Mochi Bread (Chocolate Cream Cheese)

How to make it

1. 1

   Loosen 5.3 oz of room-temperature cream cheese until smooth, then mix in 25 g of powdered sugar and 13 g of cocoa powder one after the other, and fold in 1.4 oz of chocolate chips. Divide it into portions of about 55g each and keep them in the freezer until you use them.

   · The filling has to be cold for the shaping to go easily.

2. 2

   Put every ingredient except the butter into a large bowl and run the dough mixer on low speed.

3. 3

   Once the ingredients have come together, add the butter, raise the speed to medium, and knead for 12 to 14 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.

   · The tapioca starch makes it look sloppy at first, but it smooths out once the mixer has run long enough on medium.

4. 4

   Move the dough to a bowl and let it ferment in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.

   · Press it with a finger — when the dent rises back slowly, the proof is done.

5. 5

   Press the gas out lightly, divide the dough into 8 pieces, round each one, and give them a 10-minute bench rest.

6. 6

   Roll each piece out wide with a rolling pin, set the cream cheese filling on top, gather the edges together, and seal them tightly.

7. 7

   Let them proof for about 30 to 40 minutes.

8. 8

   Brush a thin coat of cooking oil over them before baking. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C), then bake at 300°F (150°C) for 5 minutes and at 275°F (130°C) for 15 minutes. Use the top-and-bottom heating element mode, and in a convection oven set the fan speed to 0.

   · Bake it slowly at a low temperature so it takes on no color and less of the raw flour smell is left.

9. 9

   Straight out of the oven they will not feel chewy, but they turn chewy as they cool all the way down. Let them cool for about 30 minutes before eating.

No coming back

Things that actually went wrong over 20 years in a kitchen.

• The tapioca starch makes the dough look sloppy early on — it needs 12 to 14 minutes on medium speed to turn smooth.
• If it springs straight back the proof is short; if it sinks, it has over-proofed.
• The dough is chewy and can tear, so do not roll it out too thin.

You can fix this

If it hasn't burned or stuck to the pan, it can still be fixed.

• If it stays too slack, work in bread flour a little at a time as you knead.
• Dough can only be fixed before it goes in the oven — a little more flour if it is slack, a little more water if it is stiff. Once baked, nothing can be changed.