Pull apart bread with spiced chocolate recipe

This sweet pull apart bread with spiced chocolate makes a deliciously different alternative to the usual cheese variety! Making your own bread isn’t as hard as it might seem at first. The trick is in the amount of time you leave it to prove, allowing it to develop its texture. Our wintery pull apart bread recipe is spiced with the warming flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.

Ingredients

• 5g dried fast-action yeast
• 2tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 450g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1tsp salt
• 8 cardamom pods, seeds finely ground
• 2tsp cinnamon
• ¼tsp nutmeg
• 290ml lukewarm milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 60g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• pinch sea salt
• 100g dark chocolate
• 100g whipping cream
• 2tbsp apricot jam

You will need

• a lightly greased and lined 23cm round baking tin

Method

1. Combine the yeast, sugar, flour, salt and spices in a mixing bowl. Pour in the milk and the egg, mix into a dough using a wooden spoon, then tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
2. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size. Once risen, tip out the dough and knead lightly to distribute the air.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C. Tear off ping-pong ball-sized pieces of dough and roll into equal sized balls.
4. Place a small oven-proof ramekin in the centre of your prepared baking tin and arrange the dough balls around. Scatter over the chocolate and sea salt. Don’t pack the balls too tightly as they need a little room to expand.
5. Cover loosely with cling film and set aside to prove for a further 30mins.
6. When the dough is puffed and doubled in size, place the loaf in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 20 to 25mins, or until golden brown.
7. Warm the jam in a small pan and brush over the bread, to glaze.
8. For the dipping sauce, place the dark chocolate and cream together in a heatproof bowl and place on top of a pan of boiling water. Continue to heat and stir well until the chocolate has melted. Transfer to the cooled ramekin in the centre of the bread rolls, then tear, share and dip away!