Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Dark, dramatic, and so delicious - this Chocolate Sourdough Bread has a moist, tight crumb, it is not too sweet, and is such a treat! The dough comes together in minutes with no special equipment. After a few stretch and folds and a bulk ferment, this dough is ready to shape and bake or it can be stashed in the refrigerator for a longer fermentation period. This moist, chewy bread is perfect for toast with peanut butter or cinnamon sugar, chocolate bread pudding or French toast, a classic pb&j or fluffernutter sandwich. Or my favorite - toasted and slathered with cream cheese and raspberry jam. Give this unique sourdough bread a try and see why we love it so much!

Recipe Background and Details

This dark, chocolatey bread is perfect for a spooky Halloween treat, but it is also very Christmasy to me. I already plan to make some bread pudding with it this Christmas - Yum! I was working on my Chocolate Cinnamon Roll recipe when I had the thought to make this chocolate sourdough bread. It turned out better than I imagined and like I wrote earlier, it is great for French Toast, bread pudding, or for really fun toasts and sandwiches.

If you are looking for more ways to use that bubbly sourdough starter, give my Sourdough Sandwich Bread or Sourdough Rye Bread a try as well as my very popular No-Yeast Sourdough Pizza Crust.

Ingredients

Just a few simple ingredients are all you need to make this sourdough bread recipe.

• water: room temperature is fine. If you want a small decrease in rising time you can use warm water (100-110 degrees F).
• sourdough starter: very active and bubbly. See my Sourdough Starter Guide if you are just getting started.
• brown sugar: I like dark brown but you could use light or even regular white sugar. The sugar is necessary to balance the bitterness of the cocoa.
• vanilla extract: Not essential, but I love the combination of vanilla and chocolate.
• whole wheat flour: This adds flavor and structure and I really like it with the cocoa, but you can use all bread flour if you want.
• bread flour: I have not tried this with all purpose.
• cocoa powder: I use this King Arthur double dark blend for a really dark color and deep flavor. You can use any cocoa powder or even cacao powder for this recipe.
• salt: I always use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt.
• optional add-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruits - see below for ideas.

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See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This is technically a no-knead bread. Instead of kneading you will perform a series of stretch and folds for a couple hours. I like to start this dough in the morning to give it plenty of time to double in size before shaping and chilling overnight.

mix the dough

1. Step 1: Mix sourdough starter with water.

2. Step 2: Add vanilla, brown sugar, flours, and cocoa powder.

autolyse then add salt

I tested this with and without the autolyse period and it really does make a difference to delay adding the salt. You'll also notice that some of the photos in this post do not include chocolate chips. It is delicious both ways.

3. Step 3: Mix until all flour has been absorbed. Let rest for an hour.

4. Step 4: add salt and optional chocolate chips and/or nuts and mix until combined.

stretch and folds and bulk ferment

The total bulk ferment time will depend on your kitchen and your starter. I find it takes 6-8 hours in my 70 degree kitchen. If your kitchen is quite cool you could let this go overnight.

• Step 5: Perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours of bulk ferment.

• Step 6: Allow dough to rise covered at room temperature until doubled in size.

shaping the loaf

I prefer to leave this dough as-is and not use any flour for dusting. That is just a matter of looks for me - I like the shiny, dark crust it gets after baking. Feel free to use flour, rice flour, or even cocoa powder.

• Step 7: Once dough has doubled, transfer to work surface.

• Step 8: Begin pulling the dough over itself to form a boule shape.

form boule and place in banneton

Like I wrote above, I do not use flour for this so instead I use a piece of lightly oiled plastic wrap to prevent the dough from sticking to the banneton. You can also line with a heavily floured tea towel as most sourdough recipes suggest. This is a matter of personal preference not a right or wrong thing.

• Step 9: Flip dough over so the seam side is down and pull the dough toward yourself in all directions to form a tight ball.

• Step 10: Line banneton with lightly oiled plastic wrap and place dough seam side up. *see recipe card for chilling, timing, etc.

score and bake

I prefer to chill my dough overnight in the banneton, then score and bake. You can also just let it rise in the banneton at room temperature for a couple of hours, score and bake. The chilling is optional.

• Step 11: When ready to bake, flip onto parchment and score the loaf

• Step 12: Bake in preheated dutch oven according to directions in recipe card.

Substitutions and Variations

This base recipe can be jazzed up with different mix-ins. Here are some ideas:

• chocolate chips or chunks: use any chocolate you love or try peanut butter or butterscotch chips.
• Halloween: I have not tried this but I think if you wanted to get really crazy and add some chopped up halloween candy that would be really fun!
• Christmas: Add in some chopped up peppermint bark.
• dried fruits: cherries, figs, raisins or whatever dried fruit you enjoy paired with chocolate.
• nuts: pick your favorite! Any nut will work. I feel like pistachios would be really fun.
• spices: add in some spice, especially at Christmas time. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or cardamom would all be so festive and warming.

Equipment

A lidded dutch oven is essential for baking crusty loaves of sourdough. You can find them online, at large retailers like Target and Walmart, and even at some grocery stores. They are also wonderful for making soups, stews, and many other recipes so it is a great investment and you will find yourself using it a ton - not just for sourdough.

Storage

Once this bread is completely cooled, it will keep well covered at room temperature for 3-5 days. It also freezes well and I recommend slicing it before wrapping and freezing so you can just grab a slice as needed.

FAQ

Related - Breads and Bakes

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Chocolate Sourdough Bread

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Dark, dramatic, and so delicious - this Chocolate Sourdough Bread has a moist, tight crumb, it is not too sweet, and is such a treat! The dough comes together in minutes with no special equipment. 

• Total Time: 12-24 hours
• Yield: 1 large sourdough boule

Ingredients

140 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter (about ¾ cup)

360 grams water (1.5 cups)

50 grams dark brown sugar (½ cup)

35 grams dark cocoa powder (⅓ cup)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

150 grams whole wheat flour (about ¾ cup)

350 grams white bread flour (about 2 and ¾ cups)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

optional add-ins:

2 cups total of your choice of add-ins (chocolate chips, dried fruits, nuts)

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Instructions

This is technically a no-knead bread. Instead of kneading you will perform a series of stretch and folds for a couple hours. I like to start this dough in the morning to give it plenty of time to double in size before shaping and chilling overnight.

1. Mix sourdough starter and water in large mixing bowl.
2. Add brown sugar, vanilla, flours, and cocoa powder.
3. Mix well with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until all flour is mixed in.
4. Cover and allow to rest for 1-2 hours at room temperature.
5. after the resting period, add salt and any other optional add-ins. Mix the dough with your hands until the salt is completely combined.
6. Cover and let bulk ferment for 6-8 hours or until doubled in size, performing stretch and folds for the first 2 hours at 30 minute intervals. You can speed this up by placing in a proofing box or in the oven with the light on.
7. To perform a stretch and fold: with damp fingertips, grab one corner of the dough and lift it up and over itself to the center of the bowl. Turn the bowl and repeat this on all 4 sides. That is one stretch and fold.
8. Once doubled, turn dough out onto work surface and shape into a ball by pulling the edges into the center all the way around the circumference. Flip dough over so the seams are down and pull the dough toward yourself creating tension. Rotate the dough ball and perform this pulling motion all around the dough until you have a nice tight ball.
9. lightly oil a large piece of plastic wrap and lay in the banneton oiled side up. 
10. Place the ball smooth side down into the banneton onto the oiled plastic. The seams should be facing up so you can see them.
11. Now you can either let it rise for a couple of hours at room temperature, score, and bake, or you can cover and place in the refrigerator overnight before proceeding. I like the chilling period but I have done it both ways and it always turns out great.
12. Either way, preheat oven to 425 degrees F with lidded dutch oven inside.
13. When ready to bake, turn dough out onto parchment and score as desired.
14. Carefully lift parchment and place loaf into preheated dutch oven. Bake for 25 minutes with lid on. Remove lid and continue baking for 30-40 minutes or until you reach an internal temperature of 205 degrees. I like to tent loosely with foil to prevent the ears from getting burnt.
15. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing if you can resist.

Notes

I tested this with and without the autolyse period and it really does make a difference to delay adding the salt.

You'll notice that some of the photos in this post do not include chocolate chips. I actually prefer it without the chips, but it is delicious both ways.

I prefer to chill my dough overnight in the banneton, then score and bake. You can also just let it rise in the banneton at room temperature for a couple of hours, score and bake. The chilling is optional.

I prefer to leave this dough as-is and not use any flour for dusting or scoring. That is just a matter of looks for me - I like the shiny, dark crust it gets after baking. You can also heavily dust a tea towel with flour, rice flour, or even cocoa powder and use that to line the banneton. This is a matter of personal preference not a right or wrong thing.

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 6-8 hours
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: sourdough
• Method: baking, sourdough
• Cuisine: American