60gdark chocolatei used a 70% cocoa solids chocolate
25gcaster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
For the glaze
2–3tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
To make the dough, place the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the yeast, sugar and salt. Rub in the butter. Add the milk and enough water to mix to a soft slightly sticky dough.
Turn out the dough and knead well for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile prepare the filling. Finely chop the pecans in a food processor, then tip into a mixing bowl. Next finely chop the chocolate in the processor and add to the bowl. Stir in the sugar and orange zest. Set aside until required.
When the dough has risen, knock back the dough and cut into two equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, then roll each piece out to form a 28cm circle.
Place one of the dough circles onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the surface of the dough with Sprinkle the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1cm border around the edge.Cover with the second circle of dough and gently press the edges together.
Use a small glass or cookie cutter to mark a circle in the centre of the dough, then cut the dough into 16 equal sections.
Taking one section of the dough, lift and gently twist twice in one direction. Then take the next section and twist in the other direction. Continue twisting the dough sections in alternate directions until all the pieces have been twisted. Cover loosely, leave in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°c fan/gas mark 5. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden brown. The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Brush with maple syrup whilst the bread is still warm. The bread is best eaten on the day it is made.