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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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.
What you 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 and dark chocolate chips - 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
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
Love sourdough chocolate recipes? Try my Sourdough Chocolate Cake, Sourdough Chocolate Muffins, and Sourdough Chocolate Cookies.
Step-by-step Instructions
STEP 1. Make the bread dough and soak the cherries
STEP 2. Complete 3 to 4 sets of coil folds
TIP: Don’t skip soaking your dried cherries as dried fruit has a tendency to absorb water from the dough potentially resulting in a tough, dry loaf.
STEP 3. Add the dried cherries, almonds and chocolate chips
STEP 4. Preshape the dough
TIP: Dry the soaked cherries before adding them to your dough, too much soaking liquid added into the dough could weaken the gluten structure and cause it to rip resulting in a gummy loaf.
STEP 5. Shape the dough
STEP 6. Cold proof overnight
TIP: If you don't have a banneton basket, shape your sourdough into a boule and use an 8 or 9-inch mixing bowl lined with a clean tea towel dusted with rice flour.
STEP 7. Score the dough
STEP 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!
Baker's Tips
- 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.
- 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.
- Fermentation times may differ based on your starter's health and the unique conditions in your kitchen. I’ll be giving time cues, but remember to wait until your dough is visibly bubbly and well-risen before shaping your dough.
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.
If you love sourdough bread with flavorful fillings, try my Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Bread and Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread recipes.
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
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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
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
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 with the pot uncovered 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.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info provided are estimates.
Ivy
I found this recipe very forgiving, ingredients and timewise. Baked it this morning and my kitchen smelled like bread heaven!
It’s my first time making sourdough bread with inclusion and I was surprised at how simple it was to follow through, and the bread turned out delicious! Definitely a crowd pleaser. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hannah Dela Cruz
I'm glad you had a great experience with this recipe!
Suzanne
I haven’t tasted this yet as it’s just out of the oven but my house smells divine. I was not expecting the oven spring from this dough and wish I could post a picture. It burst open and created quite the ear.
Arliss
good morning Hannah! I am so excited about this recipe, I'm a few minutes away from popping it into the oven.
quick question though: do I remove the lid after the 30 minute mark? I'm somewhat new to the sourdough world but most of the recipes I've found have you remove the lid after the initial baking time.
thanks in advance!!
Hannah Dela Cruz
Hi Arliss! Thank you for your comment! I realize that I unknowingly missed adding that detail in my recipe. I just updated it with your comment.
Laura
Hey can I omit the cherries and just go with chocolate chips and nuts? Thanks!
Laura
Hannah Dela Cruz
Absolutely! Skip the soaking step as well.
Melissa
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
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
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
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
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
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.