Chocolate Salt Bread
Chocolate Shio Pan: The Salt Bread of Your Darkest Dreams
If you’ve been following my baking adventures, you know I have a deep-seated love for Shio Pan (Japanese Salt Bread). There is just something about that combination of a buttery, crisp bottom and a soft, salty top that hits every single taste bud.
But today, we’re going to the dark side. We’re talking Chocolate Salt Bread.
Imagine everything you love about the classic Shio Pan—the crescent shape, the buttery interior, the flaky sea salt—but reimagined with a deep, cocoa-infused dough and a hidden heart of silky chocolate ganache. It’s sophisticated, it’s indulgent, and it might just be the best thing to come out of my oven this year.
The Base: A Rich Cocoa Canvas
The journey starts with the dough. Instead of the traditional milky white dough, I have crafted a Chocolate Dough that is as beautiful as it is delicious. By incorporating high-quality cocoa powder into the bread flour mixture, the dough takes on a stunning mahogany hue and a subtle, earthy sweetness.
When shaping, I stuck to the classic Shio Pan method:
Tucking a cold nub of salted butter into the wide end of a dough triangle.
Rolling it up into that iconic, tight crescent.
The result? That signature hollow "butter pocket" inside and a base that fries in its own butter as it bakes.
The Secret Ingredient: Patience
Here is where this recipe takes a turn for the decadent. Most Shio Pan is enjoyed warm, straight from the oven. However, for this chocolate version, patience is your best friend.
I let these chocolate salt bread beauties cool off completely on a wire rack. Why? Because we aren't just eating butter and salt today—we’re adding a filling that needs a cool environment to shine.
The Filling: Silky Homemade Chocolate Ganache
Once the bread was cool to the touch, it was time for the grand finale. I whipped up a batch of homemade chocolate ganache—a simple but luxurious blend of heavy cream and dark chocolate, simmered and stirred until glossy and smooth.
Using a piping bag, I carefully filled each chocolate roll through the top (or you can fill it at the bottom). The ganache flows into that buttery hollow center left behind by the melted butter, creating a surprise "molten" core that is rich, velvety, and perfectly balanced by the salt on top.
Why This Works
Sweet vs. Salty: The flaky sea salt on the crust makes the dark chocolate flavors pop.
Texture Heaven: You get the slight crunch of the outer crust, the soft chew of the chocolate bread, and the liquid silk of the ganache.
Double the Chocolate: Cocoa in the dough plus ganache in the center means this is a true chocolate lover’s paradise.
This isn't just a dinner roll; it’s a gourmet pastry that feels like it belongs in a high-end Tokyo bakery. Whether you have it for breakfast with a cup of coffee or as a decadent midnight snack, this Chocolate Shio Pan is guaranteed to disappear fast!
Chocolate Salt Bread
Created by Sue Mun
Makes 12
Ingredients
For the Tangzhong Starter:
22 g bread flour
60g water
60g milk
For the Chocolate Dough:
8g active dry yeast
142g milk (warmed up to 110F)
10g sugar (for feeding the yeast)
1 egg
the entire cooled down tangzhong starter from above
40g sugar
35g cocoa powder
345g bread flour, plus more for kneading if needed
1 tsp (5g) salt
60 g unsalted butter, softened
For the Butter Filling:
1 cold salted butter cut into 12 individual 10g pieces for each salt bread
For the Topping:
spray bottle filled with water
Pretzel salt
Melted butter for brushing after its baked
For the Chocolate Ganache Filling:
make the chocolate ganache recipe below or use straight up Nutella
250g/ 8oz semi-sweet chocolate
250 ml / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp corn syrup (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make Tangzhong Starter
In a small sauce pot, add in the flour, milk, water and whisk to combine until smooth and lump free.
Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for about 2-3 minutes, mixing with your whisk or rubber spatula the entire time. As it starts to thicken, mix constantly until everything is cooked and thickened. When done, the mixture should be very thick like slime. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge to cool completely before using. This can also be made the day before.
Make Chocolate Dough
In a stand mixer bowl attached with a dough hook, add in the warm milk active dry yeast, and the 10g of sugar, mix until the everything is combined. Let the mixture sit in the bowl for about 5 minutes to bloom the yeast. Then add in the egg and the cooled down starter and mix to combine. Mix in the remaining sugar and cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the flour and salt. Mix everything together on low speed for a 5 minutes until they are evenly combined and you end up with a shaggy and tackydough.
Add in the soft butter and knead for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the dough should be smooth and elastic. If it’s still a little sticky, that is okay. As long as it passes the window pane test.
Shape the dough into a tight ball. Place the dough into a large bowl greased with baking spray. Cover with a plastic wrap or with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm location for about an hour to an hour and a half or until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache by combining the heavy cream and the semi sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, mixing in between each session, until the cream and the chocolate has melted together until smooth. Cover and chill in the fridge until completely set. This can be made the day before as well.
Once the dough has finished proofing, divide the dough into 12 equal portions at 65-70 grams each. Roll into tight balls and cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Shaping, Proofing, & Baking:
Roll out the ball into a cone shape thats about 6 inches long. Then using a rolling pin, roll out the fat part of the dough flat. Then gently roll and stretch the dough down until you reach the end of the dough. It will be like a very long triangle shape that’s about 14-15 inches long.
Place the chilled 10g salted butter piece on the edge of the fatter side of the rolled dough. Then roll up the dough like a croissant. Try to keep everything centered when rolling up the dough.
Lightly spray your two baking sheets with baking spray. Then lay 7-6 salt bread onto each baking sheet and spray each salt bread with water using a spray bottle. Proof in a warm spot like your oven with boiling water underneath for steam (you will have to remove this pot when you are ready to bake). Proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Generously spray each salt bread with water and lightly sprinkle with pretzel salt on top.
Bake at 400F for 12 minutes and then lower the temperature down to 375F and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown all around and on the bottom.
Take out of the oven and brush with melted butter for a shiny appearance.
Cool off completely before filling with chilled chocolate ganache.
