Chocolate, Apple and Cinnamon Couronne

This week on the Great British Bake Off it was bread week. Bread week has to be my favourite week. I love to bake bread, I love the whole process of seeing the separate ingredients come together to create a loaf. I love how you literally feel the ingredients coming together and changing as you knead. There is something so therapeutic about bread making. Tesco asked me if I would like to take part in the Great Bloggers Bake Off using their products for bread week. As it is my favourite I jumped at the chance!

This week Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry challenged the bakers and really put them to the test. For the signature bakes they were asked to make a sweet dough with a twist that must contain chocolate in some way or another. The technical was a new one to me and the bakers. Paul asked them to make a German dumpling style bread called dampfnudel. Then for the final showstopper they were asked to make a plaited bread centre piece that uses four different flours.

I immediately knew that I wanted to make the signature bake. I always enjoy the challenge of making an enriched dough, plus they are so delicious!

This is what I did...

Chocolate, Apple and Cinnamon Couronne

Ingredients

Bread

250g very strong white bread flour

5g salt

8g instant yeast

10g cocoa powder

50g butter, melted

1 tsp cinnamon

150mls warm milk

1 egg

Filling

100g dried apples, chopped

60mls apple and raspberry juice

90g butter, softened

70g light brown muscovado sugar

10g cocoa powder

25g plain flour

50g chopped hazelnuts

Topping

50g apricot jam

Chopped hazelnuts

3 tbsp icing sugar

Cold water

Raspberries

Method

1 - Place the chopped, dried apple in a bowl and pour over the apple and raspberry juice, cover and leave on one side

2 - In a bowl place the very strong bread flour, add the yeast to one side of the bowl and place the salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder on the other

3 - Add the butter, egg and two thirds of the warm milk and start to bring the dough together adding more milk until you have a rough dough

4 - Remove the dough from the bowl and on a lightly oiled worktop start to knead. The dough will be very sticky to start with and will require kneading for about 15 minutes

5 - Once you have a smooth dough ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with either a tea towel or some cling film and leave to prove until at least doubled in size, enriched dough takes longer to prove so give it a couple of hours.

6 - Once the dough has doubled in size start to prepare the filling by mixing the butter and sugar together until light and creamy

7 - Stir in the apples, cocoa powder, plain flour and chopped hazelnuts

8 - Put a sheet of baking paper on the work top and place the dough on top

9 - Using a floured rolling pin roll out the dough without knocking it back

10 - Roll into a rectangle that is about 30cms by 20cms

11 - Spread the filling mixture over the dough and roll by bringing the long edge, furthest away from you and rolling into a Swiss roll style and seal the ends

12 - Using a sharp knife slice the roll length ways to reveal the filling

13 - Start to twist the dough by holding both ends and twisting in alternative directions

14 - Once the dough is twisted bring the two ends together the create a crown or couronne and place on a baking tray covered in baking paper

15 - Cover and leave to prove for a further hour

16 - Pre heat the oven to 200C

17 - Once the couronne has doubled in size and is springy to the touch place in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until. thoroughly baked with a chocolate dough it is harder to judge so I used a thermometer to check that my bread was baked. Normally bread is baked once it reaches 190C but enriched dough takes longer and are baked once they reach 200C.

18 - Once baked remove from the oven and prepare the glaze by heating the apricot jam in a microwave for 30 seconds

19 - Using a pastry brush paint over the apricot jam liquid while the couronne is still hot

20 - Place the icing sugar in a bowl and add the water one teaspoon at a time until you have a thick icing mixture

21 - Place the icing mixture in a piping bag and using a fine nozzle drizzle over the icing and place a few raspberries in the centre to finish off the couronne

The bread was deliciously light and the apple and cinnamon went perfectly with the cocoa powder. The kids, and us adults, loved this loaf. It is ideal for a mid morning treat with a cup of coffee, or to go with your afternoon tea.

As always I am joining in with the Great Bloggers Bake Off that is hosted by Jenny at Mummy Mishaps.

Pin me for later!

For more baking ideas and recipes visit Tesco baking.

Disclosure: I was sent a voucher from Tesco to buy products for the bake for the purpose of this post.