Fluffy Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour it into a bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy, if using instant yeast this step can be skipped.
2. Add the flour, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms.
3. Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time, and keep mixing on medium speed for around 10 minutes until the dough pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl and is soft and strong.
4. Once kneaded, form the dough into a dough ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl and cover with compostable plastic wrap or beeswax wrap.
5. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around about 1 to 1 ½ hours. The exact rise time will depend on your room temperature. You can create a warm spot for rising by placing the dough in a turned-off oven next to a mug of boiled water.
6. If making overnight chocolate cinnamon rolls, the dough can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 16 hours.
7. The filling - In a saucepan over low heat, melt together chocolate and butter. Once melted, remove from the heat, and stir in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla.
8. Pour into a bowl and let it cool until it's a thick and spreadable consistency. You can put it in the fridge, but not for too long or it will stiffen up too much. It can be softened again by being placed in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Just ensure it's not runny when you spread it on the dough.
9. Grease or line a 9x13inch baking pan with parchment paper.
10. Punch down the risen dough, then pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with some flour. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff. You can let it warm up to room temperature for 10 minutes first before rolling.
11. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle that measures around 12x16inches (30cmx40cm).
12. Dollop the chocolate mixture over the dough. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate out, leaving a 1-inch border.
13. Carefully roll the dough up from the long side into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces, using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife.
14. Place the rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
15. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C.)
16. Bake the chocolate rolls for around 25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the rolls loosely with aluminum foil.
17. While the buns are baking, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk into a pourable glaze. Drizzle it generously over the warm chocolate rolls when they come from the oven.
18. Leftover chocolate rolls can store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. On the following days, rewarm them gently in the microwave to soften them.