The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Chocolate Sourdough Bread Recipes Anyone?

JERSK's picture
JERSK

Chocolate Sourdough Bread Recipes Anyone?

  I used to get this chocolate sourdough bread from a bakery that only sold it at Christmas time. The last couple of times I wanted to get it tragedy struck. One year their batch failed and they never produced it. The next year my dog ate the loaf in the car before we got it home. Well, enough anecdotes. Does anybody have any recipes for chocolate bread or chocolate sourdough bread?

edh's picture
edh

JERSK,

Some months ago, Helend posted photos in her blog of a chocolate bread that she'd found on the Bread Feed. I went looking a couple of weeks ago, hoping to try it out, but couldn't find the recipe. Maybe Floyd could help there; where do Bread Feed items go when they get moved out of the list?

That bread was an enriched, loaf type. I think the recipe came from an old Fleischman's book.

If what you're looking for is a bread with chocolate pieces in it, I can't say enough good things about JMonkey's Chocolate Cherry Sourdough. It's truly outrageous!

What bakery did you get the bread from? I was very fond of the goodies at Atlantic Baking Company in Rockland, before I had to give up butter and other dairy. Their Bearclaws are wonderful...

edh

JERSK's picture
JERSK

    This was a dense chocolatey bread from The Black Crow Bakery I believe. I used to buy it at The Green Grocer in Portland. They've closed, but I believe Black Crow is still around, though I don't know where. In any event, I'd like to try to make my own. I'm not on the coast now. I'm living up in Bethel. Not much for bakeries around here. If I was down in the mid-coast region there's lots available. I'll be back down east when the snow melts.

suave's picture
suave

If I am not mistaken about a year ago there was a detailed description from someone trying to clone Zingerman's chocolate-sour cherry bread.

 Upd: Here it is http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/5017/dark-chocolate-tart-cherry-levain

edh's picture
edh

It doesn't get you the recipe, and I certainly understand wanting to make it yourself, but I just googled Black Crow, and they're over in Litchfield. It looks like it's about an hour away from you; (207) 268-9927. Maybe if you get a loaf, you can recreate it. And then share the recipe with us!

Keep us posted; chocolate and bread are a wonderful match!

How's the snow cover up there? We got mostly rain on the weekend, so the whole place is a skating rink; love coastal winters!

edh

JMonkey's picture
JMonkey

Here's a link to how I do it. Messy, but very tasty.

mikeofaustin's picture
mikeofaustin

I was wondering about jmonkeys recipe... no sugar.     Then I see this one right above this post, with loads of sugar (18 to 23%, depending on flour amount).

    Hmmmmmm....

manuela's picture
manuela

This is the link to helend's blog page

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3492/cocoa-bread-great

 

the cocoa bread came to the Bread Feed from my blog

http://bakinghistory.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/cocoa-bread/

 

and the recipe is by the Fleischmann company (1920), It is very similar to the one published here by dcfies except for the vanilla. It truly is an excellent bread.

tattooedtonka's picture
tattooedtonka

Here is my Mocha Java Bread

In case you wanted some coffee to go with your chocolate.

TT

TT's Breads

JERSK's picture
JERSK

  thanks for all the recipes and ideas. I've located Black Crow Bakery and this is my only day off for a couple weeks, so I'm heading off to check them out. They were doing sourdough "artisan" type breads longer than any body I remember. I'd like to get pics of the bakery and products. What a dough junkie! As far as the sugar vs. no sugar issue, cocoa powder products need quite a bit of sugar. Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks are fine the way they are and the dough doesn't knead it. haha

edh's picture
edh

Enjoy the ride to the bakery today; nice weather for it! We're off to the woods to cut our Christmas tree today, taking advantage of the almost-up-to-freezing temps, and the sunshine!

Yet one more thought on the chocolate bread (though I'm sure all your questions will be answered at the source!); I'm going to make JMonkey's bread again tomorrow, as two mini-boules for presents. I'm thinking that grating the chocolate rather than using big chunks will make for a more over-all chocolate bread, rather than the big gooey chunks. Of course, those were amazing too...

I'll let you know how it turns out.

edh

campcook's picture
campcook

I made JMonkey's chocolate cherry bread for Christmas and it was excellent.  His recipe and instructions made it all very easy.  Mine did not rise quite as much probably due to temp or sourdough energy but great nontheless

Dave

an engineer trying to bake good bread.  Have Nutrimill

edh's picture
edh

Isn't it just over the top? I tried it again, as two mini-boules, but I think that will take a little more work to get right. The smaller amount of dough required so much stretching to fit the goodies in that the bread had a much tighter crumb than my first full sized attempt. Didn't hear any complaints though...

edh

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

trailrunner; I made the recipe this weekend and it is just like the one they sell in NYC.at Balthazar's bakery. It tastes chocolatey but not sweet. Wonderful tender crumb and very easy dough to work with. Here is the recipe and a link to the slide show I made while making it.

http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h126/41455/KAW/?action=slideshow&current=ea8c3299.pbw

1. Use Turbinado sugar for the top...lots not regular
2. Use the bittersweet not unsweet chocolate

CHOCOLATE BREAD STARTER
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour ( you can use bread flour)
CHOCOLATE YEAST BREAD
5 cups bread flour ( 1 c or so extra for kneading)
1/2 cup good-quality cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar, plus
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast dissolved in 2 c warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature,plus more for pans
6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
vegetable oil, for lightly oiling bowl
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon heavy cream
4 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Directions
1)Chocolate Bread Starter: Dissolve yeast in water for 10 minutes; stir in flour until completely mixed; cover loosely and leave to proof at room temperature 6 hours.

2) Chocolate Yeast Bread: KA with dough hook for 5 min. on low or till completely smooth- mix 5c flour, cocoa, 2/3 cup sugar, yeast water and 1/2 cup Chocolate Bread Starter (freeze the remainder for later use); scrape sides often let rest in bowl 15 minutes.

3)Turn on KA to med. and add soft butter and salt, cont for 10 min till it is smooth and shiny. After the 10 min add in about 1/2c-3/4 c flour now , just enough so dough cleans bowl and cont a couple minutes. Should be very soft but kneadable. Place on counter with a light dusting of flour and knead in chopped chocolate thoroughly.

4)Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours; leaving dough in bowl, fold dough into thirds as if folding a letter for an envelope, recover with plastic wrap; let rest 30 minutes.

5)Butter three 8"x4"x2" loaf pans and coat with remaining 4 T granulated sugar; divide dough in thirds ( will have 4# of dough approx) and then divide each third into 4 even pieces; roll and form each piece of dough into a tight ball; place four pieces, smooth side up, side-by-side in each loaf pan; cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.

6)Preheat oven to 375°;right before placing in oven combine egg yolk and cream and brush on loaves; sprinkle with lots of turbinado sugar; place in oven, reduce temperature to 350° and bake for 40-45 minutes or until loaves have a slightly hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

7)Let rest in loaf pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

kanin's picture
kanin

Been wanting to try out the Pane al Cioccolato formula from SFBI (not sweet, very dark brown).

Thanks for all these formulas. The pictures in the links look great.

 

 

http://www.applepiepatispate.com

kanin's picture
kanin

Finally got time to make the SFBI formula over the weekend. It wasn't sweet at all but it was very chocolaty (just how I wanted it).

It was a slow-rising dough and even with the 3 hour final proof in a hot kitchen, the oven spring was good. The formula called for osmotolerant yeast but I used regular instant yaest instead.

Hoping to try either the La Brea formula or JMonkeys next.

formula and pics here:

http://www.applepiepatispate.com/bread/pane-al-cioccolato-italian-chocolate/