Chrysanthemum Tear-Away Chocolate Bread

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 packet (2 and 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup + 1 tsp honey or agave syrup
• 2 large eggs + 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 4-4.5 cups of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• Special equipment: round cookie cutter with a diameter of 8.5 cm.

Filling

• 170 g finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation:

1. Dough:
   
   Combine the yeast and 1 teaspoon honey with 1 cup warm water (38-40°C). Let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs and yolks, olive oil, salt, the remaining 1/4 cup honey, and the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed until smooth. Add 4 cups of flour, mixing on low speed, 1 cup at a time, until a smooth, moist dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed, adding up to 1/2 cup of flour at a time, until a slightly sticky dough clings to the hook, 4-5 minutes more.
2. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a large bowl, and lightly brush with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.
   
   Filling:
   
   Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the chocolate, butter, pecans, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until a thick paste forms.
3. Grease a 25cm round baking pan with butter and set aside. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a well-floured work surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 60x40cm rectangle (about 0.5cm thick). Using an 8.5cm round cutter, cut out as many circles as possible from the dough.
4. Fill each circle to the edge with about 1 tablespoon of filling and fold in half, then in half again to make a quarter circle.
5. Pinch the end of the dough so the rounded edge opens slightly. Arrange the pieces, pinched side down, in a circle along the sides of the pan, leaving a little space between the pieces and the chocolate filling, which is visible on top.
6. See how the "petals" are starting to form?
7. Place 2 more circles inside the first circle in the pan, ending with one piece in the center.
8. Finally, fill the center with the last pieces of dough. Don't worry about fitting a specific number of pieces—the pan should be fairly simple and only accommodate what will fit in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush the risen dough with beaten egg and bake until golden brown and the center of the bread reaches 180°F (82°C) on a digital thermometer (not touching the pan), 30-35 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and serve warm.