Delicious Dark Chocolate Sourdough Bread Recipe
Chocolate Sourdough Bread is a delicious crusty loaf with a decadent chocolate flavor. Sourdough adds a delicious tangy flavor that compliments rich chocolate. Loaded with dried cherries, almonds and chocolate chips, this indulgent bread is the perfect rustic centerpiece for any dinner party.
I first created this recipe in 2019 and it has been a household favorite ever since. Whenever we’re hosting or are invited to a dinner party, this is the loaf I make because it’s always a crowd pleaser. People are often puzzled whenever I bring out this mysterious dark loaf, as soon as I explain to them that it’s chocolate sourdough, their eyes get wide, followed by the inevitable oohs and ahs.
What to eat with Chocolate Sourdough Bread
This bread has an incredibly rich chocolate flavor balanced by the slight tang of sourdough, with an airy, spongy crumb. It’s great by itself but sublime with a soft cheese, like triple cream or Brie drizzled with a little bit of honey.
What you need
Bread flour – high-protein flour has a high protein content which imparts strength and give this bread structure, you can substitute all-purpose flour but your bread may not rise as high
Rye flour – the flavor of rye pairs very well with chocolate, if you don’t have any on hand, feel free to substitute whole wheat flour
Cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips – quality matters for chocolate, invest in good quality chocolate for this recipe
Sourdough starter – make sure you have a mature, active bubbly starter before starting this recipe
Espresso – brings out the flavor of chocolate, substitute strong brewed coffee if you can’t pull an espresso shot
Molasses – adds a really rich flavor to this bread, substitute any other flavorful sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar if you don’t have any on hand
Dried cherries – substitute raisins or cranberries
Port wine or Bourbon – hydrates dried fruit and adds a delicious flavor that compliments chocolate, substitute water if you don’t want to use alcohol
Adding Inclusions
Inclusions are a great way to add interest to a loaf of bread. Mix-ins can impede gluten development by tearing at the gluten strands in your dough. Folding cherries, almonds and chocolate chips right before shaping allows the dough to develop a strong gluten network and will prevent it from tearing during the dough development process. Strong dough will allow the bread to bake up light and airy even with lots of added ingredients. This is also the best way to keep the mix-ins distributed throughout the baked loaf.
Soaking the cherries in Port wine will prevent the dried fruit from soaking up the liquid from the dough (which can result in a dense and dry loaf). However, it’s important to drain and dry the cherries completely before adding to the dough, because it can add excess liquid to the dough which can compromise the gluten development in your dough.
Ingredients
Dough
- 240 grams bread flour
- 60 grams rye flour sub. whole wheat
- 30 grams cocoa powder
- 113 grams sourdough starter mature and active
- 35 grams espresso shot or strong brewed coffee cooled
- 219 grams water
- 6 grams Kosher salt Morton’s salt
- 28 grams molasses sub. honey or brown sugar
Inclusions
- 85 grams dried cherries
- 56 grams Port wine substitute bourbon or water
- 50 grams chocolate chips
- 50 grams almonds chopped
Instructions
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Make the dough: Combine the bread flour, rye flour, cocoa powder, sourdough starter, espresso, water, salt and molasses in a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until no dry bits of flour or cocoa powder remain. Gather the dough up into a ball and transfer it to a clean, lightly-oil bowl or platter. Cover the container with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature (72 to 78 F) for 30 minutes.240 grams bread flour,60 grams rye flour,30 grams cocoa powder,113 grams sourdough starter,35 grams espresso shot or strong brewed coffee,219 grams water,6 grams Kosher salt,28 grams molasses
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Soak the dried cherries: Combine the Port Wine and dried cherries in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.85 grams dried cherries,56 grams Port wine
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Strengthen the dough: Perform a coil fold by using your fingertips to lift the center of the dough until the sides release from the container. Tuck the ends under the dough. Cover the container with plastic wrap and set aside for another 30 minutes.
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Complete 2 to 3 more sets of coil folds at 30 minute intervals until the dough looks completely smooth. Do your best not to tear the dough.
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Bulk rise: After the last fold, allow the dough to rest untouched in a warm spot for one to 2 hours. Let the dough rise until it has visibly increased in volume, but hasn’t doubled in size, and looks bubbly and feels like it’s full of air.
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Add the inclusions and preshape: Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Gently flatten the dough out into a rough rectangle. Add the inclusions in the center of the dough, fold the sides towards the center, like you’re folding a letter. Fold the top and the bottom sides towards the center over each other and flip the dough over. Lightly round the dough, trying your best not to tear the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let dough rest for 30 minutes.50 grams chocolate chips,50 grams almonds
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Shape: Shape your dough into a batard or a boule. Place it in your proofing basket, cover with a shower cap or a plastic bag.
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Cold proof: Place the dough in the refrigerator and let it proof overnight.
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Prep: Preheat the oven to 500 F with a Dutch oven inside.
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Score the dough: Take your dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the proofing basket and gently turn the dough out on a piece of parchment paper. Using a lame or a sharp paring knife, cut a large but shallow gash on the dough, about ¼ to ½-inch deep.
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Score the dough: Take your dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap the proofing basket and gently turn the dough out on a piece of parchment paper. Using a lame or a sharp paring knife, cut a large but shallow gash on the dough, about ¼ to ½-inch deep.
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Bake: Place the dough inside the Dutch Oven. Turn the temperature down to 475 F and bake the dough covered for 30 minutes. Continue baking with the pot uncovered at 425 F for 10 to 15 minutes or until the center of the loaf registers at 200 F.
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Cool: Let the bread cool for at least 2 hours and let the crumb set before slicing.
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Store: Store bread in a zip top bag for up to 5 days.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I’ve included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.