Mochi Bread Trial

Earlier, I mentioned that I was doing some experiments, trying to replicate a particular mochi bread. The original bread might have been made using a pre-mix. A few of us who have participated in this experiment have yet to diagnose the composition of the pre-mix. These are the fruits of my labour. I have not perfected the recipe yet but there is at least some progress. I will not be doing this any time soon as I am busy with another project. I would like to put the recipes and notes down so that those who are interested can give it a try. However, be sure that I will be back to this to fine tune it. I just need a break away from this; it's no fun having to polish off most these mochi bread by yourself, no matter how nice/tasty they are. *Burp..* Ahahahah..



The above was my 4th trial. I liked the crispy texture but the shape is not quite like the original. Also, the interior is not chewy enough and is abit hollow. The picture of the original bread is posted on a fellow blogger's site. See here. I find it slightly too oily for my liking. Below are the ingredients and method. Those quantities in captions are what I would experiment with next time.

Ingredient
100g glutinous flour (mochiko flour)
40g cake flour (might use 20g or 30g)
30g sugar (40g should taste better)
1 tbsp soy flour (thinking of substituting with cheese powder here)
1 tbsp milk powder
40g unsalted butter (should reduce to 20g to 30g)
1/2 tsp salt
200g water
1 egg (beaten)

Method
1) Sieve glutinous flour, soy flour, milk powder and cake flour together.

2) In a saucepan, bring water to boil, add water and salt. Add in butter. Slowly sprinkle the flour mixture until well combined and form a dough.

3) Remove saucepan from heat and stir in beatened egg, a spoonful at a time.

4) Use a piping bag with plain nozzle (I cheated, I only used a sandwich bag, cut a hole and pipe), pipe out the batter.

5) Bake at 170 deg C for 30 mins (was thinking of reducing to 20 to 20 or 25 mins), reduced to 150 deg C and bake for another 10 mins with oven door slightly ajar.

*Note : Do not open the door during the 1st 30 minutes. I would also suggest sprinkling some sugar or cheese powder on these babies.




This was the 5th trial. A suggestion of using bread flour was made. However, it did not yield a crispy exterior. It's either this or due to the reduction of butter. Pardon for the picture as I took it quite late at night. I thought it looked good on my handphone then. Must be my blurry eyes. The tip was slightly burnt as I wasn't there watching the oven. This time, the interior is more chewy and filled up.

Ingredient
100g glutinous flour
20g bread flour
40g sugar
1 tbsp soy flour (thinking of substituting with cheese powder here)
1 tbsp milk powder
20g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
100g water

Method
1) Sieve glutinous flour, soy flour, milk powder and cake flour together.

2) In a saucepan, bring water to boil, add water and salt. Add in butter. Slowly sprinkle the flour mixture until well combined and form a dough.

3) Remove saucepan from heat. Transfer the dough to a mixer. Using a dough hook, knead for 5 to 8 mins.

4) Use a piping bag with plain nozzle to pipe out the batter.

5) Bake at 170 deg C for 25 mins.

Thus, I conclude :
1) egg can be omitted as it causes a hollow interior and doesn't affect the shape of the bread much. However, for the next trial, I will reduce the egg, not totally omit it. I am not confident that the exclusion of the egg content does not affect the crispy texture.

2) Water content reduction is correct in order to get the chewy texture.

3) The choice of cake flour is right and could use a little more butter to crisp up the exterior. I think the butter also helps to achieve a more even browning.

4) I should also stick to the baking duration and method used in my 4th trial.

For those who are keen and have attempted it, please share your views and experience. Much appreciated. Lastly, I would like to thank Edith for opening this can of worms, ahahahah.. It's been tiring/frustrating, but it's been FUN!!

それじゃ～～