Sourdough Chocolate Bread
A rich, tangy, deeply chocolatey sourdough loaf studded with melted chocolate chips. Made with a naturally leavened dough, this artisan bread combines the complex flavor of sourdough fermentation with bittersweet cocoa and pockets of gooey chocolate in every slice.
- Total Time16 hours
- Yield12 slices 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dough
- 250 g unbleached all-purpose flour
- 100 g freshly ground whole wheat flour
- 125 g bread flour (or substitute with more all-purpose)
- 10 g salt
- 50 g brown sugar
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 100 g mature sourdough starter, active and bubbly
- 335 g warm water
- 125 g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Wake Up Your Starter: Feed your sourdough starter 4–12 hours before you plan to mix. It should be at peak activity — bubbly, domed, and doubled in size.
- Bring the Dry Team Together: In a large bowl, weigh out all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, bread flour, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. Whisk until evenly combined. Do not add salt yet.
- Mix and Rest: Add warm water and active sourdough starter to the dry ingredients. Stir until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest for 30 minutes (autolyse).
- Add Salt: Sprinkle salt over the dough. Mix with your hands for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together and feels smoother. Cover with a damp towel.
- Rest and Add Chocolate: Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Scatter chocolate chips over the dough and begin your first set of stretch and folds.
- Stretch and Fold Sets: Grab the edge of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it into the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Do this every 15 minutes for 3 rounds, then every 30 minutes for 3 more rounds.
- Bulk Ferment: Cover the dough and allow it to bulk ferment until doubled in size, approximately 6–10 hours depending on kitchen temperature and starter activity.
- Shape the Loaf: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Spin and pull the dough toward you multiple times until a tight ball forms. Rest uncovered 15–20 minutes to develop a skin.
- Final Shaping: Flip the dough and fold both sides into the center, then repeat on the remaining sides. Place seam-side up into a well-floured banneton or towel-lined bowl.
- Second Rise: Proof at room temperature for 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate for 12–15 hours for a cold proof with deeper flavor development.
- Preheat: Place Dutch oven inside your oven and preheat to 425°F (218°C) for a full hour.
- Score and Bake: Dust dough with flour, score with a razor or lame, and carefully lower into the hot Dutch oven. Bake 20 minutes with lid on, then remove lid and bake 30 minutes more.
- Cool Completely: Transfer to a wire rack and allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. This ensures the crumb sets properly.
Notes
If you don’t have bread flour, add the 125g to your all-purpose flour total instead. A cold overnight proof in the refrigerator develops deeper, more complex flavor and makes the dough much easier to score. Use a clear container during bulk fermentation and mark the starting level with a rubber band to easily track when the dough has doubled.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Bread, Breakfast, Snack
- Cuisine: Artisan
Nutrition
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 200
- Fat: 5
- Saturated Fat: 2.5
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 5
