Vanilla Chocolate Loaf

We are experiencing monsoon season here, the usual climate as any other year end. Baking bread on cold weather is quite challenging in the term of activating the yeast. To yield a soft and spongy bread, yeast need to be activated to perfection and it's warm place for the process. One of simple trick I learnt overtime on baking on cold climate is,  by placing the covered dough in a warm oven. When I say warm,  it shall be warm to body temperature level not hot. Too hot or too cold environment will easy kill the yeast resulting, in a dense and hard loaves. 

For a change, I made two basic flavored bread. Vanilla for my elder Dandelion who are not into chocolate and the dark beauty is my youngest favorite flavor in the whole world. You got to satisfy two different audience here with one single loaf 😂. As for the bread,  it's soft, spongy and and goes very well with a generous slab of butter or marmalade. 

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour
2 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 cup lukewarm milk
1/3 cup + 1 tsp granulated white sugar
1/3 cup butter,melted

1/4 cup butter,softened

1 egg,slightly beaten

4 tbsp cocoa powder 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

3 tbsp chocolate chip

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Methods 

Using a stand mixer, fitted with dough hook add lukewarm water,yeast and 1 tsp sugar to the bowl. Stir and let the yeast to bloom for 5-10 mins.

In another mixing bowl, mix in melted butter,egg,vanilla extract and milk. Add the mixture to the yeast. Add flour,salt and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Turn on the machine and beat for 15 minutes. 

Divide the dough into two and add the cocoa powder to one portion of the dough. Knead till the cocoa powder thoroughly mix with the dough. You will end up with one plain and another chocolate dough. 

Place the both dough separately in large greased bowls and cover with clean kitchen towels. Let the doughs to rest in a warm place for 90 mins.

Punch down the vanilla dough and lightly dust a clean working surface with flour. Place the dough on working surface and divide them equally into 6 equal sized balls.

Repeat the same with chocolate dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a oval. Brush the surface with butter and make few slits leaving the edges intact. Using your hand gently, roll the dough into cylinder. 

Place it on a 9"inch round cake tin lined with parchment paper. Take a ball of chocolate dough, roll into oval,brush with butter, make few slits leaving the edges intact and using your hand gently, roll into cylinders. Place the chocolate dough next to the vanilla dough. Repeat the process with the remaining vanilla and chocolate dough. 

Cover the dough with  it clean kitchen towel and let it rest for another 30 mins in a warm place. 

Brush the vanilla dough with egg wash. Sprinkle the chocolate dough with chocolate chips. 

Preheat oven at 350'F or 180'C and bake in the middle tray of the oven for 30-35 mins till golden. Remove from oven and cool on cooling pan for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on the rack.