your photos!! What a great idea. These look so good, and can EASILY be altered for almond milk WHICH MEAN I MUST make these. Starbucks sells a chocolate croissant now (you may have seen them) and they do LOOK tasty, but full of butter!! I can now make me own YAY!
Ahh that must be the worst, to stare at puffy croissants all day but not be able to eat one! You must have amazing willpower. I really hope you like these rolls!
Amy! Amazing! I am so excited about these!!!! Oh – and if Consuelo actually wants only seven, can I have her three extras please?!?!? 😀
Of course you can have the extras, Shelley! I’ll even bake you your own batch! 😀 I’d bake bread and rolls every day if it could pay the bills… There’s something really soothing and relaxing about kneading, waiting, and watching them rise!