Have you noticed? This Asian-influenced baking craze has been trending a lot lately at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. I’m sure that you'll find so many versions of wool yarn breads via internet.I’m going to give this baking craze a go too! And today, I will show you how I baked my Super Soft Chocolate Wool Roll Bread.
My YUMMY Super Soft Chocolate Wool Roll Bread
When I first googled “wool roll bread”, my first hit linked me to a YouTube video by Apron. After watching the video, I realised that I can literally use any bread recipes to bake these beautiful wool roll breads as long as the shaping method is similar to Apron’s.In fact, there is nothing special about this shaping method as it doesn't make the bread extra delicious or any better. It is just a cool shaping method to make the bread look really pretty like a yarn. That’s all!
For this bake, I reckon my action speaks louder than my words... meaning that my video will illustrate the shaping process better than just plain words in my recipe.
So, I shall not say much... and please watch my video. Unlike Apron’s video, mine is a lot more straightforward and concise. It summarises the essential steps that you need to do and won’t take up a lot of your time to watch.
Yay!!! My first wool bread is a success!
Mine is filled with good quality gourmet chocolate.
And it is super soft and YUM!!!
Sorry for being a nag but I have to mention just one baking tip regarding the shaping and measurement before I proceed to the written recipe...
If you want your bread to be perfectly shaped like “a yarn of wool”, you will need a loose bottom 20cm round pan with 7cm height to bake with this recipe. No loaf pans please! Or unless you want to bake fat caterpillars! LOL! Also, it has be a loose-bottom pan for easier removal.
In order for the bread to raise evenly and roundly, the bread dough has to be evenly distributed and needs to be shaped with a curvy angle. According to the circumference of the 20cm pan (63cm), the length of each of the 5 rolled dough has to be less than 13 cm each in order to ensure adequate room for proofing.
Measurements!!!??? Not to worry. I have worked out all of the measurements to use and I will mention them in my video and recipe if you wish to be absolutely precise with your shaping.
By the way, my son didn’t care so much about the shape of this bread! LOL! He just said that the chocolate bread is superb! Super soft... super chocolaty!!! And of course, he chomped up most of it without even having a look at its shape! Hmmm...
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Here's the recipe.
Makes one 20 cm (8 inches) round x 7 cm height round pan
For the bread dough:
220g water, lukewarm
300g bread flour with 12% protein
25g milk powder - please do not use milk to replace water and milk powder.
30g caster sugar
2g salt
10g cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
1 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla seeds scraped from 1 bean
35g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp instant dry yeast
To assemble:
100g (1/2 cup) dark or milk chocolate chips - I used Callebaut dark chocolate callets with 54% cocoa
For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk
extra butter or vegetable oil spray to grease baking pan
extra bread flour for dusting and shaping
For the bread dough:
If you are using a breadmaker to knead and prove the dough, add all ingredients into the breadmaker according to this order. Use "dough" setting to mix and knead dough for 30 mins or until the dough is elastic and stretchy. Allow the dough to prove for 1 hr or until doubled in size.
If you are using an electric mixer with an hook attachment or your hand to knead, combine all ingredients except butter in the mixing bowl and mix at low speed until a soft dough forms. Then, knead in the butter until incorporated. Continue to knead for at least 25 mins or until the dough is elastic. It is important that the dough has to be elastic and stretchy. Cover the dough and allow the dough to prove in a warm and humid place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.
Grease one 20cm round cake pan with butter or vegetable oil spray. Using your lightly floured hands, divide dough into 5 equal portions, about 125g each. Pull, stretch and shape all portions into smooth balls.
Use a rolling pin to roll each dough into long flat oval with about 10cm width and as thin as possible. Visually, divide the oval into two by its longer side. For the first half, cut dough into thin strips along its longer side. Then, spread about 20g chocolate chips evenly on the remaining half.
Fold both sides of the chocolate chips side of the dough inwards. The width of the chocolate chip side of the dough should be about 5-6cm. Pick the shorter side at the chocolate chip side of the dough and roll the dough tightly like a Swiss roll. The chocolate chips half of the dough should be tightly rolled at the inside, revealing the cut half of the dough at the outside. Repeat this shaping step for the remaining portions of the dough.
Bend the shaped dough slightly and arrange them around in the prepared pan with their seam sides down and the cut side facing up.
Allow the bread to rise in a warm and humid place for another 1 hr or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven 350°F or 180°C.
For the egg wash, combine egg yolk and milk. Brush bread with egg wash.
Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown and thoroughly baked inside. If the top of the breads are becoming brown too quickly, cover the breads very loosely with aluminum foil at the last 5-10 mins of bake and continue to bake until thoroughly baked. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store any leftover in an airtight container at room temperature when they are completely cooled so that they will remain soft and moist even on the next day. Alternatively, you can store the breads in zip-lock bags, then in a freezer for up to 2 weeks. If you are consuming the breads on the next day or so, I suggest that you should warm each one-eighth using a microwave with high power for 10-20 secs. If the breads are frozen, thaw them in a fridge overnight then microwave each one-eighth with high power for 10-20 secs just before consumption. I promise. The breads will be super soft, moist and nice just like they have been freshly baked.
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