Chocolate for breakfast is my idea of a great way to start a Monday
morning. The French certainly have this right in spades, as there chocolate gets
stuffed into croissants or spread on slices of bread. How nice it would have
been to grow up in Paris…
But that’s not to say
that they’ve cornered the market on the perfect combination of bread and
chocolate. My personal take on a wonderful Hong Kong-style recipe shows that
breakfast can be both beautiful and delicious. Making a luscious loaf like this
it will certainly put you in the running for Favorite Adult of the Year if you
happen to serve it to kids. And if you are having adults over for brunch, this
and a pot of coffee will all but guarantee serious adulation.
Next week I’m going to
talk more about this inspired use of a simple roux known locally as “hot
dough,” or tāngzhŏng 湯種, to make the bread especially moist
and light. I’ll also talk more about making Pullman loaves—something you’ve
probably never heard of if you are under a *certain* age—but which means the
loaf is baked with a flat cover that turns it into the classic Wonder bread
loaf shape. Squarish breads like this are usually called tusi in Chinese, which just means “toast,” since they are designed
to be sliced and browned. When you have chocolate and other soft fillings meandering
around in the dough, as in here, be sure to toast the slices for only a short
time to prevent the fillings from making a getaway.
 |
| Klee, Child and Aunt, 1937 |
By the way, I think
this bread looks like something one of my favorite artists, Paul Klee, would
have adored.
Hot dough chocolate swirl pullman loaf
Tāngzhŏng qiăokèlì dàlĭshí tùsī 湯種巧克力大理石吐司
Hong Kong-ish
Makes 1 (9 x 4 inch | 22 x 10 cm) loaf
Roux:
½ cup | 120
ml cool water
3
tablespoons | 25 g Chinese flour
Dough:
1 teaspoon
active yeast
6
tablespoons | 90 ml warm water
3
tablespoons | 35 g sugar
¼ cup | 30 g
powdered milk
 |
| Jimmies! |
1 large egg,
lightly beaten
2 cups | 300
g Chinese flour, plus about 1 cup | 150 g for kneading
½ teaspoon
sea salt
¼ cup | 60 g
| ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
½ cup | 100
g chocolate sprinkles (aka jimmies)
Spray oil
Water for
sprinkling
1. Start the
roux at least 1 hour before you prepare the rest of the dough, as it will need
time to cool off a bit. Add the water to a heatproof measuring cup and stir in
the flour. Smash any major lumps that rise to the surface, and then microwave
this liquid on high for 1 minute until you have a thick roux that is very
elastic. Sample the roux, and if you can detect the taste of flour, microwave
it for another 30 seconds or so. Stir the roux then let it come to room
temperature before you proceed to the next step.
 |
| A fat, chocolate-filled snake |
2. Sprinkle
the yeast on the warm water and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a dough
hook. (Theoretically, you can make this bread by hand, but the dough ends up
being so soft and sticky that it’s definitely easier to have the mixer do all
the work.) Let the yeast bloom for about 20 minutes, and then add the cool
roux, powdered milk, egg, flour, and salt. Mix these together and then knead on
medium-low speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic and silky.
Add the butter and continue to knead the dough for another 5 minutes or so to
really build up the gluten. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the bowl with
plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm area until the dough is at least double
in size, around 1 to 2 hours. Dump the puffy dough out on to a board covered
with flour and knead it by hand until it is not very sticky. Cover it again and
let the dough rise until it is again at least double in size.
3. Turn the
dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for a minute or so to wake
it up. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, shaped these into balls, cover with the
plastic wrap, and let them rest for about 20 minutes to fully relax the dough
and make it easier to shape.
4. Working
on one piece at a time, roll a ball of dough out into a 30 x 6 inch | 75 x 15
cm rectangle. Dust the chocolate sprinkles down the middle of the strip. Fold
each of the long edges toward the center, pinch the open edge into the roll to
close it, and then roll the rope gently to smooth it out a bit. Repeat with the
other ball of dough.
 |
| And the snake coiled |
5. Spray
your Pullman loaf pan and lid with oil. Coil the ropes into the pan so that
they are more or less evenly filling the bottom, and so that the top of the
dough is more or less even—you don’t have to be terribly accurate, but this
step will help the loaf rise more evenly. Sprinkle the dough with water and
then cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it almost
reaches the top of the pan. (Remember that you must be able to slide the lid on
top, so don’t let the dough overproof.)
6. Set a
rack just below the middle of your oven and set it for 350°F | 175°C. When the
oven is ready, sprinkle water over the dough to create steam inside the pan.
Slide the lid onto the pan, set the pan in the oven, and bake for around 30
minutes. When you open the pan, the loaf should be a lovely golden brown and
sound hollow when you tap it in the center. Remove the pan from the oven, turn
the loaf out onto a cake rack, and let it cool before cutting it into slices.
