Easy Cocoa Soft Bread Rolls

Couple of things I was trying to use up: some cream cheese, some bananas, some baking chocolate. And I had a some Green & Black’s cocoa powder sitting in the cupboard.

One of my favourite baking (bread especially) blog that I like and use often is a Mandarin blog called 幸福之味. Many of my baking inspirations came from there, including these cocoa rolls. These were inspired by her Cocoa Raisin Bread and Banana Cinnamon Roll.

Sandwiching the dough with fresh bananas was something I have never done before. Would the banana get too soft and become mushy? Would the banana juice released soak the dough? So many unknowns.

I have made banana (yeast) bread with mashed banana within the dough, but the results were not too satisfying – the flavour was too mild. Therefore this bake was kind of an experiment!

Cocoa Bread Rolls
– makes 8 rolls

230g bread flour
20g cocoa powder
40g sugar
3g salt
3g instant yeast
120g milk (or 2Tbsp milk powder topped up to 120g with water)
50g water
25g oil

Make the dough as usual. Proof, then shape, then proof, than bake.

180ºC, 20 minutes.

The dough was excellent. Smooth and round. Passed the windowpane stage. However it took longer than usual to proof, so it would be good for slow fermentation method (ferment in fridge). It was not sticky. No dusting flour was used throughout this bake.

I made two variations out of this dough. Both swiss rolls style, one with baking chocolate pieces and raisins, another with cream cheese and banana slices.

Cream cheese (sweetened with icing sugar) and banana, ready to be rolled up!

I thought the cream cheese filling would dry up, but it stayed mostly moist.

The structure of the banana cocoa rolls. The baked banana slices did soak the dough, making the dough a little soggy where it’s in contact with the banana. Gotta find a way to prevent this! The rest of the bread was fine.

The raisins cocoa rolls were nice and normal.

The texture of this bread was excellent, soft and fluffy. Quite similar, if not better, than tang zhong bread rolls. Very impressive considering how simple the recipe is!

It tasted very good too! Thanks to the Green & Black Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Very high quality. I have used Van Houten cocoa powder before in bread and cakes, and they were awful and very acidic! Do avoid Van Houten at all costs.

The baked banana was absolutely delicious!! The flavour was unbelievable. This was much better than incorporating them within the dough. Have to sort the soggyness out though. Also, the banana flavour completely overshadowed the cream cheese’s.

Overall, this recipe is great and very versatile. It could be made into a loaf, a tear-and-share etc etc. Plus it is so simple! Win win!