How to Make Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Making Chocolate Sourdough Bread

“This loaf is perfectly moist inside with a nice crispy crust. The bits of melted chocolate chunks really add to the flavor.”

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It took a few tries to get this loaf to the perfection I was looking for. The brown sugar gives it a nice deep, molasses sweetness. The sweet levain cuts the sourness of the dough. Kirkland dried tart cherries would be great as an inclusion in this loaf, along with the chocolate chunks and walnuts if desired. Toast up a slice of this and top it with hazelnut spread as a yummy treat. Around the holidays you can find peppermint chocolate chips, which would be a fun inclusion to try as well.

Prep Time: 40 hr

Cook Time: 35 min

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Levain (Make the Night Before):

• 13g Ripe Starter

• 13g Sugar

• 63g Bread Flour

• 40g Warm Filtered Water

Bloom the Cocoa:

• 100g Warm Filtered Water

• 50g Cocoa

The Sourdough:

• 105g Whole Wheat Flour

• 385g Bread Flour

• 50g Brown Sugar

• 270 g Filtered Water (additional)

• 125g Sweet Stiff Levain, (all of the sweet levain)

• 10g Kosher Salt

• 150g Dark Chocolate Chunks

• 30g Chopped Walnuts, (optional)

Preparation Steps

Prepare the sweet stiff levain the night before you plan to mix the dough.

Bloom the cocoa in 100g of the water.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, weigh out the flour, whole wheat flour and brown sugar. Stir.

Add the bloomed cocoa, sweet levain and remaining water and mix for 5 minutes with your dough hook attachment, initially on the stir setting of your mixer. Then up to speed 2. Do not go above speed 2 with your dough hook. Next add the salt and continue on speed 2 until you can’t feel the grains. (About 5 minutes) Rest 30 minutes.

Do one set of stretch and folds (4 pulls total). Rest 30 minutes.

Laminate the dough by spreading it into a rectangle about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Add the chocolate chunks and nuts if desired. Press the inclusions into the dough. Fold the dough into thirds and roll up. Rest 30 minutes.

Do stretch and fold #2. Rest 45 minutes to an hour.

Do stretch and fold #3. Rest 45 minutes to an hour.

Do stretch and fold #4. Let it proof for 2-3 more hours until dough temperature is 78 degrees F, the dough has doubled, or the dough has passed the poke test.

Shape the dough and put it in a proofing basket. Let it proof at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Store it overnight in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.

In the morning preheat the oven to 450º F. Once preheated score your loaf.

Place your loaf in a Dutch Oven or clay baker.

Bake 28-30 minutes at 450º F., covered.

Bake an additional 4-6 minutes at 450º F if necessary. The internal temperature of the loaf should be 200º F. I have found that the outside tends to burn on my chocolate loaves if I leave them uncovered.

If you don’t have a Dutch oven you can bake your bread on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. While preheating your oven to 450º F., put a cast iron pan with pie weights on the bottom shelf. Just before baking, fill the skillet with cold water. Bake at 450º F. for 28-30 minutes and 425º F. for 5 min. Cover the top loosely with foil during the bake to prevent burning.

*This is a Sourdough Living original recipe.

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