Filled Wool Rolls #BreadBakers

*Dusting away the cobwebs*

I had a goal for 2025. I was going to participate in every Muffin Monday and Bread Bakers. I barely participated in 2024, and I needed this for my sanity. My oven had other plans. A few days before Christmas, as I was whipping up the Christmas cakes, my oven said, "NOPE!" Luckily, the Christmas cake recipe is flexible,  so I had to quickly set things up to steam them instead. So close to Christmas, I didn't want to bother calling the repairman. 

And then work happened. 

There was just never a convenient day for me to deal with a repairman. It got to February, and I decided enough was enough. Because I don't even like cooking on the stovetop. Called the repairman, and he took forever to come. He showed up one Monday and said he'd be back in a week, "after the holiday." Listen, Jamaicans are the worst. That holiday was Ash Wednesday. ONE SINGLE DAY and he was taking a week off.  He didn't show up that Monday or the next. Excuses upon excuses. I was too busy to research a better option, so the oven just sat there. It wasn't until April 1 that the oven was finally fixed. April 1. 

Work and life were so hectic in March that I needed April to recuperate. So now it's May, and I've finally made something other than dinner. But this something was definitely worth the wait. Little wool rolls filled with a coconut cream cheese filling.  DELICIOUS. 

Filled Wool Rolls 

Ingredients 

Tangzhong 

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons milk, 

2 tablespoons bread flour 

Dough 

2 1/2 cups (300g) bread flour

1/2 cup (113g) milk

1 egg

4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup (50g) sugar

1 1/2  teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling 

8 tablespoons (113 grams) cream cheese

8 tablespoons shredded coconut

1 tablespoon sugar 

splash of vanilla

Topping 

Milk 

Sugar

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine all the tangzhong ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring regularly until it thickens to a paste. This can happen within 2 to 4 minutes, so do not walk away.

Transfer the tangzhong mixture your mixing bowl, and add all the dough ingredients. Knead with a dough hook for 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, you can sprinkle in a little more flour. However, this dough should be very tacky. It will stick to the bottom of a bowl.  Form the dough into a ball, and place in a covered, greased bowl. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. The chilled dough is much easier to handle.

Grease and/or line an 8 inch square pan.

Mix all the filling ingredients together. Taste and add more sugar, if you desire. 

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and allow to rest for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece into an 8 inch square. Add a quarter of your filling to the bottom half of the dough. Use a dough cutter to cut the uncovered dough into thin 1/8 inch strips. Roll up the log starting from the filling covered end to the strips. Cut the log into 4 pieces and place in alternating rotations in the prepared pan. 

Repeat with the other three pieces of dough. 

Cover and let rise until puffy. This could take up to an hour depending on your room's temperature.  Before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

When they're puffy, gently brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool. Enjoy. And consider sharing. 

Notes

• I originally wanted two different fillings but my jam and cream cheese filling failed spectacularly. It was much too loose to spread. I will try again with a different brand of jam. 
• I would have preferred fresh coconut since I do live in the Caribbean and actually have coconut trees in my backyard. But those trees are tall, and I need a brave person to climb them. Any volunteers?

• Alabama Orange Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheesy and Spicy Wild Garlic Stuffed Spelt Rolls from Cook with Renu
• Filled Wool Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Hoagie Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Käsebrötchen from Food Lust People Love
• Orange Date Sticky Toffee Buns from A Messy Kitchen
• Soft and Fluffy Sourdough Hamburger Buns from Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread) #BreadBakers

The Bread Bakers are feeling festive! We have baked Christmas breads from all across the world. Scroll down to see the list of offerings today. But first, let's talk about mine. 

Christopsomo, literally "Christ Bread" is a sweet, rich bread enjoyed in Greece at Christmas. It's filled with walnuts and often raisins and different spices. The decoration is what drew me to it. There is the symbolic cross as well as nuts on the outside. They typically place an unshelled walnuts in the center but I don't have access to that here so I used an almond. I also saw that many families add decorations that symbolize the family's main profession. Be sure to look at all the decoration possibilities when you're ready to make your own. 

Christopsomo

Ingredients

500 grams flour 

60 grams sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of ground cloves

280 ml water

50 ml oil

100 grams raisins

100 grams walnuts chopped

1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash.

Nuts for decoration

Directions

Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, yeast, salt and ground cloves then add the water and oil. Knead until a soft dough forms then cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Now this is critical: I saw several ways how the cross was handled. Some persons removed a chunk of dough at this point. Others waited until after the raisins and walnuts were added. Others made new dough. I first did it the second way. DO NOT DO THAT. Trying to roll small dough ropes that has raisins and walnuts is NOT how you want to spend your baking session. You can either remove about 280 grams of dough at this point or knead about that much separately. That was my second option -hence the cross being a different colour in these pictures and I actually prefer that look. For that, I used  190 grams of flour, 90 grams of water, a bit of salt and a pinch of cinnamon.

Make your decision then proceed. 

Take your dough and add in the chopped walnuts and raisins. Some persons turn the walnuts into almost walnut flour to make this easier but I left chunks for texture. Knead well until it's incorporated and then place in a greased, covered dough to bulk ferment. I do an overnight bulk ferment for all my doughs and that works best for me. 

After the dough has bulk fermented, it's time to shape. So your main dough will be shaped into a lovely boule. Take your cross dough and divide into two equal halves and then divide those into three. Roll into balls and then roll out into thin ropes. I aimed for about 45 cm/18 inches. Plait three of those ropes together and then drape over your boule in the shape of a cross. Perfect. 

I placed my boule  in a greased and lined 8 inch pan to allow it to have some structure. But you can bake it without it. 

Now decorate!! Add some nuts wherever you like but you definitely want one big one in the center. I've seen persons add cloves as well. If you're feeling artistic, add something that represents your household. 

Cover and allow to proof until puffy. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

When the dough is ready, brush it with the egg wash and place in the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until your dough is golden. 

Remove. Cool. Enjoy. 

Merry Christmas!

• Passion Kneaded: Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread) 
• A Messy Kitchen: Joululimppu 
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Julekake : A Norwegian Christmas Bread 
• Food Lust People Love: Lassy Raisin Bread 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Laufabraud 
• Zesty South Indian Kitchen: Sourdough bobalki (Slovak Christmas eve bread) 
• Sneha's Recipe: Vánočka/Vanocka - Czech Christmas Bread 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Venezuelan Christmas Ham Bread - Pan de Jamón

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Mint Chocolate Chip Chocolate Muffins

So rich. So good. 

There's really nothing else I can say about these muffins. I adapted this recipe from Sally Baking Addiction's Double Chocolate Muffins so you know it's a good one. My only regret is that I made a small batch. Don't be like me, double the recipe below; you deserve it.

For other amazing muffins, scroll down to see what the other Muffin Monday bakers made today. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Chocolate Muffins

Yield 7-8 muffins

Ingredients 

1 cup (125 grams) flour 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup mint chocolate chips 

1 egg

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons yogurt

1/4 cup milk 

1/4 cup oil 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Directions 

Line a muffin pan with muffin liners or grease well. Preheat oven to 425 F. 

Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and mint chocolate chips. In a separate bowl whisk egg, yogurt, milk, oil, and vanilla. 

Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until no dry streaks remain. Scoop the batter into the muffin wells.  You can reserve some mint chocolate chips to sprinkle on top at this point. 

Bake for 5 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. 

• Cranberry Squash Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mint Chocolate Chip Chocolate Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Chocolate Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Pecan Pie Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Turmeric Granola Blueberry Muffins from A Messy Kitchen

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin-loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.