Uncle John's Bakery's tear and share chocolate bread recipe

Name: Uncle John's Bakery's tear and share chocolate bread
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 85ml whole milk; 25g unsalted butter; 250g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting; ½ tsp salt; 1½ tsp dried yeast; 30g caster sugar; 1 medium egg and 1 yolk, beaten; 100g hazelnut chocolate spread; ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional); icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

This stunning loaf from Samuel Mensah (the CEO of Ghanaian bakery Uncle John’s) is layered with hazelnut chocolate spread and twisted into a star shape, for a festive twist on Uncle John’s renowned Ghanaian sweet bread.

See method

Serves 6
50 mins to prepare and 40 mins to cook
340 calories / serving

Shop your ingredients

Tesco British Whole Milk 568Ml, 1 Pint
Aldi Price Match
85ml whole milk
£0.85
£1.50/litre
Tesco British Unsalted Butter 250G
Aldi Price Match
25g unsalted butter
£1.85
£7.40/kg
Stockwell & Co. Self Raising Flour 1.5Kg
Aldi Price Match
250g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
£0.70
£0.47/kg
Tesco Cooking Salt 1.5Kg
½ tsp salt
£1.90
£1.27/kg
Allinson's Easy Bake Yeast 100g
Everyday Low Price
1½ tsp dried yeast
£1.50
£15.00/kg
Silver Spoon Caster Sugar 1Kg
30g caster sugar
£2.25
£2.25/kg
Tesco Free Range Eggs Medium 6 Pack
1 medium egg and 1 yolk, beaten
£1.80
£0.30/each
Tesco Hazelnut Chocolate Spread 400G
Aldi Price Match
100g hazelnut chocolate spread
£1.65
£4.12/kg
Tesco Ground Cinnamon 36g
½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
£1.00
£27.78/kg
Silver Spoon Icing Sugar 1Kg
icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
£2.65
£2.65/kg

Method

Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat until the butter has just melted. Set aside.
Put flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a separate mixing bowl and stir to mix. Add the egg, yolk and milk mixture; stir together to form a dense dough. Cover and leave in a warm place for 45 mins (it will only rise 1-2cm).
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each piece out to a roughly 22cm circle, 3mm thick. Spread the centre of a circle with ⅓ of the chocolate spread, leaving a 5cm border around the edge. Repeat with 2 more circles, stacking them on top of each other as you go, then top with the last, chocolate-free, dough circle. Transfer to a sheet of nonstick baking paper.
Place a small mug in the centre of your stack and slice the dough around it into 8 equal pieces, then remove the cup and slice between each piece to give 16 pieces. Take 1 piece in each hand and gently twist the pieces outwards and away from each other, pressing them together at the ened to join. Repeat with the rest of the dough so you have an 8-pointed star.
Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Transfer the dough on the paper to a baking tray and set aside to prove for 10 mins. Bake for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 15 mins. Leave to cool for 5 mins. Mix the cinnamon with a little icing sugar and dust over the bread, if you like. Great served with hot chocolate or coffee for dunking.