Korean mochi buns

These lovely Korean mochi bread buns came right out of my oven on a late Sunday afternoon.  I wanted to bake something badly, but I didn't have too much time or even the energy to lift up a manual whisk.

To quench my thirst for baking, I turn to this box of premix I received months ago. I emptied one of the two packets of the flour mixture into my mixing bowl, cracked an egg and added it into the bowl with some water. I mixed the mixture with my hand and I noticed that the dough was quite dry. I was tempted to add some more water but kept working away, and eventually I was able to gather up the mixture to form a nice smooth dough. The dough wasn't sticky or oily, it was so easy to work with. I divided the dough into nine equal portions and shaped them into little round balls. I let them rest, covered with cling wrap, while the oven is preheating. Just before I popped them into the oven, I sprinkled some water all over the dough. I suppose this is to make the crust crispy, just like making French breads.

35 minutes later, I was rewarded with a tray of crackly plump balls. Also known as black sesame tapioca rolls (tapioca flour is listed as one of the ingredients), these buns have got a hard but thin crispy crust and the inside was soft and very chewy.

It was the first time I have tasted a Korean mochi bread. The bread is not sweet at all and it doesn't have much flavour except for the black sesame. It is almost like eating a plain but chewy bread roll. They tasted really good when fresh out of the oven, and I would pair it with a cup of latte or something sweet such as hot chocolate or milo.

In case you ask, I have seen similar mochi bread premix ($9+ a box, comes with 2 packs) at the following Korean grocery shops here. To my delight,  I also happened to come across the Korean omija tea (read about it my earlier post here) at these two shops :)

S-Mart (Chinatown Point)
133 New Bridge Road
#01-01 A/B Chinatown Point

Lotte Mart (Bukit Timah)
17 Lorong Kilat
#01-02 Kilat Court

I have also included the recipe here as the instruction printed on the package is in Korean.

Korean mochi bread

Ingredients:
(makes 9 bread buns)

250g (1 packet) mochi bread flour mix
1 egg
70ml water

Method:
- Mix flour, egg and water in a mixing bowl. Gather to form a soft dough.
- Divide dough into 8 ~ 10 equal portions. Shape into round balls.
- Place doughs on baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth, leave to rest for about 15mins.
- Spray the doughs with some water.
- Bake in preheated oven at 180degC for 30~35mins or until golden brown.
Note: These rolls taste best on the day they are made.