Chocolate Rolls and Cinnamon Rolls

letting the dough rise again

I am in love with Smitten Kitchen.  This love affair has been going on since a friend introduced me to the blog when I was inventing ways around ingredients that I couldn't easily find while living in Chile, and has only gotten more intense as I delve deeper into the recipes.  The blog is well-organized and funny, and the recipes are always wonderful.  A few months ago I saw the recipe for chocolate babka, but decided it was too much work for the college kitchen.  Now I'm home, and conveniently the front page of Smitten Kitchen is the muffin-sized version of that amazing babka recipe!  It being father's day, I had to do something new and wonderful, and this was just the thing.  Also, it's easy.  I love things that are fun and messy and easy.

cinnamon swirls! Look at those sugar granules

We got off to a bit of a rough start.  It's hot here in Colorado, and the kitchen was sweltering, but my dough stayed obstinately the same size for far too long.  I adjusted the recipe for altitude and usually bread that would take an hour to rise takes about twenty minutes here.  This bread was having none of it, and I was sure I had killed the yeast.  I've done it before, so the second round was hands off for me.  Mom made a second batch of dough and we left them both to sit until we had cleaned our plates of baked potatoes and steak and grilled onions.  Post-dinner, both of the doughs had risen!  This called for a modification of the original plan...

Cinnamon swirl buns

Given double dough, I made the log of chocolate swirl and another log of cinnamon-sugar for cinnamon rolls.  They made 30 buns and came out perfectly browned and beautiful.  We had to try a few fresh out of the oven and though I'm a sucker for chocolate, the cinnamon rolls were equally delicious and will be even better with cream cheese frosting in the morning.

Before baking, after the second rise

After. Chocolate swirl heaven.

From smitten kitchen, here are the chocolate buns and cinnamon rolls. To adjust for altitude, just add about 1/4 cup more milk and 1/3 cup more flour to the dough. I used the filling from the cinnamon rolls and the dough from the chocolate buns, and it turned out beautifully. Since you're using the same type of dough, the cooking time and temp are the same too, so ignore all of the cinnamon roll directions except the filling ingredients (and cream cheese frosting if you want it).

I'm working on improving my pictures. I just got a new camera to replace my lost one two days ago, so I'm still learning. It's just a little point-and-shoot, but it's perfect for what I need and easy to slip into my pocket for my next adventure.