Chocolate Streusel Bread

Long history on this recipe. Originally from here known as Danish Chocolate-Streusel Coffee Cake, then by Patricia then by Wendy who all did a good job on it.

I’ve been wanting to make bread or pau again but have been avoiding doing any kneading job due to a strained right wrist ~ end result of using the mouse for a prolong period. Well, it’s part and parcel of the job and also the need to reply emails etc. I very much prefer to hand knead, it’s therapeutic ~ ask those who hand-knead! But this recipe and process really keep me wondering if the texture is a bread or a cake?

The whole process start with creaming butter and sugar which is probably why this got the name of a cake? And I couldn’t find any coffee in the ingredients so how did the Chocolate-Streusel Coffee Cake name came by? So is it a cake or a bread?! It’s a very soft dough but not too sticky so it’s easy to knead. I left the mixer to do the initial kneading before bringing out to hand knead.

Look how well proof the dough is? It double in size within an hour!

I didn’t do justice to the bread 😛 I make a mess when I try to twist it! And I’m too greedy to put all the streusel into one loaf and the other loaf is left with none. Do note the recipe yield 2 big loaf so you may want to half it.

I will prefer to call this a bread, the texture is a bread and it’s very soft indeed.

Dough
125ml milk

1 empty vanilla pod (seeds scraped for streusel filling)

1 and ½ tsp dry yeast

30ml water

Pinch of sugar

80gm butter (salted), slightly softened

40gm sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

Small pinch of salt

350gm all purpose flour

1. Bring milk and vanilla pod to a boil. Leave to cool down to warm.

2. While milk is cooling down, proof yeast with water and pinch of sugar until very frothy.

3. Beat butter and sugar until pale and light.

4. Beat in egg yolk, then the whole egg until well incorporated.

5. Beat in ¼ of the flour. Then 1/3 of the milk. Beat until smooth

6. Repeat step 5 twice. Give it a good beating for 2 minutes.

7. Beat in the yeast mixture and the final ¼ of flour.

8. Transfer to your kneading table or basin and give it a good knead for 10 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. (you can use your machine, of course, but it won’t 10 minutes, 5 or 6 will do)

9. Place in a buttered bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, leave to proof until double in size for about 1 hour (I just dumped the whole basin into my cool oven to proof)

10. Meanwhile do the streusel.

Streusel Filling

70gm sugar

Vanilla seeds from 1 vanilla pod

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

25gm melted butter

Pulse everything in a food processor except butter. (Or if you don’t have a food processor but only a blender like me, mix cocoa powder and flour together with a spoon until well combined. Pulse sugar and vanilla seeds in the mill for a few seconds. Combine sugar and flour mixture.) Drizzle melted butter over prepared dry ingredients and mix until well combined like fine chocolate crumbs. Leave aside until use.

Assembly:

1 egg white beaten until frothy

Almond slices

1. When dough, has risen to double in size, punch down and give it a good knead for 1-2 minutes. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes.

2. Roll out dough into a rectangle about 10X14 inch. Spread streusel mixture on top evenly,. Roll up dough and put dough seam side down on your lined baking tray.

3. With clean sharp scissors, snip ¾ inch intervals along the roll, cutting through ¾ of the dough only.

4. Start with one end, pull one piece of cut slice and twist it to the right. Take another cut slice and twist it to the left of the roll. Cut surfaces facing up. Repeat with all the the cut slices.

5. Leave to proof in a warm place for another 45 minutes or until doubled up again.

6. Preheat oven at 180C

7. Brush the loaves with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with almond flakes.

8. Put in preheated oven , close the door and immediately turn down the temperature to 160C. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

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