Chocotone Caseiro

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
• •1-kilo paper panettone mold
• •Baking tray
• •Cooling rack
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   Put the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a large bowl or mixer bowl. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the surface looks creamy and a little foamy. Warm means bath-warm, not hot. Too hot and you kill the yeast; too cold and it sulks there doing nothing.

2. 2

   Start the dough

   Add the remaining sugar, eggs, salt, orange zest, vanilla, and 3 1/2 cups flour. Mix until a rough, sticky dough forms and no dry flour hides at the bottom of the bowl. It will look messy. Good. Enriched dough starts like a problem before it becomes bread.

   Use orange zest, not bottled orange flavor. Zest is the real oil from the fruit, and it gives that Brazilian Christmas smell without pretending.
3. 3

   Work in butter

   Knead for 5 minutes, then add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece mostly disappears before adding the next. Keep kneading until the dough turns smooth, shiny, and stretchy, about 10 to 12 minutes in a mixer or 15 to 18 minutes by hand. If you dump the butter in all at once, it greases the dough instead of joining it, and you'll wonder why the thing slides around like soap.

4. 4

   Check the dough

   Pinch off a small piece and stretch it gently. If it thins enough to let light through before tearing, you're there. If it rips right away, knead 3 more minutes and check again. This stretch is what holds the tall shape and keeps the crumb soft instead of crumbly.

5. 5

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a lightly buttered bowl, cover it, and leave it in a warm spot until doubled and puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press it with one finger. If the dent slowly fills back in, it's ready. If it snaps back fast, give it more time. The clock helps, but the dough gets the final word.

6. 6

   Add chocolate

   Toss the chocolate with 1 tablespoon flour, then press the risen dough into a rough rectangle. Scatter the chocolate over it, fold the dough over itself a few times, and knead gently just until the pieces are spread through. The flour helps the chocolate stay suspended instead of sinking into one sad layer at the bottom.

7. 7

   Shape and proof

   Shape the dough into a tight ball and place it seam-side down in a 1-kilo paper panettone mold. Cover loosely and let it rise until the top sits about 1 inch below the rim, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Don't rush this rise. A tall bread needs strength and air, not panic.

8. 8

   Bake the chocotone

   Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with a little sugar if you want a tender, lightly crisp cap. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until deeply golden and a skewer pushed into the center comes out with melted chocolate but no wet dough. If the top browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.

9. 9

   Cool before slicing

   Let the chocotone cool completely on a rack before cutting, at least 2 hours. I know. Rude. But slicing too early crushes the crumb and smears the chocolate through the bread. Cool bread slices cleanly, and you worked too much to ruin it with impatience.

Chef Tips

• •A paper panettone mold makes the tall shape easy. If you don't have one, use a deep 18 cm cake pan lined with tall parchment. The shape will be shorter, but dinner won't collapse because of geometry.
• •Instant yeast is the honest shortcut here. It saves a little fuss and works beautifully. The cost is small: you still need the long rises, because no yeast packet can replace time.
• •Don't use chocolate powder in the dough and call it chocotone. That's not a shortcut, that's marketing wearing an apron. Use real chocolate chips or chop a bar.
• •If your kitchen is cold, let the dough rise inside the turned-off oven with the light on. Warm, not hot. Yeast likes a cozy room, not a sauna.
• •Freeze slices wrapped well for up to 2 months. Toast straight from frozen and butter it lightly if you want to be dangerous in a very domestic way.

Advance Preparation

• •The chocotone can be baked 1 day ahead. Once completely cool, wrap it tightly and keep at room temperature.
• •For an overnight schedule, let the shaped dough rise in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. Bring it to room temperature while the oven heats, then bake when puffy.
• •Cool completely before wrapping, or trapped moisture will soften the top and make the crumb gummy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)