Choco Cornet (チョココロネ, Choco Korone)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Metal cornet molds (korone-gata), or firm heavy-duty foil cones wrapped in parchment
• •Piping bag with a round tip
• •Baking sheet
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Small saucepan and whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the cream

   Warm the 300ml milk in a saucepan until small bubbles gather at the edge. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt until smooth. Pour in the hot milk slowly while whisking, then return everything to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the cream turns thick and glossy, then keep cooking for one full minute. That last minute cooks out the starch, so the filling tastes clean and holds its shape.

   The cream should be thicker than a pourable custard. If it only coats the spoon, it will run out of the bread.
2. 2

   Chill the cream

   Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla if using. Spread the cream in a shallow dish, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until cold, at least two hours. The wrap keeps a skin from forming, and the shallow dish cools the cream quickly enough to keep it smooth.

3. 3

   Mix the dough

   In a mixing bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the lukewarm milk and beaten egg, then mix until a rough dough forms. Knead for five minutes, then add the softened butter a little at a time and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, about eight more minutes. Butter goes in after the dough has some strength, because fat coats flour and slows the gluten if it arrives too early.

4. 4

   Let it rise

   Shape the dough into a ball, set it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. Trust the dough more than the clock. A fingertip pressed gently into the surface should leave an indentation that fills slowly, which tells you the yeast has done its work without exhausting itself.

5. 5

   Divide and rest

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces, about 68g each. Roll each piece into a ball, cover, and rest for 15 minutes. This pause relaxes the dough so it will roll into long ropes instead of snapping back like it has taken offense.

6. 6

   Wrap the cones

   Lightly oil or butter 8 metal cornet molds. Roll each dough piece into a 35 to 40cm rope, keeping the pressure even. Start at the pointed tip of the mold, cover the tip neatly so there is no hole, then wind toward the wide end with each turn overlapping the last by about half its width. Leave a little metal showing at the wide end so the mold can be removed. The overlap is the detail that decides the shape: gaps open as the dough rises, and a gap becomes a place for cream to escape.

7. 7

   Proof and glaze

   Set the wrapped molds seam-side down on a lined baking sheet. Cover lightly and proof until puffy but the spiral lines are still clear, about 30 to 40 minutes. Brush with the egg wash in a thin coat. Too much wash pools in the grooves and blurs the shape, and the shape is half the pleasure here.

8. 8

   Bake and cool

   Bake at 180°C or 350°F until evenly golden, 13 to 16 minutes. Let the rolls sit for 5 minutes, then gently twist and pull out the molds while the bread is still warm. Cool the shells completely on a rack before filling. Warm bread softens the cream and turns the crumb damp, which is a poor end for good work.

9. 9

   Pipe the filling

   Beat the chilled chocolate cream with a spatula until smooth, then transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Insert the tip deep into the open end of each cornet, almost to the point, and squeeze as you slowly draw the bag back. This fills the tip first and avoids empty pockets. Finish with the cream just level with the opening, not spilling over. Leave it room.

Chef Tips

• •Use good chocolate and plain cocoa powder, not a sweet drink mix. There is no sauce or garnish to hide behind here, only bread and chocolate cream.
• •Metal cornet molds give the cleanest spiral and are worth having if you like Japanese bakery bread. A firm cone made from heavy-duty foil and wrapped in parchment works for one batch, but pack it tightly so it doesn't collapse in the oven.
• •Don't pull the dough tight around the mold. It needs room to expand, and a tight wrap bakes into a hard ridge instead of a soft bakery spiral.
• •Filled choco cornet is best the day it is made. The bread can wait, the cream can wait, but once they meet, the crumb slowly drinks from the filling.

Advance Preparation

• •The chocolate cream can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated with plastic wrap pressed against the surface.
• •The dough can rise overnight in the refrigerator after kneading. Let it sit at room temperature until pliable before dividing and shaping.
• •Unfilled baked shells can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and refresh briefly in a low oven, then cool completely before filling.
• •Filled rolls should be refrigerated and eaten within 24 hours because of the custard-style cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 130g)