Very cute bread to make. I used varlhona cocoa powder to get the dark brown and lovely aroma. This recipe also uses tangzhong to increase softness and I have made it such that the whole tin can be filled up. You can choose to cover the tin, or not.

Recipe (Adapted from here)

• 80g tangzhong (16g bread flour with 80g water)
• 320g bread flour
• 1 tsp yeast
• 45g sugar
• 160g liquid  (110g water plus 50g dairy cream) or (160g milk)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 30g butter
• 18g cocoa powder plus 4 tsp water

Method

1. Prepare tangzhong by mixing 16g bread flour with 80g water, stir till dissolved. Heat over Low flames till it thickens and you can see swirls. Leave to cool. Measure out 80g to use.

2. Add all ingredients except butter, salt and cocoa powder. Knead till a rough dough forms. Then add in butter and salt.

3. Continue kneading till close to window pane. Take out 210g ( or 1/3) of dough. Hand knead this till window pane, while machine does the cocoa dough at the same time.

4. Add cocoa powder to the dough remaining in the mixer at Low speed. Gradually add in the 4 tsp of water. Knead till window pane.

5. Proof both doughs for 1 hour, covered.

6. Place doughs onto counter. Pat gently to release large bubbles. Divide white dough into 1 large (75g) and 3 small (45g). Roll into round doughs and rest for 10 min.

7. Repeat for chocolate dough, the large dough will be 130g and the 3 small doughs are 100g.

8. Roll out a large white dough, fold 1/3 up and down. Rest a bit, then roll out length wise about 40 cm.

9. Roll out a large chocolate dough, fold 1/3 up and down. Press with palm, then fold in half and pinch the seams to close. Then roll this till it is also about 40 cm.

10. Place Long chocolate dough onto white dough, pinch the seams close. The white dough may seemed very thin or almost breaking but a thin white line looks nicer. It will thicken when it proofs. Try to roll out even longer, then cut into half and place into baking tin. Don’t worry if it is not Long enough, it will lengthen when it proofs. Repeat for other 3 sets.

11. Place three strips of small doughs in the bottom row, 2 big strips in the second row, follow by 3 small strips in the last row. Random placing is fine too. Proof for 1 hour.

12. Bake uncovered in this Pullman tin for 10 min at 200 deg C. Then bake another 30 min at 190 deg C using aluminum foil to tent the top. Bake at the lowest rack. Adjust your temperature and duration if not using this tin.

13. Invert onto rack to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.