Dark Chocolate Croissant Bun
Pan Size : NIL
Yield : 8 buns
Recipe for : Philips Air Fryer XXL OR Air Fryer Oven
If you’re bored to wits with the usual bun shape, here’s an idea for your favourite chocolate buns using Shio Pan shaping method (croissant shaped bun)
INGREDIENTS BELOW:
230g Bread Flour (change to 190g Bread Flour + 40g AP Flour if you prefer a less chewy texture)
20g Cocoa Powder
3g Instant Yeast
30g Fine Sugar
3g Fine Salt
195ml Whole Milk (store bought fresh milk works fine)
20g Unsalted Butter (softened)
64g Chocolate Couverture
*Prepare 8 pieces of baking paper for the croissant bun measuring 15cm x 12cm. Alternatively you may want to place your buns to bake on the removable tray of an 8inch round baking pan
**This is a bun dough with a hydration level of 78% as Cocoa Powder tend to lower down the hydration of the dough**
DOUGH PREP METHOD BELOW:
1) Pre-mix flour & cocoa powder before sifting into mixing bowl. Add in yeast & sugar then whisk it to incorporate the dry ingredients evenly. Add in milk & salt
**For Standmixer user, please skip steps 2–6 and use my stand mixer method here under “Standmixer 101” section**
2) Use hand mixer with dough hook at Speed 2 (low) to knead the dough for about 2mins. Once you see the dough structure start to form, add in butter (fold in dough with your hand to cover the butter) and continue kneading for another 3mins
[Note : Rest handmixer for about 30secs or so after adding butter to prolong the “life” of your hand mixer. Do not use hand mixers below 300watts cause it will just burn out. If you’re using stand mixer, you’re absolutely safe]
3) You will see the dough forming into a scraggly ball at about the 3rd minute onwards after you add in the butter. If you have been trying out my Soft Milk Buns recipe, this dough texture is almost similar
4) Move dough to a clean surface to start hand kneading. Use a spatula to transfer every bit out
5) DO NOT succumb to the temptation of dusting the surface with flour as it will reduce the hydration level of the dough. Try using a plastic/marble/any smooth surface for this
Take a deep breath, warm up your arms & elbow for a good workout in the next steps!
6) Start to slap & fold your dough by pulling up the whole dough & slapping it down like this . Repeat this motion by taking the dough nearest to your body, fold it front then pulling up the dough and slapping it again. I did this for a good 15–20mins before the dough was smooth & did not leave any sticky residue anymore. Most bits on my hand & fingers were back into the dough. It is definitely still tacky due to the high hydration
7) Test your dough by stretching it to see if it stretches well without breaking immediately & if it passes the “window pane test”. You can start your 1st proofing once this is done.
**If you have difficulty reaching the window pane, try to let the dough rest for 1–2 minutes before trying again, otherwise, continue to slap & fold for another 1–2 minutes until you achieve the pane
For more insights on readiness and how to knead your dough using a combination of a hand mixer + hand kneading, you can head to my IG Story here for guidance
8) Smoothen up & tighten up the dough then place them into a bowl (dusted with flour — remove any remaining flour in the bowl). Cover with a cling wrap or towel. Proof it for 1hr or till double in size
9) After 1hr, remove the dough from mixing bowl. Place your dough in the middle of your mat and start to rollout the dough with a rolling pin to form a flat circle with 30cm diameter (like a pizza) — try to push out all air bubbles while rolling the dough out. Once done, cut the dough into 8 parts
10) Cover with cling wrap and let it rest for 15mins. This is to help with gluten formation for a better rise later & ease in shaping
11) After 15mins, take one part of the dough and place it in the middle of the mat to be rolled out — imagine a triangle & position the dough in a way where the tip of the triangle is furthest from you with the 2 long sides on the left & right while the base of the triangle is closest to you
12) Roll out the dough from bottom upwards to lengthen the dough. The dough triangle should measure 12cm in width (base) and about 20–25cm in length to create a nice croissant-like folding later. Grab 8g of chocolate couverture and place it near the base of the dough leaving about 2cm gap from the edge of the base
13) Fold the base of the dough over the chocolate couverture and start rolling the dough from the base upwards slowly and then pull the end of the dough to tuck it at the bottom before pinching to seal. Place the shaped Croissant Bun onto the baking paper OR alternatively you can place it on the removable tray of an 8inch round baking pan (each tray should fit 3). For those who own a smaller AF, I would suggest using baking paper to place your dough
Head over to my Shio Pan guide here on my IG for visual shaping details
14) Proof it for another 1hr or until double the size under cling wrap. Depending on the temperature in your home, some cooler condition require a little longer proofing. Normally the rule of thumb is, dough doubling in size.
As we will be baking in 3 batches due to the space constraint in AF, once all the dough have completed proofing, you can place the 2nd & 3rd batch in the refrigerator (with cling wrap on) to stop the dough from proofing further
AIR FRYER BAKING METHOD BELOW:
1) Pre-heat AF @ 140degrees for 5mins
2) Bake @ 140degrees for 15mins. Different Air Fryer size may affect ideal temperature. High temperature will have your buns to rise too fast & cause big air holes below your crust (hence the dent in)
3) Bake in a few batches if you must but remember to place the rest of the batches in the refrigerator while you’re baking the 1st batch to stop the proofing
3) Leave croissant bun in AF for 2mins before removing to be cooled on rack. Try to cool it down with baking paper removed to avoid a soggy bottom (cooling on rack — with holes below allows for hot air to travel out of the bun) Cover with cloth for it to cool down to prevent crust from deflating due to sudden temperature change and keeps the buns from drying out.
(if the bottom of your buns become moist due to moisture heat, just flip your buns over and throw it in the AF to bake for 1min @ 140degrees)
4) Serve if you must but I prefer to keep mine overnight for breakfast the next day. After cooling on the rack, I move them into my air tight Lock & Lock container.
Hope this recipe helps all AF bakers out there. Do try to batch test for the right temperature and bake timing since Air Fryers may vary due to different circumstances (usage frequency, size and model)
MORE RECIPES HERE :)
