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.
If you like this recipe, try the Mexican Hot Chocolate Sourdough Bread variation from my cookbook, Sourdough Every Day.
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Tips for Success
- Use a kitchen scale instead of volume measurements, cups and tablespoons are an approximation of more exact gram measures, for the best results invest in a scale and weigh your ingredients instead.
- Make sure your espresso or coffee has cooled completely before adding it to your dough or it may kill the yeast, let it cool down to at least 80 to 90 F.
- Soak dried fruit, dried fruit absorbs water and will steal the moisture from your dough making it too stiff and difficult to work with. This will result in bread that's too dry.
- Dry the soaked cherries before adding them to your dough, just like unsoaked dried fruit will adversely affect your bake, too much soaking liquid added into the dough could weaken the gluten structure and cause it to rip resulting in a gummy loaf.
- Invest in high-quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips, this bake is all about rich chocolate flavor, cheap chocolate tends to have a waxy texture and a bland flavor.
- Be gentle with the dough, cocoa powder has a tendency to inhibit gluten development, resulting in very soft bread but dough that has a tendency to tear. It’s important to be very gentle while folding and building strength. This helps maintain the gluten bonds built during the bread making process which allows the dough to capture valuable CO2 during fermentation.
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.
Ingredients you'll 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 - 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
Water - use filtered water or mineral water, tap water may contain chemicals that could harm the yeast in your starter
Salt - this recipe was developed using Morton's salt, if you're using Diamond Crystal use double the volume (the gram measurement will be the same)
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
Dark chocolate chips - use good quality chocolate chips for the best results, substitute a chopped chocolate bar
Chopped almonds - I love the flavor combination of cherries and almonds, substitute walnuts, pecans or omit if you're allergic to nuts
Love sourdough chocolate recipes? Try my Sourdough Chocolate Cake, Sourdough Chocolate Muffins, and Sourdough Chocolate Cookies.
Step-by-step Instructions
1. Make the bread dough and soak the cherries
2. Complete 3 to 4 sets of coil folds
3. Add the dried cherries, almonds and chocolate chips
4. Preshape the dough
5. Shape the dough
6. Cold proof overnight
7. Score the dough
8. Bake at 475 F covered for 30 minutes, turn the temperature down to 425 and bake uncovered for 10 minutes
Want to improve your sourdough knowledge and bread baking skills? Check out my Sourdough Bread 101 virtual course!
Bulk Fermentation
Fermentation begins as soon as the starter is mixed into your dough. This is the most important step of the process, when yeast digests the sugars and starches in flour and converts it to carbon dioxide, causing dough to rise resulting in light and airy bread.
Natural fermentation usually takes about 4 to 4 ½ for me. However, this process is highly variable, depending on the activity of your starter and your environment. I’ll be giving time cues here but keep in mind that fermentation may occur at a different pace in your home kitchen.
I like to start a 4 hour timer as soon as I mix my starter to my dough, then I observe my dough as the end of my timer gets close. If my dough looks airy, bubbly and has increased in volume then I proceed to shaping. Pay attention to how your dough is progressing, feel free to subtract or add time depending on how it looks.
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.
Shaping
How to shape a batard
- Fold left side of the dough towards the center
- Fold the right side over the left
- Fold the bottom up towards the center
- Fold the top of the dough over
- Stitch the dough beginning with the center of the dough
- Stitch the top and bottom
- Fold the top of the dough and gently flip the dough over so the seam is in the bottom
- Use a bench scraper or your fingertips to drag the dough towards yourself to gently increase the tension without tearing the surface of the dough
How to shape a boule
- Gently flatten the dough into a rough rectangle
- Fold the bottom towards the middle
- Fold the left and right sides toward the center
- Fold the top down
- Turn the dough over
- Round the dough, dragging it on the surface in a circular motion to seal the seam
- Place the down seam-side up in a mixing bowl lined with a tea towel dusted with rice flour
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t have a banneton, you can shape your dough into a boule and proof it in a mixing bowl lined with a tea towel.
Your bread is most likely under proofed with weak gluten development. Cocoa powder can inhibit gluten development so you’ll have to be extremely gentle when folding your dough to prevent the gluten bonds from tearing. Without strong gluten bonds, your dough won’t be able to capture and hold on to the gas produced by fermentation. In addition, if you don’t give your dough enough time to ferment, it won’t be light and airy.
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Chocolate Sourdough Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch oven
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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Cold proof: Place the dough in the refrigerator and let it proof overnight.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 500 F with a Dutch oven inside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 at 425 F for 10 to 15 minutes or until the center of the loaf registers at 200 F.
- Cool: Let the bread cool for at least 2 hours and let the crumb set before slicing.
- Store: Store bread in a zip top bag for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Melissa says
Hello, I was going to make this today, but am missing some of the time details. About how much time does it take until the chocolate levain is ready?
Make It Dough says
Hi Melissa,
The chocolate levain is ready when looks bubbly and has risen in volume. This could take 4 to 6 hours depending on temperature and the activity of your starter.
Hope this helps!
Hannah
Melissa says
Gah! Was hoping that wouldn’t pop up and thought I canceled the comment after I read more of the recipe. My apologies for being impatient and not reading more carefully.
One more question though! As I did the mixing every 30 minutes, the dough actually seemed to loosen up and became more of a brownie batter than gain strength and become a dough. So any kind of shaping was hopeless! Any ideas on what I could have done to cause this for future reference?
Thank you!
Make It Dough says
HMM that's super strange. I've had the experience of this dough tightening up as I mixed but never disintegrating. I'll have to remake this again and see! I'm sorry yours didn't turn out!
Sherie Cochran says
I can’t wait to try this chocolate bread....one question though...coffee? Regular coffee liquid form? Coffee grounds?, Expresso Powder? Not sure which one....I’m new to sourdough and have only been making sourdough since the first of the year...maybe end of December. I hope to start the chocolate starter tomorrow...and I may try to by some Kirsch at the liquor store tomorrow, if not could you use cherry juice from marchino cherries? I use them daily in my Diet Dr. Pepper for a touch of cherry and cherry juice....although it’s hard to find a good brand that taste good these days....not all marchino cherries taste good.
Make It Dough says
I use liquid coffee. And yum that sounds delicious although I’m not a soda drinker myself. I’m sure the maraschino syrup would work great, I’ve used water before and it also worked perfectly.