Baked goods have always been a favourite of mine as far as breakfast goes. Freshly baked crescent rolls, with a cup of tea or coffee may easily be the number one. These are very rich, with sour cream dough, and a sweet chocolate and strawberry filling. Choose a good quality dark chocolate to compliment the sweetness of the strawberries. I recommend Lindt Excellence 70%, as that is one of my favourites. You can even use a darker chocolate bar if you wish, it will pair perfectly.
Ingredients
For the dough
450 grams plain flour
1 ½ teaspoons dried yeast
100 grams granulated sugar
200 grams sour cream
50 grams powdered milk
50 ml vegetable oil
120 ml boiling water
For the filling
300 grams fresh strawberries
100 grams dark chocolate
For the brushing
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preparation
Sift the flour into a large bowl, take out about 4-5 tablespoons and set it aside. Add the yeast and sugar to the large bowl and mix well. Take a medium-sized bowl and whisk together the sour cream and the powdered milk. Add the oil and the boiling water and combine well. Make a well in the centre of the flour, pour in the wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead it for about 10 minutes, adding the reserved flour as you knead. It will become smooth and elastic. Transfer it to an oiled bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise for about an hour and a half.
For the filling, wash and clean the strawberries, chop them up and put them in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook them over medium heat, stirring often, until all of the juice evaporates and they cook down to a jam consistency. My advice is to cook it until it's thick enough so it doesn't leak out of the rolls while baking. Remove the filling from the heat and let it cool down. Chop up the dark chocolate and set it aside.
When the dough is ready, gently knead it and roll it into a large circle, about 5 millimetres (¼-inch) thick. Cut the circle of dough into 12 equal triangles, then cut a slit in the centre of each triangle's wider side (like you would cut it when making croissants). Place a bit of the jam on the wider side of the triangle, add some of the chocolate, and roll it up tightly towards the pointy end. Repeat this with all the triangles and arrange them on a large baking sheet, lined with baking paper. Let them rest and rise for 30 more minutes. Just before baking, brush them generously with vegetable oil, and bake them, in a preheated oven, at 200˚C (400˚F), for about 15-18 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, you can brush them with a bit of butter, for a softer crust.
