Chocolate and almond rolls
Servings 12 - 14
Ingredients
- 150 g 5 oz ⅜ of sourdough starter
- 1 tablespoon of powdered milk*
- 100 g 4 fl oz, ⅓ cup of milk
- 300 g 1 ¾ cup of tender wheat flour 2**
- 100 g ¾ cup of strong flour
- 2 eggs + 1 yolk, at room temperature
- 100 g ½ cup of cane sugar
- 50 g 5 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
- 100 g 6 tablespoons of ricotta
- Grated orange zest
- 1 pinch of salt
Ingredients for the filling
- 100 g 3 ½ oz, ¾ cup of shelled almonds
- 50 g 5 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 100 g 3 ½ oz, ½ cup of cane sugar
- Milk to brush
Instructions
THE PREVIOUS AFTERNOON
- Warm the milk on low flame and add one tablespoon of powdered milk: stir to dissolve. Put the starter in a large bowl, pour in the milk and whisk to melt until you have a smooth batter. Add gradually the flour and the beaten eggs with ricotta, mixing continuously. Now add the sugar and the grated orange zest. Salt will be the last ingredient to be added.
- Knead by hand or in a stand mixer for about ten minutes. Finally incorporate the butter at room temperature.
- Keep kneading until it is evenly mixed, then scrape the dough onto a generously floured surface. Gently flatten the dough, fold it in three parts and form a ball. Put your dough in a tall, narrow container and let it rise in the oven with the little light on for about 2 - 3 hours, then store it overnight it in the less cold shelf of the fridge.
THE NEXT DAY
- Remove the dough from the fridge and bring it to room temperature: at this point it should be at least doubled.
- Prepare the filling now. Toast the almonds and blend them with cocoa, butter and sugar. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and some flour and form a rectangle. Spread the dough with the almond filling, then roll it up tightly on the longest side. Cut it in about 12 - 14 rolls.
- Line with parchment paper a 18 round spring form cake tin and a loaf pan and arrange the rolls inside, keeping them slightly apart.
- Let them rise for at least three hours: I kept them in the oven with the little light on. When the rolls form a cake, remove the pans from the oven and warm it to 200°C (gas mark 6, 400°F).
- Brush the rolls with a few drops of milk and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
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Notes
*Powdered milk helps the cake rising by adding more proteins to the dough. I baked the cake also without powdered milk and the results were definitely good enough.
**In Italy there's a classification for flours which goes from 00 to 0, 1, 2 and wholewheat flour. I chose 2 because it's easier to bake than with whole flour, but it is not as refined as the 00 flour. For more information check this article.
**In Italy there's a classification for flours which goes from 00 to 0, 1, 2 and wholewheat flour. I chose 2 because it's easier to bake than with whole flour, but it is not as refined as the 00 flour. For more information check this article.