Proof the dough twice:: 3 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 3 hourshours55 minutesminutes
Servings: 12medium-size buns
Calories: 245kcal
Author: Marvellina
Incredibly easy no-knead chocolate buns with rich cocoa powder and chocolate chips. They are so soft and fluffy and just lightly sweetened and made without using butter.
This part takes very little of your time to prepare. Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use a sturdy spatula to stir everything to combine. You may need your hands to gather everything into a soft dough but it shouldn't be sticky. It may feel a bit greasy on your hands because we use oil. Don't worry. The end product won't be greasy. You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine everything but I don't think it's necessary. Less things to wash
I like to put this in a straight-sided container, press the dough to fill up the container and then mark the container where I expect the dough to rise to. Let it proof for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until double in size. Cover loosely with the lid
Chill the dough briefly:
If you work on the dough straight away, you may find that some of the chocolate may have melted especially if it's warm where you are, and it can be a bit messy to work with the dough. I usually put the whole container inside the fridge for about 30 minutes. The chocolate will solidify and you won't have smears of chocolate on your hands while shaping the dough
Shaping:
Line a 8 x 8 square pan with parchment paper, extending on the sides so you can easily lift the buns up after baking. If you double the recipe, then you need two pans or one large pan such as 9 x 13 or something similar
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, roughly about 63-65 grams each. I recommend weighing each dough so you have the same size dough and they bake evenly and at the same amount of time
Round each dough up by pulling the edge towards the center to form a round dough ball. Place the dough ball on a prepared pan. You will arrange them in 3 x 4
Final proofing:
Cover the dough and let them proof again for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours at a warm place. They will be puffy and almost double in size. 10 minutes before end of proofing, preheat oven at 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven and 330 F (165 C) for a convection oven
Brush the top of the buns with some milk and then sprinkle some coarse sugar or turbinado sugar. Don't sprinkle the chocolate just yet especially if you want to brush melted butter on top right after the buns are done baking
Baking:
Bake on the middle rack for 15-17 minutes. I would check at 15-minute mark. It is important not to overbake these buns. I like to test with a digital thermometer and the buns on the edge usually cook first and the center buns cook last. If you poke a thermometer inside the buns on the edge it should read at least 190 F. If it is, it's time to get the baking pan out. The buns at the center may have temperature about 180-185 F. Don't worry about trying to bring it to 190 F. The buns continue to cook even after they are out of the oven. So, you don't want to overbake them to preserve the softness
Cooling:
Remove from the oven and then brush the top with some melted butter and quickly add the chocolate sprinkle on top while they are still warm. They won't melt, but they will stick to the buns
Lift the buns out from the pan onto a cooling rack to let them cool down. They can be served warm or room temperature