Wednesday 20 June 2007

Chocolate Hazelnut Bread


When I first came across this bread recipe that uses chocolate chips and hazelnuts, I almost wanted to try it out immediately. It was put on hold as I didn't have any chocolate chips or hazelnuts left. However, this recipe has been at the back of my mind all the while...I finally got a pack of chocolate chips and hazelnuts when I dropped by Phoon Huat recently. Since it was a few weeks before I last read the recipe, I got the wrong type of hazelnuts! The recipe calls for chopped hazelnuts, but I bought home a pack of grounded hazelnuts :'( I went ahead with it, thinking that there shouldn't be much difference between chopped and grounded hazelnuts.


This bread recipe is for a bread machine...as such it is quite a simple and straight forward loaf to bake. I only got a little worried just after I added in the grounded hazelnuts and chocolate chips. The dough didn't seem to be able to blend in the nuts and chips well. Fortunately, after the second kneading cycle was completed, all the chips and nuts were fully incorporated into the dough. In fact, most of the chips were already melted into the dough.

It was only when the bread was almost baked, I then realised that I didn't set the loaf size and crust setting! As the crust was almost dark browned, I stopped the machine 5 mins earlier. I wasn't sure whether it was the wrong setting, or it was meant to be, the crust was a little hard and crisp...just like the crust texture of a country loaf.

Too bad with the use of a wrong type of hazelnuts, I couldn't taste the grounded hazelnuts in the loaf at all...and the bread wasn't really sweet as what I expected. Nevertheless, the bread tasted marvellous when served as a toast with jam :P

Ingredients

200ml semi-skimmed milk (I used low fat fresh milk)
3 tablespoon melted butter, cooled
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
450g bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoon instant or fast acting dried yeast
75g chocolate chips
50g chopped toasted hazelnuts

Method:
  1. Pour milk into the pan of the bread machine, followed by melted butter and egg. Add sugar and salt. Cover with the flour and sprinkle the yeast over.
  2. Fit the pan into the bread machine and set to BASIC white programme. Select 1 lb or 1.5lb loaf size and set to light or medium crust setting (depend on your preference).
  3. Add the chocolate chips and nuts when the machine beeps.
  4. Once baked, remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Recipe Source: The Breadmaker Bible by Karen Saunder

20 comments:

Anne said...

wow! another bread variety... hmmm looks good to me. And I love your photo of it :)

Patricia Scarpin said...

Even with all the "problems" you mentioned, the bread looks wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

can I ask you what bread machine you have? I am looking at the Zo-mini. Since you look like you are having such fun with yours, I am curious to know what you are using.

Thanks,
Anja (asetiawan1@yahoo.com)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Anja, thanks for dropping by!

I bought my breadmachine from Carrefour at S$69.90, it's their housebrand, Bluesky. It comes with the basic breadmachine functions...nothing fancy, I doubt can compare it with those higher end bread machines, but it was a very economical choice for me, hopes this helps :)

^cherie said...

Whoa.. thanks for the recipe! But this has to be baked in the day time yeah? No overnight and fresh bread in the morning due to the fresh milk?

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Sherie, yes, besides milk, there's also egg in the recipe...and you will need to add the chocolate chips and hazelnuts when the machine beeps...that's when the second cycle starts if you are using the Basic white programme.

^cherie said...

Thanks! :)

Anonymous said...

Hihi...really appreciate if you can help me. I bought one bluesky and tried baking twice but failed :( I followed the recipes as given in the instruction manual. Can you email me chopindreams@yahoo.com? Please help me :(

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi anonymous, I have dropped you an email. Do let me know if you didn't get it :)

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Love your bread. I dont hv a bread machine, can you guide me with the manual step-by-step method?

TIA
Jen

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Jen, I am afraid I have not tried this recipe by hand...as such, I am not really comfortable to give any advise on making this bread by hand. Have you been making bread? If yes, the following should give u a rough idea: first mix all the dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips and hazelnuts, in a mixing bowl. Then make a well in the centre, and add in the other wet ingredients (milk, egg and butter). Mix to form a soft dough. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and not sticky. This will probably take any time between 15 to 20 mins. Then, add the chips and nuts to the dough and knead till just incorporated. Let the dough rise for 1 ~ 1.5hrs in a clean bowl covered with cling wrap...then knock out the dough to release the air. Shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Let it rise (covered with cling wrap) for another 1 hr. You may probably bake at 180 ~200 degC for 20 ~ 30mins or so. Since the recipe does not indicate the temperature, you will have to watch your bread and gauge. Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Happy Homebaker, will try it out.

rgds
Jen

sherlyn said...

Wao .. you made this bread in 07 and now in 09, I am thinking of trying this bread. I have ground hazelnut at home, and maybe using it since my kids may not eat with nuts in it. May I ask you, if you are making bread with 250g bread flour, would u still use the 3 hrs cycle? Since it is small bread , u think can shorten the baking time (seems usually is an hour with breadmaker).

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Sherlyn, my breadmachine comes with a standard 3 hr cycle, I can't change the timing. I can only select the loaf size, I set it to the smallest, and select the Lightest crust.

sherlyn said...

*sigh * it seems that bluesky is a better breadmaker than the red man one. ok . .. I think I just hv to try it out. Thanks.

sherlyn said...

Dear HHB, I finally made it. Its soft but has a hard crust since it is made from breadmaker.
May I ask u some questions here. I put in the ground hazelnut together with the bread flour, cos I treat it as dry ingredients, only chocolate chips I put in later. Do you know what is the difference if i add in first or after then 2nd kneading.

May I also ask .. what is the brand of the yeast u using? I read it in one of the post's comments, but now I cant seem to recall. I am using Bake King and I wonder how do I store it since it is in a bottle. I now putting it in the fridge.

Too tired to post up my bakes. Recently not sure busy with what and currently my both kids are down with chicken pox .. wonder if it will be my turn after them ....

TIA.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Sherlyn, I am not sure whether I am correct, but I think it depends on the texture of the hazelnut you use...if it is finely grounded, maybe can add in together with the flour, but if it is chopped (into small bits), then it should be added with the chocolate chips. Otherwise it may absorb the moisture from the dough(?)
I am using Bake King too, I store it in the fridge. However, do note that after sometime (like say 6 months) even before the expiry date, if you notice that the dough doesnt proof well (takes a longer time to proof) it is best to use a new bottle.

Do take care, I had the same experience a few years ago, both my kids and myself were down with chicken pox one after another, and I was all alone as my husband was away for weeks. It was a nightmare.

sherlyn said...

Dear HHB,

我真的很慶幸有你幫忙。我深信我要問的問題,網上不容易找着。

I can still taste my hazelnut bits in the bread, so perhaps it means that I shd add it with the chocolate chips. My kids are sick, so my boy did not test the bread, but my hubby did not like the bits. My girl says its is nice last nite but did not ask for it again today. I love it very much thou it is a little dry now. If I have the chance I would want to bake it again (fearful of no one eating with me)

thanks for the info on the yeast too. Previously my mother use red man yeast and my hubby said the bread has a hint of sour taste, thus i change to bake king. This time he say he did not detect any sour hint but I am not sure if it is covered by the chocolate.

很感激你無私的幫助。謝謝。Will try venture into other breads soon. Have a nice weekend.

Elina said...

Hi HHB, won't the chips melt? I've alwys wanted to do a chocolate chip bread using my breadmaker but everytime I do it the chips just melt. The 1st time I made I put the chips when the beep sounded. Another time was when before the baking cycle starting and it was still mixing I poured the chips in. Still melted.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Elina, the chocolate chips suppose to melt in the dough...if u dont want it to melt, maybe u can just sprinkle the chips on top of the dough? or wrap them inside the dough? I am sorry I dont have much experience baking bread with chocolate chips...