INGREDIENTS
Chocolate custard
145 ml full cream milk
1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
35 g caster sugar
1 ¼ tsp cornflour
2 egg yolks
100 g good quality milk couverture chocolate 33%
15 g butter, softened
Chocolate baos
340 g plain flour
20 g Dutch processed cocoa powder
20 g skim milk powder
50 g caster sugar
½ tsp baking powder
6 g instant dry yeast
200 ml water, lukewarm
35 ml vegetable oil
METHOD
Chocolate custard
- Place the milk and vanilla into a saucepan and bring to the boil on high heat, induction setting 8.
- Meanwhile, combine the sugar and corn flour in a bowl.
- Add the egg yolk to the sugar mixture and whisk to form a slurry.
- Slowly add the hot milk to the slurry while whisking.
- Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to the boil on medium heat, induction setting 6, while gently whisking.
- Pour the custard over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has completely melted and combined.
- Lastly, add the softened butter and whisk to incorporate.
- Cover with cling wrap touching the surface of the custard and place into the refrigerator to cool.
Chocolate baos
- Place the flour, cocoa powder, skim milk powder, sugar, baking powder and yeast in the bowl of a freestanding mixer with a dough hook attachmen
- Mix on low speed while adding the lukewarm water followed by the vegetable oil.
- Once the mixture has come together, increase to medium-high speed, and continue mixing for 8 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover with cling wrap and prove at room temperature for 75-90 minutes, until doubled in size. Alternatively, place the dough into the oven on Prove yeast dough and prove for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Once doubled in size, gently knock back the dough then roll into a log.
- Portion into 50 g pieces and gently roll the dough between your palm and the workbench to form a ball.
- Place each ball onto a small square of baking paper and cover with cling wrap. Allow to prove at room temperature for a further 30 minutes, until the dough puffs slightly and springs back slightly when gently pressed. Alternatively place the dough into the oven on Prove yeast dough and prove for 15 minutes.
- Place the baos into a perforated steam container and into the steam oven. Steam at 100°C for 15 minutes. Alternatively, if you do not have a steam oven, the baos can be steamed in a bamboo basket over a saucepan of boiling water.
- Remove the baking paper from the base of the baos.
- Fill a piping bag with the prepared chocolate custard and pipe into the base of each bao.
APPLIANCE / FUNCTION
Kirsten Tibballs
Kirsten Tibballs, proclaimed by MasterChef Australia as ‘the Queen of Chocolate’, is one of Australia’s most celebrated and internationally respected pastry chefs and chocolatiers.
With a desire to pass on her knowledge to other passionate food lovers and professional pastry chefs, Kirsten established Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in 2002 in Brunswick, Melbourne. Savour creates an opportunity for students to learn from and work alongside their award-winning chefs. It boasts a state of the art kitchen and hosts a number of renowned international pastry chefs each year.
