GialloZafferano's recipe of the day: monster buns

Halloween is here! The recipe of the day for Saturday, October 31 is perfect for preparing something original and fun: monster buns! Soft, intensely black leavened buns, colored with vegetable charcoal, hide a delicious raspberry jam filling. White and dark chocolate eyes and sharp teeth make them even spookier. A fun idea to serve at a Halloween party or to offer to the little monsters who come knocking at the door for the traditional "trick or treat?"

FOR THE DOUGH OF 16 BUNS:

• Type 00 flour 2 ¾ cups (350 g)
• Manitoba flour 1 ¼ cup (150 g)
• Whole milk 1 ¼ cup (300 g)
• Sugar 0.3 cup (60 g)
• Butter 3 ½ tbsp (50 g)
• Brewer's yeast (with dehydrated sourdough) 1 ½ tsp (7 g)
• Charcoal 0.5 oz (12 g)
• Fine salt 1 ¼ tsp (7 g)

TO DECORATE:

• White chocolate 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Dark chocolate 2.1 oz (60 g)

FOR FILLING:

• Raspberry jam 0.8 cup (250 g)

1. Melt the butter and let it cool until lukewarm. Pour the two flours, yeast, sugar, vegetable charcoal, and milk into a bowl. Start kneading, then add the melted butter and continue working until fully absorbed.

2. Transfer the dough to the work surface, add the salt, and knead for about 5 minutes, until you have a smooth mixture. Shape it into a ball, place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for about 2 hours, until doubled in volume.

3. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie or in the microwave and transfer it to a parchment paper cone. Melt the white chocolate as well and pour it into a second cone.

4. On a small tray lined with parchment paper, make 32 small white chocolate circles, adding a dark chocolate pupil in the center of each. Also draw 32 small white chocolate triangles to create the teeth. Transfer everything to the refrigerator to let the decorations harden.

5. When the dough has doubled, divide it into 16 balls of about 2.1 oz (60 g) each. Round them and arrange them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for at least 30 minutes.

6. Bake the buns in a preheated conventional oven at 392°F (200°C) for about 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let them cool.

7. Cut the buns in half and fill them with the raspberry jam. Close them up and use the leftover melted chocolate to attach the eyes to the top. Finally, apply the teeth directly onto the jam: your monster buns are ready!

If you don't have vegetable charcoal, you can try using a black food coloring suitable for leavened doughs, following the instructions on the package. Alternatively, you can choose unsweetened cocoa powder to get buns with a dark color and a more intense flavor, although in this case you will need to adapt the recipe quantities.