Chocolate, orange and pistachio buns

Serves 6 - 8

Prep 15 min

Cook 25 min

Proving time 3 hours

In quintessential Verena fashion, these buns are a way to start the day on a decadent, pillowy high, via bread. They are a special treat to serve as part of a celebratory breakfast or brunch, or to kick off an Easter Sunday for example.
To get ahead, you can make the recipe up to the point in Step 6 where the buns are shaped and transferred to the tin. At this point, cover the tin and leave overnight in the fridge to prove. The next morning, take the tin out and let the buns come to room temperature, about 1 hour. Egg wash, bake and finish according to the recipe.

Ingredients

125g	whole milk, lukewarm
2 tsp	dried yeast (1x 7g sachet)
50g	caster sugar
50g	pistachios, blitzed to a fine powder, plus 1 tbsp extra roughly chopped
200g	bread flour
130g	plain flour
1 tsp	salt
20	cardamom pods, pods removed and seeds finely crushed in pestle and mortar
1-2	large oranges; 3 ¼ tsp finely grated zest, 1½ tbsp juice
1 tsp	vanilla bean paste
3	large eggs
100g	unsalted butter, cool and cut into 1 ½ cm cubes
125g	dark orange or milk chocolate (or a mix), roughly chopped
100g	icing sugar

Method

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk, yeast and a pinch or two of the sugar. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes to activate the yeast while you get the rest of the ingredients together.
Once the milk/yeast mixture is nice and frothy, add the rest of the sugar, the ground pistachios, both flours, salt, ½ teaspoon of crushed cardamom seeds (reserve the rest for the glaze), 2 teaspoons orange zest, vanilla, two of the eggs and the butter. With the dough hook in place, mix on low speed for 30 seconds or so to combine. Increase the speed to medium high and mix for 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl half way through until the dough is smooth, silky and elastic. It should start to form a ball around the dough hook.
Add the chopped chocolate and mix for a further 30 seconds, just to incorporate. Use your hands to remove the dough from the hook and shape into a smooth ball, tucking in any stray pieces of chocolate. Cover the surface with clingfilm or reusable plastic wrap and leave to prove for 90 minutes at room temp, or until almost doubled in size.
Fold the dough over on itself to deflate, cover again and refrigerate for another 2 hours (this’ll make it easier to shape later) or overnight.
Meanwhile, grease and line the bottom and sides of a 23cm square baking tin with parchment paper, leaving a 3cm overhang on 2 opposite sides (this’ll help you lift the buns out later).
When ready to shape, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide into 16 pieces, roughly 55g in size. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and transfer to the prepared baking tin. Cover with a clean tea towel or reusable plastic wrap and leave to prove at room temperature for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size. (if shaping an overnight dough, this could take up to 2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 180C. Beat the remaining egg and use it to brush the top of the buns, then bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the tin, turn the heat down to 160C and bake for 15 minutes more. Let cool for a few minutes then use the parchment overhang to help you lift the buns out of the tin and onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the icing sugar, orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest and remaining crushed cardamom until smooth. Brush over the still warm buns and finally, sprinkle with the extra pistachios and remaining ¼ teaspoon orange zest. These are best eaten on the day they are made, split and spread with plenty of good butter, but any leftovers can be toasted the next day under a hot grill (just be mindful of the icing which can burn easily!).