Brioche with Nocciolata La Dark

Ingredients

• 500g Manitoba flour
• 250ml plant-based drink
• 100g caster sugar
• 90g butter
• 18g fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 80g dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200 g Nocciolata La Dark
• 60 g Manitoba flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 30 ml plant-based drink
• To taste maple syrup
  

Method

Place Nocciolata La Dark into a piping bag and, on a sheet of baking paper, pipe 12 well-spaced dollops of cream. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and transfer to the freezer. 

Let’s make the dough!
Dissolve the yeast in the plant-based drink, then pour everything into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook along with the other ingredients (except the butter and chocolate chips).
Start kneading and, once the dough is smooth and well elastic, add one piece of butter at a time, waiting until the previous piece is fully incorporated before adding the next. Lastly, add the chocolate chips, continuing to knead. 
Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 2 hours). 

Divide the dough into 12 balls of about 80 g each. Flatten each ball with your hands and place the frozen Nocciolata La Dark filling in the centre, then seal well. 
Place each ball on a baking tray (the one in the video measures 39.7 x 27 cm), spacing them well apart. Cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour). 

Beat the egg yolk with the plant-based drink and brush the buns.
In a bowl, combine the flour and water to make a fairly thick batter, transfer it to a piping bag and pipe the classic crosses of hot cross buns.

Bake in a conventional oven at 180° for 25 minutes. 
Brush generously with maple syrup and serve your Nocciolata buns warm!