This is an example of my life…

Get out of bed. Late. Decide that as I’m out of bed late I’ll have a run with Minnie after dropping the kids at school.

Blearily drink my coffee and generally faff around the kitchen.

Look at my calendar at 8.20am to see what excitement the day ahead brings.

Scream.

Realise that I need to make a selection of samples to take to a meeting with a buyer at a local and influential farm shop at 10am.

Run around the house, grabbing ingredients and shouting to the kids to get ready for school. Bundle kids out of the house at 8.40am…baguettes rising on the side, mixture made for cupcakes.

Metaphorically flog the kids to school, run home (lucky I’m dressed for a run…but not appropriate attire for meeting a buyer). Get the cakes in the oven. Have a shower. Choose some appropriate clothes. Take cakes out of the oven and put baguettes in. Run around the garden with Minnie to give her some exercise. Grab hot baguettes from oven and steam it to meeting at 10am. Get there with 5 whole minutes to spare.

Impress buyer and fix a date for launch. Back home by 10.35am!

Anyway, enough of my crazy morning and onto business…

Once again I’ve teamed up with a number of brilliant food bloggers to bring you #FreeFromEaster inspiration and so far it’s been fantastic. At the bottom of this post you’ll get a link to all the bloggers who are taking part so if you’re stuck for free from Easter recipes you need no longer be.

I developed this recipe after the success of my Christmas tree tear and share bread. You could just make that and add chocolate and raisins to the rolled up bits. However, I decided to have a go with yoghurt in the bread having made a loaf that was delightfully moist last week. I haven’t yet tried it, but I see no reason why you couldn’t use dairy-free yoghurt in the bread.

I used my homemade goats milk yoghurt (you can find out how to make your own yoghurt here) and it results in a squidgy roll bursting with chocolate.

Now onto the chocolate I used.

I have huge admiration for Chocolate & Love, and as you know, I like to support small businesses.

I’ve featured them before on the blog and I am again because I love them so much!

They produce organic, fairly traded chocolate (and lets face it, knowing it’s fair trade makes a big difference because so much of our chocolate comes from cocoa plantations where people are treated less than fairly) that tastes incredible and is suitable for coeliacs and vegans (although it does carry a ‘may contain milk’ warning).

For this recipe I’ve used their chocolate orange variety which is 65% cocoa and beautifully flavoured. It oozes out of the buns when warm, in the most divine way.

In addition to my gift of the recipe I am also working with Chocolate & Love to give one of you the chance to win a box of Chocolate & Love chocolates in time for Easter. All you have to do to enter is fill out your details in the box below the recipe.

Happy Easter folks!

4.64 from 46 votes

Hot Cross Bun Chocolate Rolls

Gluten-free, Egg-free, Soya-free, Can be Dairy-free. Low sugar

Servings 9

Author Vicki Montague - the Free From Fairy

Ingredients

250 g Free From Fairy plain gluten-free flour
250 g Free From Fairy self raising gluten-free flour
20 g sugar
10 g Easy Bake yeast
5 g psyllium powder
5 g xanthan gum
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
200-250 g dairy or dairy free milk
150 g plain dairy free or dairy yoghurt
1/4 tsp orange extract
FOR THE FILLING:
80 g Chocolate & Love orange chocolate chopped into chunks
50 g raisins
FOR THE GLAZE
Apricot jam
FOR THE CROSSES:
50 g icing sugar
1/4 tsp orange extract
2 tsp water

Method

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, and mix well
Add the yoghurt and orange extract then warm 200ml milk for 40 seconds on high power in your microwave and add that
Beat well to combine and bring the mixture into a sticky dough. The amount of milk will vary depending upon the yoghurt you use so you may need to add up to 50ml more than the 200ml to reach a sticky dough
Once you have the dough, place it onto a large piece of cling film on a clean surface and roll or push it out until you have a rectangle approx. 27cm across x 25cm high
Rub the dough with a little water then scatter all but the top 5cm longest length with the raisins and chocolate chunks
Using the cling film to help, and starting with the longest edge closest to you, roll the dough away from you to create a cylinder
Remove the cling film from the top of the roll then using a very sharp knife and a 'sawing' action, cut the cylinder into approx. 3cm thick slices giving you 9 rolls in total
Grease a 210cm x 210cm dish and place the rolls cut side down inside. There should be a little bit of space between them
Put cling film over the top of the dish and place in a warm spot for around an hour (or use my trick of a cup of boiling water in a tray at the bottom of a cold oven with the dish on the top shelf and the oven door shut - and leave for 30 minutes)
Once risen heat the oven to 180 degrees, 160 degree fan, gas mark 4
Brush the buns with some water and bake in the pre heated oven with a cup of boiling water in the bottom for 30 minutes
Once out of the oven, brush with apricot jam for a lovely glaze and leave to cool
While cooling mix the icing ingredients together and drizzle over the rolls in a cross shape!

The giveaway is only open to UK residents over the age of 18. The winner will be picked at random and emailed to request a postal address. You will have one week to supply an address before another winner is picked. The prize will be fulfilled by Chocolate & Love directly.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out all the other contributors of recipes to #FreeFromEaster. You’ll find some fabulous recipes coming up over the next few weeks…

Mel – ‘Le Coin de Mel’

Nathalie – ‘Intolerant Gourmand’

Emma – ‘Free From Farmhouse’

Nova – ‘Cherished by Me’

Laura – ‘Dairy Free Kids’

Midge – ‘The Peachicks Bakery’

Rebecca – ‘Glutarama’

Eb – ‘Easy Peasy Foodie’

Kate – ‘The Gluten Free Alchemist’

Kirsty – ‘Hijacked by Twins’