Chocolate babka buns with orange syrup

Warm the milk; warm the eggs in warm water so cold ingredients do not shock the yeast.

Combine all purpose flour, warm milk, instant yeast, a little vegetable oil, two whole eggs and one yolk, salt and honey; reserve the spare egg white.

Stir a couple of minutes until homogenous, then mix at about speed four for 6 to 8 minutes, up to 10.

Check the dough temperature; aim for 75 to 80 degrees. A cooler dough rises more slowly.

Rest in a lidded container about 20 minutes, then knead briefly to strengthen.

Rise in a comfortable spot for an hour and a half to two hours, until more than doubled.

Turn out with a little flour, degas, and roll to a 10 by 16 rectangle, slightly larger than wanted. Cover on a lightly dusted sheet tray and chill 20 minutes to relax.

Filling: stir together chocolate, soft brown sugar, salt, espresso powder (optional), a tablespoon of cinnamon and a little cocoa powder.

Roll the chilled dough to 12 by 24 (or 12 by 30 for maximum spiralling) with little flour.

Brush a thin sheen of the reserved egg white over the dough, sprinkle on the filling and even it to the edges by hand.

Make a small first fold of about half an inch, press gently, then roll up without much tension; touch the end with egg white to seal.

Spray the pan. Mark the 12-inch roll into halves, halves again and thirds, and cut into twelve one inch pieces.

Set in the pan in rows of three or four, press each slightly to flatten without disturbing the spiral, and scatter any spilled filling over.

Cover and rise about two hours, until marshmallowy and filling the pan.

Brush with the reserved egg white and press the centres slightly to even them.

Bake at 400 degrees on a middle rack for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating if needed.

Syrup: bring water, sugar and a little salt up to temperature and reduce; off the heat add orange zest, steep a few minutes, then strain.

Pour the orange syrup over the buns as soon as they come out, brushing for full coverage; rest a minute or two before unmoulding.