This chocolate sourdough bread, is every chocolate lovers dream! Not too rich, its the perfect combination of flavours! Sort of like a fudgey brownie and a sourdough bread had a child! You can add chocolate chips to make this even more of a sweet treat, but leaving them out will actually pair it well with savoury items! The texture of this bread, is the perfect crusty outside and soft chewy inside, pair it with butter, honey or peanut butter!
Different flavours of sourdough are super fun to make, and I find this chocolate sourdough bread dough to be exceptionally nice to work with! Which makes it a really nice intro bread into adding inclusions and flavourings into your sourdough bread. The cocoa powder makes for a very soft and not so sticky dough to work with. It is important to use a quality dutch processed cocoa powder. This process is a no knead method, and very similar to my regular sourdough bread process… just with added chocolate!
What you’ll need?
- Mixing Bowl
- Dough whisk or wooden spoon
- Kitchen scale
- Banneton basket (or small bowl)
- Dutch oven
- Parchment paper
- Bread lame or sharp knife
Ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour
- Sourdough Starter (If you are wanting to make one- Check out my Free Guide!)
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- Water
- Salt
- Sugar
- Chocolate Chips
How to make Chocolate Sourdough Bread?
Method:
Step 1: Feed your Starter or prepare Leaven
10-12 hours before you are wanting to start your bread you will want to feed your starter or make up leaven.
What is a leaven? The term “Leaven or Levain” means a substance used in dough to make it rise. A Leaven in sourdough recipes is often referred to as a separate “batch” of starter, that you feed and make up specifically for the recipe you are using.
How I prepare a leaven: To a clean jar add equal parts flour and water to make up amount needed for the recipe. For example: A single loaf of this recipe calls for 100g Active Starter, so to your container or jar, you will add:
- 50g of flour
- 50g of water
- 10g Sourdough Starter (That you already have going)
Mix everything together really well. This entire leaven will go into your bread recipe, as you continue feeding your starter in its separate jar.
Alternatively you can just feed the needed portions of flour and water into your starter jar, after discarding a portion. When you go to mix your bread, remember to hold back a small amount, to feed and continue your starter on.
Step 2: Mix Dough
When your starter is ready, usually about 10-12 hours after feeding, it is time to mix up your dough!
Add your water, and sourdough starter to your mixing bowl. Mix with your dough whisk, until it is a milky looking mixture, and the starter is mostly dissolved into the water.
Add flour and cocoa powder, and mix well. The dough will be quite stiff, keep your hands wet when working with the dough, it will help to get it worked together. If you are adding sugar, add that now as well.
Step 3: Autolyse
Once dough is completely worked in to a shaggy dough, allow to sit and rest for 30 minutes.
What is Autolysing? The term “autolyse” is when the water and flour in a bread recipe, are pre-blended and set to rest for a period of time, before the salt is added. This resting period gives the dough special processing characteristics and improves the overall quality of the baked goods
Step 4: Adding Salt
Sprinkle salt evenly over dough, pinch and work in with wet hands. You can even pre mix your salt with a tablespoon of water, if you like to work your salt in that way. If you are adding chocolate chips, add those now as well. Fold edges up over dough and flip it over so that the smooth surface is on top. Allow dough to rest for 1 hour.
Step 5: Fold Series
After dough has rested with salt it is time to fold your dough, you can use the “Stretch & Fold” method or a “Coil Fold” method. Perform the folds on all four sides of the dough, which ever method you prefer. Allow to rest for 1 hour, and repeat these folds every hour 3-4 times.
What is a Stretch & Fold? A method of manipulating dough. You lift one side of the dough at a time, folding it up and over. Circling around so that you get all edges.
What is a Coil Fold? It is another method of manipulating dough. Lifting the dough up in the centre, allowing it to fall down on either sides of your hands. Then gently fold it down overtop of itself, as you place it back down in the bowl. Repeating on opposite edges, until you have done all 4 sides.
Step 6: Bulk Ferment
Once you have finished your folds, it’s time to cover the dough and let it sit and ferment. You can either do this on your counter for 6-8 hours- depending on the temperature of your home, or you can place it in the refrigerator for about 12 hours.
Step 7: Pre-Shape
When the dough has bulk fermented enough, it is time to shape your dough! If the dough is in the fridge, bring it out on the counter for 30 minutes to warm up before shaping.
Dump dough out onto work surface- you shouldn’t need to flour your surface but you can if you feel like you need to. Circle dough around into a ball, building tension by tucking edges under as you pull dough ball towards you along each side. If you have added chocolate chips, be extra gentle, so that they don’t break through the surface of you bread. The goal is always to build enough tension, so that the dough is smooth along the top, but not take it too far and break open the top surface.
Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes.
Step 8: Shape
It is time to shape! You can either shape into a boule (round) or a batard (oval), whatever you prefer! For this I am going to shape a boule:
Flip dough over and pull edges out gently, flattening out a bit. Flip the bottom edge up half way, and then bring the sides over of the other. Sewing up so that dough stays. roll up and away from you and then circling dough around building tension. Flip dough upside down and place in banneton basket. If you don’t have a banneton, you can use a tea towel lined bowl, but make sure to flour the tea towel to prevent sticking.
Allow dough to settle in the banneton for 15-20 minutes, and then “sew up”. Pulling dough from each side and pinching together in the centre.
Step 9: Final Cold Proof
Cover dough and place it in the fridge for 10- 12 hours.
Step 10: Preheat Oven
When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450F, with your dutch oven inside.
Step 11: Score
Take your dough out of the fridge, and gently turn it out onto parchment paper or a bread sling. Using a very sharp knife, razor blade, or bread lame, score your dough. If you are doing a design, make your shallow cuts first, and then a final deep slash, where you want steam to escape from.
You want to go as quickly as possible in your scoring, and getting the bread into the oven. Your scores DO NOT need to be fancy, that can be something that comes with time! You do want to do at least one deep slash to allow steam to escape, but a design is not necessary.
I love my Wire Monkey Bread Lame!
Step 12: Bake
When you have scored your bread, quickly place bread into your hot dutch oven and place the lid on top.
Bake at 450F for 23 minutes, then remove the dutch oven lid, and drop the temperature of your oven to 425F and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
Now I know this part is hard, but allow your bread to cool completely before cutting into it! Especially if you added chocolate chips!
Especially delicious with peanut butter, or cream cheese & honey! It is the perfect special valentines treat, or just a treat anytime!
Storage Notes:
Can be store the same as regular sourdough bread. Once completely cooled store in a sealed bag or container for up to a week. Freezes great, either pre-sliced or as a whole loaf.
Thawing Frozen Loaves: If you freeze your bread in a bag (like a ziploc), take bread out and allow it to sit until you see the condensation appear and then disappear. Allowing the moisture to go back into your bread will help it to not dry out. You can also run your bread under water, and then place in the oven at 400F for about 20-30 minutes. The crust will be crispier with this method, but its great in a pinch!
Chocolate Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 375 g Water
- 120 g Active Sourdough Starter
- 500 g All Purpose Flour
- 50 g Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- 50 g Sugar Optional
- 10 g Salt
- 125 g Chocolate Chips Optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add water and sourdough starter, and whisk until combined.
- Add flour and cocoa powder, if you are wanting to add sugar do so now as well. Mix until it comes together in a shaggy dough. Keeping your hands wet to mix is very helpful.
- Let dough sit and autolyse for 30 minutes.
- Add salt and chocolate chips (If using), pinch and work salt in.
- Let rest for 1 hour.
- Fold series: First set of folds; you can do either stretch & folds, or coil folds. Let rest for 1 hour.
- Repeat every hour 3- 4 times.
- After your final fold series, put dough in the fridge for 10- 12 hours. This can be less or more depending on how your timing is working out.
- When you are ready to shape, take dough out of the fridge and allow it to warm up for 30 minutes.
- Shape dough and place in banneton basket.
- Allow dough to settle in your banneton, and then sew it up before putting back in the fridge for its final cold proof, for 12 hours.
- Preheat your oven with dutch oven inside, to 450F.
- Once oven is heated, take dough out of the fridge, and turn out onto some parchment paper.
- Score bread by slicing about a 1 inch cut across your bread, to allow steam to escape. You can use a razor blade or a very sharp knife. (If you want you can do some fancy designs as well).
- Place into preheated dutch oven.
- Bake at 450F for 23 minutes, lower to 425F for 15 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
- Wait until the loaf is totally cooled before cutting into.
- Enjoy with butter! Peanut butter, or cream cheese!
