Not sure if the mochi bread craze has caught on (or fizzed off) but I will always pick up 3 mini chocolate mochi buns whenever I drop by the bakery Yamazaki. It was pretty pricey for 3 bite sized buns, no doubt. But the crispy outer shell with the chewy gooey centre just make me want to scream: JUST TAKE MY MONEY!
So on second thought, I think why not just bake my own mochi buns? So after a while of googling (and found that you can get premix for mochi bread in Korea and Taiwan) and some failed attempts, here is the recipe for some yummy chocolate chip chocolate mochi buns.
You’ll need:
180g glutinous rice flour
20g tapioca starch
20g unsweetened cocoa powder
20g castor sugar
125ml milk
60ml vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
as much chocolate chips as you like (optional)
First, into a big bowl, add in all the dry ingredients and give it a quick whisk to make sure they’re well mixed together.
Then, add in all the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.
The end mixture should be a little runny (such that it’s extremely hard to shape it with your bare hands) yet not fully liquid like a cake mixture nor dry like a cookie dough.
I’ll suggest that you mix in 120ml of milk first and then add in more milk, bit by bit until you get to the almost easily pipe-able consistency.
You might want to keep the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes or so for it to firm up before shaping them into balls (you should get 10 numbers of small buns) and then wet the surface with some water before baking them at 180 degree Celsius for 20 to 30 minutes.
Wetting the surface before baking will help to get a crispier outer shell.
Although still a far cry from those selling at Yamazaki Bakery (still very dense and not airy/chewy enough on the insides), these small chocolate mochi buns will still be a pretty yummy treat if eaten warm from the oven as the insides will be at its most ooey-gooey state.
I highly advise that you do not keep these overnight at all, as they dry out/toughen up considerably and develop a pretty icky texture despite the taste remaining as chocolatey.
