Home-style Apple Paste Mini Loaf Recipe

Entering December, the Christmas atmosphere here intensifies.

Though Christmas is a festival imported from abroad, it has genuinely won people's affection. I also quite like it, not for the faith but simply because I enjoy the jingling bells and the joyous spirit of the holiday.

Being fond of crafts, in past Christmases, I enjoyed making cards and small gifts by hand to give away.This year, I'll join in the fun and make some Christmas-themed baked goods.

Thinking of Christmas, the first images that come to mind are the Christmas tree, snowflakes, snowmen, Santa Claus—when it comes to food, I think of apples.Firstly. The connection between Christmas and apples has been passed down, with no known true legend. However, in Chinese characters, "apple" sounds like "peace," so perhaps this is where the wish for peace is.

Therefore, these square little

breads use homemade apple jam. After baking and cooling, simple patterns of snowflakes and Christmas trees are drawn using chocolate spread, which the children at home really enjoy. The main ingredients for the dough include 160 grams of homemade unsweetened yogurt, 1 gram of salt, 15 grams of granulated sugar, 50 grams of bread flour, 50 grams of cake flour, 2 grams of yeast, 15 grams of unsalted butter, and 40 grams of homemade apple jam.Coconut flakes are also used for decoration. Step 1: Measure the ingredients and prepare them. Put the yogurt, salt, sugar, bread flour, cake flour, and yeast into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer and activate the kneading function (10 minutes).Step 2: After kneading for 5-6 minutes, pause, add unsalted butter and continue until mixed well (4 more minutes). Step 3: Remove the dough hook and round up the dough, then place it back in the mixing bowl for the first rise. Allow to double in size, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.Step 4: After the first rise, remove the dough, deflate, divide into six equal parts, cover with cling film and rest for 10-15 minutes. Step 5: Take out the homemade apple jam from the refrigerator, scoop out the required amount, mix in 5 grams of coconut flakes, and set aside.

　　For dusting, use 5 grams of bread flour. Take a portion of the dough and shape it like a dumpling, place the filling on top, press to form a round piece, and seal tightly. Step 6: Place the sealed side down in small square molds, repeat for all dough portions.

Step 7: Place the molds on the second tier of the oven for the second rise until full (about 20 minutes), then remove.Step 8: Preheat the oven to 170°C and bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Step 9: Use a thin slice of unsalted butter that's warm from the package and brush it over the baked bread immediately after baking. Let cool on a wire rack.Step 10: Cut fine pieces of chocolate spread into small bits and place them in a piping bag, seal and boil in a pot of hot water to melt.Step 11: Using the tip of the piping bag, draw simple patterns of Christmas trees and snowflakes on the bread surface with the melted chocolate. Use a toothpick to define the shapes and sprinkle coconut flakes as snow. Step 12: Bake complete.Tip: The dough should be kneaded until smooth but does not need to reach full gluten development, adjust kneading time according to actual conditions, as mixing times can vary by machine or manual kneading.

Step

1. Measure and prepare the ingredients, placing yogurt, salt, granulated sugar, bread flour, cake flour, and yeast in the mixing bowl of the bread machine. Start the kneading function (10 minutes).

2. After 5-6 minutes of kneading, pause, add unsalted butter, and continue with the kneading function for another 4 minutes to mix thoroughly.

3. Remove the mixing blade and shape the dough into rounds, placing it in the bread machine for the first rise until it doubles in size, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

4. After the first rise, remove the dough, degas it, and divide it evenly into 6 pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

5. Take out the homemade apple sauce from the refrigerator, scoop out the required amount using a clean spoon, mix in 5 grams of coconut, set aside.

6. Use 5 grams of bread flour as dry dusting powder. Shape one piece of dough like making buns, place the filling in and flatten it into a round ball, seal the edges well.

7. Place each sealed dough ball seam-side down in small square molds. Complete the remaining dough balls similarly.

8. Place the molds on the second tier of the oven for the second rise until they fill the mold (about 20 minutes). Remove once risen.9. Preheat the oven to 170°C, with top and bottom heat. Once preheated, place the molds on the third tier and bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden. 10. Cut thin slices of unsalted butter without softening them first. Brush the bread surface while still warm using a brush after baking. Let the small buns cool on a wire rack.

11. Grate white chocolate finely and place it in a disposable piping bag, seal the opening securely, then place it in a pot of hot water to melt over low heat.

12. Squeeze a tiny opening in the piping bag and draw simple shapes like Christmas trees or snowflakes on the bread surface with a toothpick for detailing before dusting with coconut as snow.

13. Done.

14. Tips:

Mini

buns can be kneaded until smooth, but no need to achieve a windowpane effect; adjust the kneading time according to your machine or hand-kneading experience as it can vary from household to household.Bread rolls Knead until smooth, no need to develop the gluten completely; adjust kneading time based on actual conditions as different mixers or hand-kneading methods may vary.