Double Chocolate Sourdough Bread Recipe
Double chocolate sourdough bread is a fun twist on a tried and true staple. Combing two favorites, sourdough and chocolate, you can’t go wrong! You’ll love this soft, chewy sourdough bread made with cocoa powder along with bursts of chocolatey goodness from the added chocolate chips.
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Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 Danish dough whisk
- 1 lame
- 1 Dutch Oven
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 350 g warm water 1⅓ + 1 tbsp
- 475 g bread flour 3¾ cups
- 50 g brown sugar ¼ cup
- 50 g cocoa powder ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp
- 125 g active sourdough starter ½ cup
- 11 g salt 2 tsp
- 170 g chocolate chips 1 cup
Instructions
Mixing the Dough
- You will need an active bubbly starter for this recipe. Feed your starter and allow it to rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours. The actual time may vary depending on different factors like the temperature of your kitchen, the strength of your starter, and the ratios you feed your starter. I like to feed my starter a ratio of 1:1:1.
- Use a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement. Add 125 g (½ cup) active sourdough starter, 350 g (1⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) warm water, 50 g (¼ cup) brown sugar, and 50 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) cocoa powder to a large bowl and stir to incorporate all of the ingredients. Next, mix in 2 tsp salt and 475 g (3¾ cups) bread flour.
- Know that the dough will be stiff. I started to mix the dough with my dough whisk like usual but found that kneading by hand was the best way to mix in the bread flour completely.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to let the flour properly hydrate and for the dough to relax after being worked.
- Next, do a series of stretch and folds. Grab the edge of the bread dough firmly and lift it straight up to stretch it, then fold and press it into the center of the dough. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and do another stretch and fold. Continue to stretch and fold 4-5 times or until the dough becomes too stiff to lift and fold. Let rest for 30 minutes. This completes one set of stretch and folds. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before performing the next set of stretch and folds.
- Before the last set of stretch and folds, add 170 g (1 cup) chocolate chips to the dough. Do your best to keep the chips within the dough and not on the top. Do a total of 4 sets of stretch and folds over the two hours. The dough will become smoother and more elastic with each set of folds.
Bulk Fermentation
- After the last set of lifts and folds, cover the bowl and allow it to ferment in a warm spot on the counter at room temperature for 8-12 hours. The dough will have doubled in size and have a smooth top. I generally do this step after dinner in the winter, but closer to bedtime in the summer months.
Shaping the Dough
- The next morning lightly flour your work surface and scrape the dough out of the bowl with a dough scraper or rubber spatula.
- Shape the dough using the envelope fold, folding the bottom half of the dough up to the middle, pressing lightly to hold. Fold the top half of the dough down to the middle. Lastly, fold each side to the middle.
- Turn the dough over so that the seams are facing down, and with your hands cupping the farthest side of the loaf, drag the dough towards you while gently pushing the bottom of the loaf under creating tension as the dough slightly sticks to the counter. You may find that the dough slides from the floured surface. Brush away some of the flour or shape the dough on a clean work surface.
- If you have a banneton basket, use a bench scraper to lift the dough into the banneton with the seam facing upwards because when you flip the dough out then the seam will be facing down.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have a banneton, just lift the dough onto a piece of parchment paper with the seam facing down, and then lift the parchment paper into a bowl.
Second Rise or Cold Proof
- Cover with a damp tea towel or a piece of plastic wrap and let the dough rise for an additional hour at room temperature or cold proof 6-8 hours in the refrigerator.
Score and Bake
- Preheat the Dutch oven to 400°F/205°C for 45 minutes.
- Lightly dust the top of the loaf with flour. Using a bread lame or sharp knife, score the top of the dough, giving the bread a place to expand as it bakes.
- Lift the bread using the parchment paper into the Dutch oven, quickly replacing the lid and back into the oven. Bake for 40 minutes with the lid on. Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- When the time is up, remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. The chocolate makes it difficult to know if the bread is done, so I like to use a digital thermometer to double-check. The bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 200°F/95°C.
- Wait until it cools completely before slicing.
Notes
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.Freezing Instructions
To freeze a loaf of double chocolate sourdough bread, allow it to cool completely. Then wrap the loaf tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and place it into the freezer. Label with the name and date. Best used within 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before slicing. Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.Nutrition
Calories: 239.1kcalCarbohydrates: 44.3gProtein: 5.6gFat: 5.3gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 358.1mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 2.5gSugar: 12.3gVitamin A: 0.8IUCalcium: 25.1mgIron: 1mg
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