Chocolate Xiao Long Bao

January 31, 2021 || By: Hope F

Recipe: Prep Time – 3 hours (most of it is passive), Cook Time – 6 minutes

Ingredients for Chocolate Filling (Ganache):

• 4 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate
• 4 ounces Milk Chocolate
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

How to make Ganache:

1. Chop the two chocolates and put them in a microwaveable bowl.
2. Heat up the heavy cream for around 25 seconds and pour it over the chocolate.
3. Stir the chocolate and cream around until smooth (you may need to microwave it for a few seconds to melt any bigger chunks of chocolate).
4. Once the ganache is smooth, refrigerate the ganache for 2 hours.

Ingredients for Dough:

• 3 and 1/4 cup Bread Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (or 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt)
• 3/4 cup boiling Hot Water
• 1/3 cup Cold Water

How to make Dough:

1. In the bowl of a kitchen mixer (like a KitchenAid), mix the flour and salt with a paddle attachment.
2. Next, add in the hot water and blend it by pulsing. Add the cold water and pulse on and off to mix it in.
3. Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook, and knead it for 10 minutes. The dough will be pretty smooth.
4. Take the dough out of the mixer and shape it into a ball with your hands. Lightly dust it with flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 20 minutes.

How to assemble/bake the Chocolate Xiao Long Bao:

1. Take the ganache and the dough out of the fridge.
2. Scoop the chocolate ganache into small balls using a teaspoon melon baller, roll the balls with your hands to smooth them out.
3. Place them back in the fridge to let them sit/firm up for a few minutes.
4. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll one of the pieces into a long log and cut it into pieces (weighing 5-6 grams).
5. Roll the pieces into balls and then roll them into 3” inch rounds with a rolling pin. They should be paper thin, very delicate.
6. Take the ganache balls out.
7. Place a ganache ball into one of the 3” inch rounds and pinch pleat the round around the chocolate. https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=uh3_news_vert_gs&p=XIAO+LONG+BAO+foling+video#id=2&vid=ddf8cbe2ab50aee821dbeda8cfe9f74e&action=view. This video is helpful for doing the pinch pleating.
8. Repeat the process of putting the chocolate in the dough and pinch pleating it all together for the rest of the ganache and dough. The recipe will yield a little more dough than needed.
9. Steam the xiao long bao : line a steamer with a piece of parchment paper (placed at the bottom) that has holes poked into it (you can do that with a small knife). You definitely want to use parchment paper…I tried it without, and the buns tore on the bottom/some chocolate spilled out. Put some of the chocolate buns on the parchment paper – evenly spaced apart – and steam them for around 5 to 6 minutes.
10. These chocolates need to be eaten right away, so make sure to only steam as many as you are planning to eat.
11. Enjoy!