Chocolate Sourdough Bread

There’s something so glorious about chocolate sourdough bread. Its rich, dark crust encases a tender, moist crumb studded with chocolate chips. This sourdough chocolate bread recipe will show you step by step how to make this delicious bread at home.

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Baking this Chocolate Sourdough Bread is easier than you might think. I’ll start with an overview of times that can be adjusted to fit your schedule.

The timings show a “range” of time to complete these steps. You don’t have to be exact; There is flexibility! I use a similar bread base to my regular sourdough bread. However, in this bread there is the addition of cocoa powder and dark chocolate. It’s not a very sweet bread, and the rich chocolate is a delicious pairing with the flavor of sourdough.

If you love this Chocolate Sourdough Bread, try this Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread next!

Ingredients

Here’s a rundown of what you’ll need for this Chocolate Sourdough Bread recipe. See the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the quantities and detailed instructions. This makes a big ball.

all purpose flour (with a high protein content of at least 11%.) You can also use bread flour.
Active Sourdough Starter – Mix the active starter with flour and water to make a levain. This is the name for the separate sourdough starter mix that uses the whole thing in the dough. Don’t have a sourdough starter yet? Learn to make your own sourdough.
Water – Some water is boiled to add to the cocoa. The rest is cold water.
Salt – Flavor enhancer and helps with dough structure.
granulated sugar – Just a little to add a touch of sweetness. You can also use brown sugar.
Unsweetened cocoa powder – This is first mixed with some boiling water to get the cocoa to bloom. This intensifies the chocolate flavor.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips – or chopped candy bar add some extra chocolate treats to the bread. You can also use milk chocolate, but this would make the bread sweeter.
vanilla extract – A dash of vanilla goes beautifully with chocolate.

equipment

Here’s what you need to make this bread.

Banneton Basket or Bowl – You’ll need some sort of bowl to help the dough hold its shape as it rises. I use a traditional banneton basket lined with a floured towel.
casserole – Baking sourdough in a Dutch Oven is an important piece of equipment. The steam trapped during baking allows the sourdough to reach its full potential before the crust forms. Alternatively, a large saucepan with a lid can be used. I use a cast iron combi stove.

Baker’s schedule

The timing can be adjusted to suit your schedule, but here’s a guide.

9am: Build your Levain.
2:00 p.m.: Let the cocoa bloom and mix the dough.
Between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Main fermentation time. First, stretch and fold the dough every 20 minutes for 2 hours. After the last fold, the dough will rest for another 3-4 hours until it almost doubles in size. As with any sourdough, this bulk ferment is very important to get a tender crumb, and the timing depends on the temperature of your kitchen.
8 p.m.: Shape and refrigerate overnight.
Next day – The bread can be baked the next morning.

bulk fermentation

After the starter has been incorporated, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then perform a series of stretches and folds.

With wet hands, grasp one side of the chocolate sourdough and pull up, then pull over yourself.

Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat the process. Do this on all sides of the dough. This is a ‘sentence’.

For the next 2 hours, do five more sets, one every 20 minutes.

After that, let the dough rise in a warm place, ideally around 77°F/25°C, until almost doubled in size, about 3-4 hours. This takes longer if your room is cold. You can create a warm proofing spot by placing the bread dough in a turned off oven and setting a bowl of boiling water on the bottom. Replace the water when it cools.

Bake

Preheat the oven and Dutch oven to 450°F (230°C) for at least 30 minutes, until well heated.

Remove the Dutch Oven and flour the base well. Take the dough out of the fridge and carefully tip it out of the basket into the Dutch Oven.

If you’re baking this in a large pot, it’s best to dump your batter onto a piece of parchment paper. This way you can lower it into the pot. Brush with some flour (this flour is optional).

Score the dough with a razor blade or a very sharp knife.

Bake in the closed pan for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, depending on preference.

Let the chocolate sourdough cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing.

More sourdough recipes

Full Recipe

Yield:
1

Preparation time:
30 minutes

Cooking time:
40 minutes

Extra time:
16 hours

Total time:
17 hours 10 mins

This rich chocolate sourdough bread encases a tender, moist crumb studded with chocolate chips.

Ingredients

Levin

30 g sourdough starter
60 g all-purpose flour
60 grams of water

Dough

45 g unsweetened cocoa powder
100 g only boiled water
250 grams of cold water
460 g all-purpose flour, with a protein content of at least 11%
50 grams of granulated sugar
8 grams of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
The whole Levain
115 g dark chocolate chips

instructions

Levin

Combine the starter, flour, and water and stir well until combined. Place in a clean jar and cover with a loosely balanced lid or damp towel.
Set it in a warm place until it has at least doubled in size.

Dough

Once the levain is ready, let the cocoa bloom. In a large bowl, mix cocoa powder and boiling water. Stir into smooth chocolate mixture.
Pour the cold water over it, then add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and all-purpose flour. Add the risen levain.
Use a fork to mix everything together into a shaggy batter, then switch to your hands until combined.

bulk fermentation

After the starter has been incorporated, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then perform a series of stretches and folds. With wet hands, grasp one side of the chocolate sourdough and pull up, then pull over yourself. Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat the process. Do this on all sides of the dough. This is a ‘sentence’.
For the next 2 hours, do five more sets, one every 20 minutes.
After that, let the dough rise in a warm place, ideally around 77°F/25°C, until almost doubled in size, about 3-4 hours. This takes longer if your room is cold. You can create a warm proofing spot by placing the bread dough in a turned off oven and setting a bowl of boiling water on the bottom. Replace the water when it cools.
Line a banneton basket or bowl with a clean kitchen towel and flour well.
Flour a work surface. Tip the dough out of the bowl onto the work surface and gently shape into a rectangle. When shaping this shape, be careful not to crush the dough too much. Place ½ of the chocolate chips on the bottom half of the batter. Fold the top half of the dough over the chocolate chips. Press the remaining chocolate chips onto the dough.
Take the top right corner of the rectangle and fold it down toward the center of the dough. Gently press it with your fingers to seal. Repeat with all remaining corners to create a dough packet encasing the chocolate chips. Turn the ball of dough over so the smooth side is facing up.
Wrap your hands around the dough with your pinky fingers touching the work surface. Gently move your hands in circular motions, rotating the dough between them. Apply gentle downward pressure to shape the dough into a smooth, firm ball.
Place the formed dough in the floured basket. As the dough spreads out in the basket, you can sew it together by grabbing a little from the top left and a little from the top right and bringing them together to meet in the middle. Repeat this down the length of the dough.
Cover with a floured kitchen towel and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to 24 hours).

Bake

Preheat the oven and Dutch oven to 450°F (230°C) for at least 30 minutes, until well heated.
Remove the Dutch Oven and flour the base well. Take the dough out of the fridge and carefully tip it out of the basket into the Dutch Oven. If you’re baking this in a large pot, it’s best to tip your batter onto parchment paper. This way you can lower it into the pot.
Brush with some flour (this flour is optional). Score the dough with a razor blade or a very sharp knife.
Bake in the closed pan for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, depending on preference.
Let the chocolate sourdough cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing.

Chocolate Sourdough Bread – Homemade Happiness

Ingredients

equipment

Baker’s schedule

bulk fermentation

Bake

More sourdough recipes

Full Recipe