I love making breads and buns. But more important I love experimenting with the ingredients in coming up with my breads and buns. All my breads and buns are different for each bake. It is important to feel the dough during the process so that we know whether the bread will turn out well. If the dough is too dry we have to add more liquid. When we are adding liquid we must not pour all in at the same time. The golden rule is to retain at least 10-15% of the liquid. If we were to put all the liquid in, we cannot remove them if the dough is too wet. (The alternative is to add more flour and have a bigger loaf or more buns than we desire.)
The Chocolate Buns for this recipe are not sweet. In fact they are slightly bitter. But the chocolate chips will add some sweetness to the buns. However, for those with sweet tooth, they may add more sugar to the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 330 g bread flour
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 60 g sugar (Can add another 15 - 20 g for sweeter buns.)
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 200 ml chocolate milk
- 70 ml whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 50 g butter
- 12 tsp chocolate chips
- For brushing the dough (Optional):
- 1 egg
- 2-3 tbsp milk
Method:
- Put all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Start the mixer at a slow speed to combine all the dry ingredients.
- Slowly add the chocolate milk and whipping cream. (Different flour has different moisture content. If your dough is dry, add more chocolate milk.)
- Add the egg.
- Knead until a dough ball is formed.
- Add the butter.
- Knead until the butter is incorporated.
- Continue kneading until window pane stage is achieved.
- Grease a bowl which is big enough for the dough to proof to double the size.
- Transfer the dough from the mixing bowl to the greased bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a cling wrap.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer the dough onto a slightly floured or greased surface.
- Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes.
- Divide dough into 12 pieces. (My mini dough weighs 75 g each.)
- Take 1 dough and roll it into a ball.
- Flatten it into a circle using a rolling pin.
- Place a teaspoon of chocolate chips in the centre.
- Roll up the dough to form a ball.
- Place the ball onto a cupcake liner.
- Place the liner onto a baking tray.
- Repeat this until all the dough balls have been completed.
- Cover the baking tray with a towel.
- Place the baking tray in a warm place and let the dough proof until double in size.
- Preheat oven to 170 deg C.
- (If you want a shiny top, brush the dough just before baking with the egg and milk mixture.)
- Bake the dough balls for 20 minutes.
- When baked, remove the buns immediately onto a metal rack to cool down.