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Oct 24, 2011

Macha Choc Swirl Bread






I love bread.
I also love making them into all sorts of shapes and sizes. (You can tell I get bored easily). Unfortunately, hubbers likes boring ol' loaf shapes, explaining that he enjoys his toast in the mornings and those crazy shapes just won't fit into the regular toaster and even after slicing them to eventually fit, they either fall to pieces or get wedged in it and by the time it gets dug out of the toaster, you can't put a decent slab of butter on.
I need a little variety in my life ... I mean, bread. Compromises, is what a good marriage is all about. I could elaborate on this, but I won't.

Honestly, this was just for fun. I knew chocolate and macha went well together after making those macha macs and I wanted a contrast in color to show off the swirl. The chocolate was not prominent at all in the flavors ... maybe next time I'll use a little more. And there's only a slight hint of macha, not enough to spoil whatever flavors you might decide to smear on the toast. I love macha and I thought it could do with a stronger flavor but for the other members of the family, non macha fans, they didn't care very much for this at all .... sigh.... maybe there won't be a next time after all.

I used the recipe from the X'mas Wreath Bread. You can find it here.
Use the same ingredients but minus the toppings.

INGREDIENTS

5 - 10 g macha powder (depending on how much you like macha)
cocoa powder (can't remember how much I used, it was mainly for color)

METHOD

As per bread recipe.
After the 1st proofing, divide the dough into 2 portions. Knead in macha (by hand or machine with a dough hook) into one portion and the cocoa powder into the other.
*Note: At this point you can knead the colors in evenly or just leave them speckled.
Roll out dough separately on floured boards into rectangles of the same size.
Place one flattened piece on top of the other.
Roll up like a swiss roll.
Here, I cut it up into 2 logs to fit my well oiled bread tins of L8" X W4" X H4" in size.
Place each log of dough into each tin, cover and leave to proof for another hour or until doubled in size.
Bake in preheated oven of 180˚C for about 30 mins.
To prevent the top from over-browning, tent bread with aluminum foil after 20mins into baking time.
Unmold immediately onto cooling rack when done.






at Monday, October 24, 2011
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28 comments:

  1. SissiOctober 24, 2011 at 10:33 PM

    Swirls again! It reminds me of your other "swirly" culinary achievements. This bread must taste fantastic: cocoa/chocolate are such a wonderful company for matcha and the swirls look enticing (I would even say hypnotising!). I love making experiments with matcha and until now everything has had a perfect taste (not always a perfect look), but I can understand other members of the family are not so crazy about matcha. Compromises in the kitchen sound familiar too ;-)

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  2. KristenOctober 24, 2011 at 11:02 PM

    I am thinking that with those great colors, that bread would make a great Halloween themed sandwich. I LOVE those swirls!!

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  3. Three-CookiesOctober 25, 2011 at 12:59 AM

    This is amazing, you share a great bread recipe, marriage advice and meaning of life all in one post, and its absolutely free of charge:). I have a theory. People like the "boring ol' loaf shapes" because thats what is available regularly and it becomes normal. Crazy shaped or swirl breads come and go and seldom reappear so we don't get used to them. I wonder what would happen if the swirl bread became a regular feature, if it was offered freshly baked every morning. I guess there is only one way to find out:)

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  4. AmandaOctober 25, 2011 at 2:56 AM

    the swirl is breathtaking!

    Amanda

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  5. pingOctober 25, 2011 at 9:35 AM

    Sissi: Haha! Yes, more swirls. I might have hypnotized myself into making more of them since the last couple of posts. :D

    Kristen: Hey yeah! Why didn't I realise that? Here I was cracking my head for a halloween something-or-other. Thanks for the idea Kristen! Big HUG!!!

    3Cookies: Haha! Didn't realize that at all! I must have missed my calling in life. Your theory's a good one. So once it's become a regular feature and people get used to it, you think they'll come up with a toaster made for crazy shaped bread? I'd be the happiest person ... for awhile anyway.

    Amanda: Thanks, Amanda! :D

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  6. CharlesOctober 25, 2011 at 3:40 PM

    Haha, what a beautiful bread! I've heard of Macha from Sissi's posts before - I've never tried it myself though. I bet you could make so many variations for this! Loving the idea - thanks for sharing :D

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  7. LillyOctober 25, 2011 at 7:54 PM

    I’m so jealous of your bread! It looks just perfect! I hope your hubby didn’t like it to much…so there’s more for you hihihi.

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  8. Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak LoverOctober 25, 2011 at 8:57 PM

    Beautiful swirl ! Frankly, I have not tried chocolate and matcha combo, I only know matcha and red bean, hahaha..ok, must give this combo a try next time.

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  9. JulianaOctober 26, 2011 at 2:52 AM

    Wow, your bread looks so pretty, and I love the matcha with chocolate.
    Hope you are having a great week Ping :-)

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  10. Three-CookiesOctober 26, 2011 at 4:20 AM

    Such toasters already exist, they look like mini ovens. I used to have one at uni, they are great. It has a broiler function also (which is lacking in your oven). So you are willing to make crazy shaped or swirl breads everyday. It seems to be a non-issue - good news for your household:)

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  11. PinayinTexasOctober 26, 2011 at 4:30 AM

    That bread looks beautiful! Love the macha swirls!

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  12. ElisabethOctober 26, 2011 at 5:59 AM

    Ping-I just love the color, texture, and the delicious tasting bread! Very unique and different idea. I would love that for the holidays, especially!
    Hugs,

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  13. pingOctober 26, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    Charles: Thanks! You really should give macha a try. The powdered form has got this beautiful smokey, chocolatey aroma even without the chocolate!

    Lilly: Haha! Don't be, make some! :D Yeah, he didn't but he ate it anyway. Luckily I had a 2 loaf yield.

    Sonia: Thanks! Chocolate and matcha goes very well. Give it a try!

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  14. pingOctober 26, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    Juliana: Thank you! Have a lovely week too!

    3Cookies: Really? You mean the toaster ovens? I have too many gadgets and too small a kitchen and storage space, I'll pass. But thanks for the suggestion.

    Tina: Hey, Tina! Thanks!

    Elisabeth: Thanks very much! Hugs back!

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  15. Three-CookiesOctober 26, 2011 at 6:01 PM

    Yes, toaster ovens, I could not think of the name earlier.

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  16. Liz That Skinny Chick Can BakeOctober 26, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    Ping, this is BEAUTIFUL!!! Just a fabulous bread...and your swirls are perfect! You did it again, my friend!!!!

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  17. Babe_KLOctober 26, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    what a pretty swirl there Ping!

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  18. AnonymousOctober 26, 2011 at 9:16 PM

    Ooooh, more squigglies!!! that is utterly gorgeous - way to go, Ping! You are so... so neat with the food you make, I am totally envious!

    The recipe calls for eggs - do you think I could get away with just yolks? (egg-white allergic boyfriend, so compromises galore here!)

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  19. pingOctober 26, 2011 at 11:20 PM

    Lizzy: Thank you very much, Lizzy. xx

    babe_kl: Thanks much.

    eattheroses: Haha! I like that ... squigglies! Allergic to the whites but not the yolks? How strange. You could try substituting 1/4 cup of cream for each egg. I can't guarantee the texture to be as rich and dense but that's what I did once before when I ran out of eggs and it seemed to work. Or you could just use a basic focaccia recipe instead. Let me know if it turns out ok.

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  20. Çitra's Home DiaryOctober 27, 2011 at 3:09 AM

    wow Ping.. I envy you can make such beautiful bread... congratulation and thx for sharing it to us.. Must try this one soon ..xoxo

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  21. Quay Po CooksOctober 27, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    Ping, you sure know how to fabulous swirls to hypnotise your readers. I think that's the reason why I am back here again and again! hehe.. I have yet to make anything with swirls. The color combination and the texture look perfect but I am big fan of macha but not chocolate so if I try to make this, I will swirl it with something else. Any suggestion?

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  22. pingOctober 27, 2011 at 11:50 AM

    My Home Diary in Turkey: Thanks, Citra. I was bored with plain bread ... playing around with my food! :D

    QPC: Haha! I wish that were true but thanks for visiting often. I love your witty comments. The chocolate flavor isn't prominent at all here but I guess you could also substitute it with coffee or just plain and matcha (green and white) or whatever combination you like. Have fun!

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  23. kitaOctober 28, 2011 at 10:36 AM

    I love that this is your 'normal bread for the toaster' and that its still knock your socks off stunning. Only you ;) I hope your hubby loved it because I am certainly impressed!

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  24. pingOctober 28, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    Kita: Hiya! Hehe, thank you. No, my hubby didn't like it, not a matcha fan. All the more for me!

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  25. TiffanyOctober 30, 2011 at 5:04 AM

    LOVE the flavors in this bread and the swirl is so whimsical!

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  26. pingOctober 30, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    Thanks Tiffany!

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  27. VonNovember 3, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    I get bored really easily too :) that's why I usually make buns of different shapes and flavours! haha.... I could imagine how funny it would be to try and place those other shaped breads into your toaster!! Luckily we have a toaster oven at home, so i can bake any shape I want and not have that problem ;) Your bread looks really pretty (and delicious too!)- I love macha flavour, so this one would definitely go well with me!!

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  28. pingNovember 3, 2011 at 11:28 PM

    Thank you, Von. Yeah, the suggestion of getting a toaster oven was given to me but that'll be one gadget too many in my tiny storage. Will wait til the trusty toaster breaks down :D

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