Description
This Double Chocolate Sourdough Bread recipe combines the rich flavor of cocoa and sweet chocolate chips with the tangy depth of a perfectly fermented sourdough. It features an extended fermentation and stretch-and-fold method creating a chewy, moist loaf with a crackly crust and pockets of melted chocolate throughout. Ideal for a chocolate lover looking for an artisanal homemade bread that balances sour and sweet notes.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 350 g warm water (1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp)
- 125 g active sourdough starter (½ cup)
Dry Ingredients
- 475 g bread flour (3¾ cups)
- 50 g brown sugar (¼ cup)
- 50 g cocoa powder (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
- 11 g salt (2 tsp)
Add-ins
- 170 g chocolate chips (1 cup)
Instructions
- Prepare Starter: Ensure you have an active bubbly sourdough starter. Feed your starter and allow it to rise at room temperature for 4-6 hours until bubbly and active.
- Mix Ingredients: Using a kitchen scale, combine 125 g active starter, 350 g warm water, 50 g brown sugar, and 50 g cocoa powder in a large bowl. Stir until incorporated, then add 11 g salt and 475 g bread flour. Mix thoroughly.
- Knead Dough: The dough will be stiff. Begin mixing with a dough whisk but switch to kneading by hand to fully incorporate the flour into a stiff dough.
- Rest Dough: Let the dough rest for 30 minutes to hydrate the flour and relax.
- Stretch and Fold Set 1: Perform 4-5 stretch and folds by grabbing the dough edge, stretching it upwards, folding into the center, and rotating the bowl quarter turn. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.
- Add Chocolate Chips: Before the next stretch and fold, add 170 g chocolate chips trying to keep them inside the dough. Continue with stretch and folds in sets over 2 hours, allowing 30 minutes rest between sets.
- Bulk Fermentation: Cover the dough and ferment at room temperature for 8-12 hours until doubled in size with a smooth surface.
- Shape the Dough: Lightly flour your surface. Scrape dough out and use the envelope fold method: fold bottom half up to center, then top half down, then each side to center. Turn dough seam side down, drag and tuck under to create tension.
- Proof: Place shaped dough in a banneton with seam side up or on parchment paper in a bowl. Cover and either proof at room temperature for 1 hour or cold proof in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
- Preheat Oven and Dutch Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C) and place Dutch oven inside to heat for 45 minutes.
- Score Loaf: Lightly dust dough surface with flour and score the top with a bread lame or sharp knife to allow expansion during baking.
- Bake Bread: Using parchment paper, transfer dough to heated Dutch oven, cover with lid, and bake for 40 minutes. Remove lid and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown crust.
- Cool the Bread: Remove loaf from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Verify doneness with an internal temperature of 200°F (95°C) for perfect crumb.
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale for accurate measurements, especially for flour and starter.
- Ensure your sourdough starter is well active and bubbly before using.
- The dough is quite stiff; kneading by hand helps fully develop the gluten and incorporate chocolate chips.
- Multiple stretch and fold sets improve gluten structure and dough elasticity.
- Cold proofing enhances flavor and makes the dough easier to handle.
- Use a Dutch oven preheated thoroughly to simulate steam baking, producing a crispy crust.
- Wait until fully cooled before slicing to avoid gummy texture.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French-inspired Sourdough
