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Chocolate sourdough sliced in half

Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Christina
This is an artisan sourdough bread with added chocolate powder, dark chocolate bits, and dried cranberries. Absolutely delicious & delightful!
5 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours 15 minutes
Course afternoon tea, bread, Breakfast, brunch, lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 20 Slices
Calories 96 kcal

Equipment

  • 4 or 6 Liter food container (or bowl)
  • Cover for container (or plastic wrap)
  • Digital Metric Scale
  • Danish Whisk (optional but useful)
  • Bowl scraper
  • Half Sheet Pan
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients
  

  • 100 grams Rye Sourdough Starter
  • 340 grams Warm Tap Water
  • 350 grams White Bread Flour strong white flour at least 14% protein
  • 50 grams Cocoa Powder
  • 11 grams Sea Salt
  • 40 grams Dark Chocolate Bits
  • 40 grams Dried Cranberries

Instructions
 

Mixing

  • Using a digital scale set to metric, measure 100 g rye sourdough starter into a minimum 3 liter food grade container or large bowl. (In photos, you will see a 6 L Rubbermaid food bin with lid).
  • Using a scale, measure 340 g warm (not hot) water. Add water to starter. Mix well with a Danish whisk or your hand to break up the starter and create a milky slurry.
    Milky slurry mix of sourdough starter and water
  • Using a scale, measure 50 g of cocoa powder and add it to the slurry, mix together well.
    Sourdough, Water & Cocoa Powder mixed for chocolate sourdough bread
  • Using a scale, measure 350 g bread flour. Add flour into slurry. Mix well with your hand to hydrate flour until there are no dry bits remaining.
    Add bread flour to the chocolate sourdough slurry
  • Cover container tightly, set aside, rest for 20-30 minutes so flour will autolyze (absorb the water).
    Flour mixed into the chocolate slurry ready to rest
  • Using a scale, measure 11 grams of sea salt. Sprinkle sea salt over the autolyzed flour and water mixture.
    Salt sprinkled over the top of the bread mixture
  • Cut through the mixture three times by squeezing two fingertips together (like you are forming the "okay" symbol). Next, grab a small portion of dough from one side and pull dough up, then fold the dough down over itself. Be careful not to pull too much as dough will tear. Rotate the container a quarter turn and repeat. Do this a total of four times. After the final fold flip the dough over so folds are tucked below dough mass.
    Salt mixed in and dough ball flipped over onto the folds
  • Replace the cover and allow dough mixture to rest for 10 minutes.

Folding

  • This recipe requires four folds over the next 2-3 hours. After the 10 minute rest, add the mix-ins and perform the first fold according to these instructions:
  • Remove cover. Sprinkle 40 g chocolate bits and 40 g dried cranberries onto the top of the dough.
  • Pull a small portion of dough from the outside of the dough mixture and stretch dough up (being careful not to tear it) and fold it down over the chocolate and cranberries. Pull & fold over a total of eight times while turning the container clockwise (no cutting this time). After the final fold, turn the dough over in the container so folds are tucked below the dough mass. (Do not worry if the chocolate and cranberries are not totally distributed, once you finish the next three folds, they will be distributed evenly.)
    Hint: When pulling and stretching, be careful not to tear the dough. It will not stretch very far during the first fold, but do not worry, you will do this three more times, each time the dough will stretch further. This process produces a loose round that tightens with each additional fold.
    Pull dough up and fold over itself
  • Replace cover and allow dough to relax 30 minutes.
  • Remove cover. The dough will have relaxed. Perform the second fold. Pull a small portion of dough from the outside of the dough mixture and stretch dough up (being careful not to tear it) and fold it down over itself. Do this eight times while turning the container clockwise after each stretch and fold. After the final fold, turn the dough over in the container so folds are tucked under creating a round shape. Repeat this process two more times at 30 minute intervals.
    Dough is relaxed and ready to be folded again

Bulk Fermentation (First Rise)

  • After the fourth fold, cover the dough, allow it to bulk ferment in a warm place. Be patient! This will take between 4-8 hours depending on the temperature where dough rests. Dough must double in size before moving on to the next step.
    Hint: Using a clear container allows you to easily see the progression of the rise. After the fourth fold, mark the container at the point where the doubled bread will rise; I use either a marker or an elastic around the container to indicate this point.
    Bulk Fermentation Completed when Dough is Doubled
  • If you prefer, you can retard the dough (slow the bulk fermentation down). This is useful if you mix your dough in the evening. Simply place the partially risen dough (in a covered container) into the refrigerator. Pull it out in the morning, if it has not yet doubled, you can leave it at room temperature until it does double. Then move on to the shaping step.
    Hint: Yeast needs a warm place to multiply and perform its magic. If you have a cold kitchen (below 68 degrees) or are using air conditioning in summer, you may need to create a warm environment. If dough is not rising, move it to a warm location, in an oven with the light on is an option.

Shaping

  • When dough has doubled in size it will be lofty with good structure, bubbles on top and inside. Flour a work surface.
  • Prepare the sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper (no need to spray the parchment). Set aside.
  • Turn dough out carefully onto a floured work surface so as not to lose too much of the gas structure. Use the bowl scraper to coax the sticky dough out of the container. Set container aside.
    Hint: If you want to make four mini-boules, use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into four even portions. Shape according to the same instructions for a large boule but place four mini boules on one sheet pan.
  • Pull each of the four corners of the dough towards the center and pinch together.
    Pull sides of dough to center of round
  • Flip the dough so the folds are now on the bottom and you have a very loose round shape.
  • Cup hands around the rear of the round shape and drag the dough towards you on the work surface. Turn the dough a quarter of a turn. Gently pick the dough up and place it further away from you again. Repeat four times or as many times as it takes to create a tightly rounded dough ball.
    Hint: You will need a little friction to drag the dough ball to tighten it into a round. If there is no friction, clear the work surface of the majority of flour and try again.
    Shaping a Dough Ball
  • Once you have a tight dough ball, flour the top of the dough ball. Pick it up by gently by sliding cupped hands under either side of the ball.
  • Gently lay the ball onto the sheet pan. Cover the dough with sprayed plastic wrap.

Proofing (Second Rise)

  • Set the pan with shaped dough ball in a warm place to proof. Allow the dough ball to rise until it has relaxed and doubled in size. This may take 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the room temperature.

Baking

  • Approximately 30 minutes prior to the second rise being complete, place a metal pan (I use a 10" round metal cake pan) filled with cold water into your oven. Set oven temp to 460 F degrees. Preheat for 30 minutes, the water will begin to evaporate and create steam. Set timer for 30 minutes.
  • When timer buzzes, check if your dough has doubled and is ready to be baked.
    Hint: To check if your dough has risen enough, you can perform the poke test. Poke the dough with a floured finger. If the indent springs back quickly, it is not yet ready to be baked. Allow it to continue to rise. If the indent springs back slowly, it is ready to be baked. If the indent does not spring back at all, it is over-proofed.
  • Uncover the dough. Snip a deep "X" on top of the dough using kitchen sheers, a lame, or a sharp knife.
  • Place the pan in the preheated oven. If the metal pan with water has evaporated, add more water.
  • Bake at 460 F degrees for 20 minutes. Turn pan 180° to evenly brown the bread. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until fully baked.
    Hint: Due to it's dark color, t's difficult to tell just by looking at the chocolate sourdough if it is done. 40 minutes should complete the bake, but if you are uncertain, leave it for an additional 5 minutes. Try knocking on the bread dough with a wooden spoon, it should sound hollow when done.
  • Remove the pan and set it on a heat proof surface.
    Four Mini Boules of Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Cooling

  • Immediately remove the bread from the pan. Set bread on a cooling rack to allow air flow around the bread.
    Chocolate sourdough cooling on a baker's rack
  • Allow to cool 30 minutes before slicing.
    Hint: I know it's hard to wait for that yummy first piece! However, the crumb needs time to set so it does not get crushed when you try to cut the bread.

Storing

  • If you do not use this bread immediately, it can be stored in the open air for 8 hours, or even overnight, as long as it is not cut.
  • Once the bread has been cut, allow it to cool completely. Store cut side down on a cutting board for up to one day.
  • After that time, slice the remaining bread, place slices in an airtight bag, and freeze the slices. Warm each slice in a toaster before eating.
Keyword artisan bread, Chocolate Bread, Sourdough bread