Chocolate Rolls

Chocolate rolls are rolled bread filled with chocolate sauce. Like cinnamon rolls, they are great for breakfast or tea breaks. It is a good alternative for those who do not like the taste and smell of cinnamon. The method of making them is similar.

Ingredients:

• 515 g bread flour
• 50 g brown sugar
• 20 g milk powder
• 6 g yeast
• 6 g salt
• 200 g whipping cream or heavy cream
• 110 g warm milk
• 2 eggs

Method:

• Put the flour, sugar, milk, yeast and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.

• Add the whipping or heavy cream, warm milk and eggs to the bowl. It is good practice to break the egg first into a smaller bowl before adding it to the mixing bowl to avoid adding eggs which are not fresh or rotten to it.

• Knead the ingredients into a smooth dough and until window pane is achieved. (This is important for a soft and fluffy roll.)

• Grease a bowl with oil.

• Remove the dough from the bowl and put it into the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap.

• Leave the dough to proof until it doubles in size.

• Once it has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl onto a slightly floured table-top.

• Punch down the dough to release the gas in it.

• Knead it manually for about 5 minutes.

• Roll it into a big round dough.

• Roll out the dough into 15 inch x 11 inch rectangle.

• Pre-heat oven to 170 degree Celsius.

• Spread the chocolate sauce onto the rectangular dough. (Please find the chocolate sauce recipe in this blog.)

• Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into long strips.

• Roll up each strip and place it into a cupcake liner or muffin tin (roll up tightly if you prefer a pointed top) or you may place the rolled dough side by side in a 15 inch x 11 inch baking pan. (I managed to obtain 22 pieces of rolled dough.)

• Cover the rolls and let them proof to double in size.

• Once the dough balls have doubled in size, bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

• Remove the pan from the oven.

• Remove the buns immediately onto a cooling metal rack.

• Enjoy. 

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate sauce is a sweet delicious condiment which has a lot of uses. It can be used as a topping for your ice cream, muffins and cakes or as a spread for your bread. It can also be used in making your chocolate milk shake and ice cream. It is very easy to make and costs very much less when made at home. And most of the time, the ingredients to make it are available at home. Although the recipe for making it is provided here, you can vary the quantity of each ingredient to suit your taste - either less bitter or sweeter. You can also vary the consistency of your chocolate sauce; if it is too runny, you may heat it a bit longer to thicken it. I usually make it when I have a lot of whipping or heavy cream remaining after my baking.

Ingredients:

• 80 g butter
• 100 g whipping cream
• 65 g brown sugar
• 15 g cocoa powder
• 5 g instant coffee

Method:

• Weigh all ingredients into a heat proof bowl.

• Put the bowl over a pot of boiling water (Bain-marie) without the bottom touching the boiling water.

• Stir the ingredients using a spatula.

• When the sugar, cocoa powder and coffee have dissolved and the sauce is shiny, remove it from the heat.

• The sauce will thicken as it cools down.

• After it has completely cooled down, transfer it to a glass bottle and keep it in the fridge if you are using it as a spread for your bread.

• However, if you are using it as a ganache, it is better to use it when it is still warm and runny.

Cheesey Potato Buns

 

Potatoes can be found abundantly in our country throughout the year. Due to their availability they are very useful in our daily cooking and baking. They can be stir-fried, deep-fried, braised, stewed, boiled and baked. I have used potatoes in making bread loaves and buns. They made these loaves and buns very soft for many days on the counter-top.

Ingredients:

• 200 g mash potato
• 650 g bread flour
• 7 g yeast
• 45 g sugar
• 10 g salt
• 1 Grade A egg
• 260 g warm milk
• 70 g butter
• 60 g grated Mozzarella cheese

Method:

• Peel the potatoes, cut them into thick slices and boil them till they are soft.

• Once they are soft, remove them from the pot and mash them. Set them aside.

• Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer.

• Next, add the egg and warm milk.

• Knead the dough till a ball has been formed.

• Add the butter and continue kneading till window pane is achieved.

• Grease a bowl.

• Transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and let the dough proof till it is doubled in size.

• Punch down the dough.

• Slightly flour the counter-top.

• Transfer the dough onto the counter-top.

• Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Form a big dough ball.

• Cut the dough ball into 16 pieces.

• Roll each piece into a ball and place it onto a cake liner.

• Repeat till all the dough has been rolled up.

• Let the dough balls proof a second time.

• Once they have risen and are ready for baking, spread the grated cheese on top.

• Bake them in a pre-heated oven at 175 degrees C for about 18 minutes.

• Remove the buns from the oven once they are baked.