Bakery Style Chocolate Rugelach

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine milk, yeast, sugar, egg, egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla. Tip - Use a whisk to combine well making sure there are no lumps

Then, add the flour and salt – combine well with a spatula.

Start the mixer on and knead until everything forms a nice ball. Then knead for 2 minutes more.

After 2 minutes, start adding the room temperature butter – one cube at a time. Knead until all the butter is incorporated. Then knead 2 minutes more.Tip - The dough should now be beautifully soft, elastic, and shiny dough

Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth.

Leave the dough to rise on the counter for an hour. Then place it in the fridge for another hour. Tip - The cold dough is easier to work with as the butter chills. You can leave this dough in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt for a minute or more until all the chocolate is melted.

Leave at room temperature for the chocolate to cool. It works best if the chocolate cools but is still in spreadable consistencyTip - you can also place it in the fridge for a few minutes to chill until spreadable consistency

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat on medium-low until all the sugar is melted.

Then, cool a minute more until syrup consistency. Set aside until ready to use.

Remove the dough from the fridge. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough to a rectangle approximately 10 x 20 cm long.

Spread the chocolate over &frac23 of the rectangle.Tip - it is important that the chocolate is a spreadable consistency otherwise it will be messy

Fold the rectangle like a book. Start with the third that has no chocolate and fold it over the center half then bring the other side over the first (see video).Tip - when laminated you should have a chocolate layer between each layer.

Place it over a baking tray, cover with cling wrap and let chill for an hour or until just firm enough to work with. Tip - you dont' want the chocolate to get too hard or it will shatter between the layers. So, approximately an hour is good.

Remove the dough from the fridge. You can divide the dough into two. Work with one portion at a time (place the other in the fridge).Tip - I like to roll it a bit bigger then divide it into two so I have two workable rectangles.

Roll the dough into a long rectangle strip of about 5 mm thickness, which will be about 10 x 25 cm long.

Divide the dough into triangles (as shown in the video). First, cut at every 4 -inches, then cut diagonally. This should give you two triangles

Working with one triangle at a time, fold like a croissant. Start by stretching the triangle lengthwise creating a long tail. Then, roll like a jelly roll from the broader side towards the tail.

Place the shaped rugalach on a parchment-lined baking tray making sure to tuck the tail under. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let proof for an hour.Tip- the parchment paper also makes for easy clean-up.

Preheat the oven at 325 °F / 170 °C / Gas Mark 3Tip - it is best to start preheating the oven at about 45 minutes and make sure the oven is well preheated.

Egg wash - beat the egg and water together. Brush the proofed rugelach with this egg wash.

Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly golden.

Brush with sugar syrup as soon as you take it out of the oven. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.Tip - the sugar syrup keeps these rugelach's moist but do not add too much or they will be soggy.

Enjoy!