Finished dish photo of Cocoa Taro Mochi Soft Euro Bread

Cocoa Taro Mochi Soft Euro Bread

This recipe makes 8 pieces of bread. If you want to make more, simply double all the ingredients accordingly. The recipe uses fresh block yeast, but if you don’t have it, you can substitute with high-sugar dry yeast, using 1/3 of the amount.

Ingredients

High-Gluten Flour400g
Cocoa Powder24g
Salt4.8g
Granulated Sugar56g
Fresh Block Yeast (or 1/3 of the amount for dry yeast)14g
Butter32g
Whole Egg Mixture68g
Water212g
For Mochi Filling Preparationto taste
Glutinous Rice Flour140g
Cornstarch40g
Granulated Sugar30g
Pure Milk240g
Butter30g
Taro Filling (refer to another of my recipes)As needed

Steps

1

The method for making taro filling can be found in the recipe I posted two days ago. Click on the link below to view it. http://www.xiachufang.com/recipe/103689946/ For the mochi filling, mix all ingredients except the butter evenly and steam in a steamer on high heat for 20 minutes until it becomes a solid paste. After steaming, add the butter while it’s still hot, and knead it together by hand. If you have disposable gloves, wearing gloves will make it more convenient.

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2

Mix all ingredients except butter on low speed at first, then knead on high speed until about 60%-70% of the gluten is developed. Add room-temperature softened butter, mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes, then knead on high speed for approximately 5 minutes to reach the expanded stage.

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3

Knead until the dough forms a thin and resilient film. Tears must have smooth edges.

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4

The surface of the dough should be smooth overall. Place it into a proofing box and ferment at 28°C with 75% humidity for one hour. The size should roughly double. If you poke a hole with a flour-dipped finger, it should neither collapse nor bounce back.

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5

Divide into 8 equal portions, each roughly 100g, and roll into balls. Allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes in a first-stage proofing environment.

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6

After resting, flatten each piece of dough with the palm of your hand and roll them out into round shapes using a rolling pin.

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7

Flip the dough over so the smooth side faces down. Then place the mochi filling and taro filling on top. I used 50g of mochi filling and 35g of taro filling.

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8

Pinch the two sides together using your hands.

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9

Repeat the same method for the other side. Seal the bottom.

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10

Turn it over so the smooth side faces up and place it on a baking tray.

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11

Place all portions on the tray, ensuring they are spaced apart. Proof in the oven set to 38°C with 80% humidity for a second rise of 40 minutes. Make sure there is enough space between the dough pieces for expansion during final proofing and baking.

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12

After proofing, you can add patterns to the surface with a stencil and dust with flour for decoration. These stencils are available online, but I like carving my own by hand—it’s fun, plus it saves money. Haha!

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13

Snip a small cut on each corner of the triangles using a razor blade so they hold their shape better during baking and look more aesthetically pleasing.

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14

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C with convection for 19 minutes. For other ovens, the temperature should be similar, but you may need to extend the baking time by a few minutes.

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15

Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack before enjoying.

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16

A layer of mochi and a layer of taro—each bite is soft, chewy, and mildly sweet with a hint of cocoa bitterness. The flavors are perfectly balanced, making this totally addictive. Forget your diet for now—haha!

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17

It’s just the weekend. I got my kid to model the final product—haha!

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Generously stuffed—your appetite is guaranteed to soar. Hehe.

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First foodie...

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Another eager foodie!

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Feeling your mouth water yet? If so, start baking already! I guarantee no one will say no to this flavor.

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