This rich, dark chocolate-cherry sourdough bread is deliciously menacing; like a chocolate bar, once unwrapped, it constantly demands attention. But before I started work on this recipe, I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure that adding a high percentage of chocolate would result in a pleasant-tasting loaf, given the hearty wheat and lengthy fermentation flavors. And, for me, large quantities of cocoa powder quickly become overpowering and bitter, and adding dark chocolate chunks seemed like it would only compound the issue.
Thankfully, I was wrong. While baking, irresistible nutty, earthy, and roasted coffee aromas swirl about, an eddy of enticing fragrances that constantly pull you to the kitchen. A compulsion quickly sets in to first check the oven, then the timer, then the oven again—restless for the loaf to finish and eager to finally indulge in that magical ambrosia. I can recall only a few recipes that elicit this feverish behavior during baking (my chocolate babka and cinnamon rolls qualify), and this bread may take the top seat in that category.
I started to develop this chocolate sourdough bread as a beautiful Valentine’s Day treat, but after testing it for weeks, I’ve found that it’s perfectly suitable for any time of the year. I mean, chocolate + cherries + bread—when isn’t that seasonally appropriate?
What Is Blooming Cocoa Powder?
You’ve probably run across recipes that call for blooming dried spices in a hot liquid (usually oil). Did you know that you can bloom cocoa powder too? As it does for spices, blooming intensifies the flavor of the chocolate significantly. Additionally, it means we can use less cocoa powder overall, eliminating the issue of excessive bitterness in the final loaf.
For this recipe, I chose to bloom the cocoa powder in neutral-flavored canola oil, transforming the two into a syrup-like liquid (similar in consistency to the barley malt slurry in my Sourdough Bagels). I then add this mixture to the dough at the end of mixing.
The canola oil itself is a boon to the bread: it brings a measure of tenderness and sheen to the crumb, making both the crumb and crust more tender.
Flour and Ingredient Selection
The majority of the flour in this dark chocolate-cherry sourdough bread is white flour, though I include a portion of whole wheat for increased fermentation activity and flavor. This whole wheat flour can be freshly milled, too, if you’d like to use your grain mill.
A small percentage of the white flour is high-protein white bread flour, which brings strength and added structure to the dough. If you don’t have any high-protein flour on hand, using all medium-protein flour or even all-purpose flour will work well, too; just keep an eye on the hydration of the dough, and if necessary, don’t add all the reserved water (water 2) in mixing.
I use dried and sweetened tart cherries, which are quite moist, but if yours are very dry and hard, soak them overnight while the levain ripens in a small measure of the mixing water (taken from Water 1 in the ingredients) to help rehydrate them.
Baking Schedule
This chocolate sourdough bread takes two days to make (not including the levain). The cold overnight proof gives the dough ample time to fermentation, thus increasing the final fermentation flavors and making for a more manageable dough to score before baking. To switch this to a direct bake (i.e. to bake it the same day it’s mixed), leave the dough out to proof on the counter for 2 to 3 hours until it passes the poke test (a finger poke springs slowly back).
If it’s cold right now where you’re baking, be sure to see my guide on how to bake sourdough bread in the winter for tips on how to keep this dough on its schedule.
Dark Chocolate-Cherry Sourdough Bread Formula
Vitals
| Total dough weight | 1800 grams |
| Pre-fermented flour | 10.5% |
| Hydration | 75.0% |
| Levain in the final dough | 24.6% |
| Yield | Two loaves |
Total Formula
Desired dough temperature: 78°F (25°C) (see my post on the importance of dough temperature).
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 558g | White flour (about 11.5% protein; Central Milling Artisan Baker’s Craft) | 70.0% |
| 120g | High-protein white flour (about 12.7% protein; King Arthur Bread Flour) | 15.0% |
| 120g | Whole wheat flour (Central Milling Hi-Pro Whole Wheat) | 15.0% |
| 159g | Dark chocolate chunks (or chips), 62% cacao | 20.0% |
| 159g | Dried sweetened tart cherries | 20.0% |
| 24g | Unsweetened cocoa powder (can be natural or Dutch-processed) | 3.0% |
| 24g | Canola oil (or other neutral-flavored oil) | 3.0% |
| 16g | Superfine sugar (Caster sugar) | 2.0% |
| 558g | Water 1 (levain, autolyse) | 70.0% |
| 40g | Water 2 (mix) | 5.0% |
| 14g | Fine sea salt | 1.8% |
| 8g | Ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration | 1.1% |
Dark Chocolate-Cherry Sourdough Bread Method
1. Prepare the Levain – 9:00 p.m., the night before mixing
Mix the following ingredients for the levain in a jar and leave them covered at a warm temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), to ripen overnight.
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 42g | White flour (about 11.5% protein) | 50.0% |
| 42g | Whole wheat flour | 50.0% |
| 84g | Water 1 | 100.0% |
| 8g | Ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration | 10.0% |
2. Bloom the Cocoa Powder – 8:00 a.m., the day of mixing
Put the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and heat until very warm, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and whisk continuously until the powder dissolves and the mixture becomes thick, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
3. Autolyse – 8:30 a.m.
This recipe uses the autolyse technique to increase the extensibility of the dough to make hand-mixing easier.
Mix the following ingredients in a large bowl until incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 516g | White flour (about 11.5% protein) |
| 120g | High-protein white flour (about 12.7% protein) |
| 78g | Whole wheat flour |
| 474g | Water 1 |
4. Mix – 9:00 a.m.
I mixed and strengthened this dough by hand using the slap and fold technique, but you could use a KitchenAid stand mixer or a large spiral mixer.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 40g | Water 2 |
| 16g | Superfine sugar (Caster sugar) |
| 14g | Fine sea salt |
| 178g | Ripe levain (from Step 1) |
| All | Bloomed cocoa powder (from Step 2) |
Add the sugar, salt, and levain to the top of the autolyse dough, and use a splash of water to moisten it. Mix thoroughly. Add the remaining water if the dough feels like it can handle it. Next, mix and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it smooths and becomes elastic.
Pour the bloomed cocoa onto the dough and mix it in by pinching and folding until it’s thoroughly incorporated. If you want the dough to be completely dark in color, mix the cocoa in well at this point, but if you’d like a more marbled sourdough bread look, mix it more gently and stop before it’s fully dispersed. Transfer the dough back to the bowl or to a container for bulk fermentation and cover.
5. Bulk Fermentation – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (4 hours)
At a warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), bulk fermentation should take about 4 hours. If your kitchen is cooler, place your bulk container in a small home dough proofer, or extend the bulk fermentation time to give the dough more time to ferment. The dough is ready when it is smooth, puffy, and well-risen.
In a small bowl, mix the dried cherries and chocolate chunks.
This dough will require 3 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation. After the first 30 minutes, but before you give your dough its first set of stretches and folds, spread about one-quarter of the inclusions over the top of the dough. Grab the side of the dough farthest from you, and stretch it over it to the other side. Next, spread on another one-quarter of the inclusions to the new top. Rotate the bowl 180-degrees and perform another stretch and fold. Next, spread on another one-quarter of the inclusions, rotate the bowl 90-degrees, and do another stretch and fold. Finally, spread on the last of the inclusions, turn the bowl 180-degrees, and do one last stretch and fold. The dough should be neatly folded up in the bowl.
Perform 2 more sets of stretches and folds at 30-minute intervals. Then let the dough rest, covered, for the remainder of bulk fermentation.
6. Divide and Preshape – 1:30 p.m.
After 4 hours, the dough should be well-risen in the bulk fermentation container and be puffy to the touch. This is a relatively strong dough at this point in the process and doesn’t need a heavy hand when preshaping.
Fill a small bowl with water and place it next to your work surface. Scrape the dough onto a clean counter. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Then, shape each piece into a loose round.
To reduce burning on the exterior, if you see any pieces of chocolate or cherries hanging onto the top or sides of the preshaped rounds, pluck them out and put them under the dough (which will end up being the inside of the loaf when you bake).
Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 35 minutes.
7. Shape – 2:05 p.m.
Note: While this dough has a significant amount of chocolate in it, I didn’t find that it discolored my proofing baskets. In early testing, I lined my baskets with cloth liners but stopped using them in later tests. Use liners if you’re worried about your baskets.
Flour the top of each preshaped round and your work surface. Using your bench knife, flip one round over to the floured area. Using floured hands, shape the round into a boule shape. Transfer the shaped dough into a proofing basket, seam side up.
Repeat for the other preshaped round.
8. Proof – 2:15 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Cover the baskets with a large, reusable plastic bag and seal shut. Then, place the baskets into your refrigerator to proof overnight.
9. Bake – 9:00 a.m., the next day
Note: I recommend baking this dough on parchment paper because some chocolate may melt out during baking.
Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Put a Dutch oven, combo cooker, Challenger bread pan, or baking stone/steel on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) for 30 minutes.
I baked these loaves in my Challenger bread pan, but you could also follow my guide to steaming an oven for baking bread.
Take one of the proofing baskets out of the fridge, uncover it, and put a piece of parchment paper over the basket. Place a pizza peel or inverted baking sheet on top of the parchment and, using both hands, flip everything over. Gently remove the basket and score the dough.
Slide the dough into the oven. Steam the oven: either cover the Dutch oven or pour ice into the preheated pan at the bottom of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Vent the oven of steam: either uncover the Dutch oven and remove the lid or remove the steaming pans. Continue to bake for 30 minutes more. When done, the loaf should have an internal temperature of around 204°F (95°C), and the crust should be deeply colored.
Let the loaves cool on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours before slicing with your favorite bread knife. See my post on the best way to store bread to keep it fresh for a week or longer.
Print
Dark Chocolate-Cherry Sourdough Bread
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 25 hours
- Yield: 2 loaves
- Category: Bread, Sourdough
- Cuisine: American
Description
A loaf of sinfully delicious sourdough bread with dark chocolate and dried sweet-tart cherries. This bread has a robust chocolate flavor and pops of sweetness from the dried cherries.
Ingredients
Levain
- 42g white flour (about 11.5% protein)
- 42g whole wheat flour
- 84g water
- 8g ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration
Main dough
- 516g white bread flour (about 11.5% protein)
- 120g high-protein flour (about 12.7% protein)
- 78g whole wheat flour
- 159g dark chocolate chunks (or chips)
- 159g dried cherries
- 24g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 24g canola oil
- 16g superfine sugar (caster sugar)
- 474g water 1
- 40g water 2
- 14g fine sea salt
Instructions
- Levain (9:00 p.m.)
In a small bowl or jar, mix the Levain ingredients. Cover the jar and keep it at a warm temperature for 12 hours. - Bloom cocoa powder (8:00 a.m.)
Add the oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat and heat until very warm. Add the cocoa powder and whisk continuously until the powder thickens. Remove from the heat and let cool. - Autolyse (8:30 a.m)
In a mixing bowl, add the 516g white flour, 120g high-protein white flour, 78g whole wheat flour, and 474g water 1 and mix until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30-minutes. - Mix (9:00 a.m.)
Add the sugar, salt, and levain, to the top of your dough already in the mixing bowl, and use a splash of water 2 (reserved water) to moisten. Mix thoroughly and if the dough feels like it can handle it, add the remainder of the water. Next, knead the dough for a few minutes either with the slap and fold technique or do folds in the bowl. For this dough, I did this for about 5 minutes until the dough begins to smooth out and become elastic. Pour the bloomed cocoa onto the dough and mix through by pinching and folding. When mixed, transfer the dough to a container for bulk fermentation and cover. - Bulk Fermentation (9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
This dough will need 3 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation where the first set starts after 30 minutes into bulk fermentation and the subsequent sets are at 30-minute intervals. During the first set of stretches and folds, add the mixed together chocolate and cherries as you perform each stretch and fold. After the third set of stretches and folds, let the dough rest, covered, for the remainder of bulk fermentation. - Divide and Preshape (1:30 p.m.)
Lightly flour your work surface and scrape out your dough. Using your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape. Let the dough rest for 35 minutes, uncovered. - Shape (2:05 p.m.)
Shape the dough into a round (boule), then place the dough in proofing baskets, seam side up. - Proof (2:15 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the next day)
Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic and seal shut. Then, place both baskets into the refrigerator and proof overnight. - Bake (The next day, bake at 9:00 a.m.)
Preheat your oven with a baking surface or combo cooker/Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C). I recommend baking this dough on a piece of parchment as the chocolate may melt out slightly. When the oven is preheated, remove your dough from the fridge, score it, and transfer it to the preheated baking surface or combo cooker. Bake for 20 minutes with steam. After this time, vent the steam in the oven or remove the lid (you can keep it in the oven or remove it) and continue to bake for 30 minutes longer. When done, the internal temperature should be around 204°F (95°C). Let the loaves cool for 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Use darker chocolate chips for a more robust chocolate flavor or milk chocolate for a sweeter flavor.
Dark Chocolate-Cherry Sourdough Bread FAQ
What does blooming cocoa powder do?
Blooming cocoa powder intensifies the chocolate flavor in the final loaf of bread. This step is optional; alternatively, you can add the cocoa powder to the dough when mixing, then add the oil at the very end of mixing.
Can I leave out the dried cherries or use another dried fruit?
Yes, they’re optional. Instead of dried cherries, try dried sweetened cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or even raisins.
Can I use different chocolate?
Any chocolate will work well in this chocolate sourdough bread, but I like the more robust flavor of chocolate that has at least 62% cacao. If you want a richer flavor, go with a darker chocolate, and conversely, for a more mellow flavor, go with milk chocolate. You can use chocolate chips, chunks, or even a baking bar chopped into large and small pieces.
Should I soak the dried cherries to rehydrate them?
If your dried cherries are very dry, yes, take some of the mixing water (Water 1) and use it to soak the cherries overnight while the levain is ripening.
What’s Next?
If you’re in the mood for more recipes calling for cherries, check out my Sour Cherry, Toasted Pecan, and Buckwheat sourdough bread or a sourdough starter discard cherry clafoutis. This loaf has a significant earthy flavor from the added buckwheat that pairs nicely with pecans and sweet-tart cherries.
If you’re looking for something lighter, my Sourdough Shokpan (Japanese Milk Bread) is one of the lightest sandwich loaves I make—it won’t disappoint.
Buon appetito!
If you use this recipe, tag @maurizio on Instagram so I can take a look!
142 Comments
I think I would like this just as a white sourdough with chocolate chunks. Thoughts? Can I simply leave out the cocoa?
Can I bloom the cocoa in coffee instead of canola oil? I do not use seed oils.
What other oil can I use to bloom the chocolate as I do not use seed oils?
I tried hazelnut oil today. I’m going to try the bread tonight to see if it made any difference.
I noticed after it was too late to correct, that the printout x2 batch recipe actually only corrects the ingredient list, but fails to do so in the recipe/formula instructions.
I discovered this as I was working through the x2 and realized the ingredient amounts weren't corresponding to the list! Yikes!
Fortunately I was prepping for autolyse and the amounts were fine for the single batch. 🙂
But heads up! Printed ingredients list and instructions might not correspond in a printout of x2 formula!
I've made the single-batch printout (at least, that's the yield I get) formula a couple of times now, and wow, great bread!! The only tweaks I make – change the chocolate variety, and mix with my stand mixer. Very smooth dough with the crumb soft and a yielding crust, not too chewy but perfect for a bread with chocolate and cherry inclusions.
Also, I use my own starter at the combined weight of the specified starter ingredients; however, my starter is dark rye and Cairnsprings AP bread flour. Not too sour and a nutty flavor profile.
I baked in a cast iron dutch oven @ 475 f for 20 min., then lid off and convection bake at 435 f for ~ 12-14 min.
5 stars! *****
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I baked this recipe for the first time this morning, As a beginner I found the dough difficult to work with. I'm clumsy with the stretch and folds and shaping generally speaking , but am getting better with practice. I'll be making this bread often, so good!!! For my oven and I do have a nice one calibrated correctly and baked in an enameled cast iron dutch oven with parchment paper, I backed the time and temp down to 425 for 20 min lid on 18 min lid off . Used an instant read thermometer it went to 207 degrees . But, I've had to back down the temp and time on all the recipes , I'm learning and getting better with every effort. I am so thrilled with the bread . https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/09ae8ece365093aad9a2aa0f17292bbc80af4cac1c758697b288024967c25cc2.jpg
I had the same question as Nancy Dorene and plan this bread for early this coming week, Checking the King Arthur website their All Purpose is 11.7% and their Bread Flour and Organic both are 12.7 , is the King Arthur All Purpose same as White bread flour and their Bread Flour a high protein flour? we should be able to follow the recipe exactly. Am I correct?
Hi there Maurizio! I appreciate that you are sharing this recipe! I am going to make it. Well, we live on a budget…and I bake for 3 households so I am going to triple the recipe. I have to ask though, what would happen if I used K.A. 12.7% Bread Flour? Central Milling & others are so much more costly…? I'd also be using the whole wheat as well.
Nancy Hello, I had the same question you do about the flours , I believe it's the protein percent that is the factor, I posted a question just now to see if I'm correct because I use the K. Arthur flours also. This bread is going to be so delicious!
Thanks for your input!
Hi! Can white white whole wheat flour be subbed for the whole wheat here? Equal amounts?
The recipe does not say how many grams of levain to use when making the dough. Assume double the grams of the initial levain? Also, my bloomed chocolate did not thicken and smoked when making it. Also assume this is OK?
Use the amount of levain specified in the recipe: 42 grams white flour, 42g whole wheat flour, 84g water, 8g starter
Yes, I see that, but I am referring to the "main dough" ingredients. The levain grams total (after 12hr fermentation) is not mentioned.
Main dough
516g white bread flour (about 11.5% protein)
120g high-protein flour (about 12.7% protein)
78g whole wheat flour
159g dark chocolate chunks (or chips)
159g dried cherries
24g unsweetened cocoa powder
24g canola oil
16g superfine sugar (caster sugar)
474g water 1
40g water 2
14g fine sea salt
I think I understand you here, because as a novice, and I just started this sourdough journey a month ago,
Use the entire volume because it is starter made specifically for a given recipe.
I assumed starter when refreshed / fed gained weight as it expanded in size. This is an incorrect assumption. Air gases from the fermentation weighs nothing, the mass which is the weigh remains the same while the volume increases in size. because it's filled with air. So you start with 8 grams from your mother, feed with 42 grams white flour, 42g whole wheat flour, 84g water to make the Levian.
I hope this is helpful, but if you haven't yet you should get The Perfect Loaf book, it's not just a recipe book , it's a text book with recipes. It reminds me of Julia Child's The Way to Cook .
Thank you – I assumed to use the whole fermented amount, but sometimes the volume is more than the recipe calls for. I have the book and all the recipes mention how many grams of levain to add to the dough, which is why I had a question. Odd that it’s been left out. Made the loaves and they turned out great.
It says it directly in the recipe there Adair! As @Laura said below.
Yes, I see the measurements for the levain, but I do not see total levain grams (after it has fermented 12 hours) to use in "main dough" measurements. Sorry for not being more specific.
Made this twice now, and this turned out amazing! Thank you for making such a complicated process seem easy with such thorough instructions. Just bought your book on Amazon since I’m obsessed now!
Really glad to hear that Taylor, thank you for the comments. Enjoy 🙂
this recipe is for 2 loaves- if I cut the recipe in 1/2 , would it still work
The recipe sounds delicious.
Sylvia
Yes, it absolutely will!
I made this a couple of days ago and it turned out great! My baking time was about 40 minutes instead of the 50 minutes. There was some minor burning on the bottom, and I wonder if I need to lower the temperature from the listed 450 degrees for next time. It might be helpful in step 5 to note that you should mix 1/4 of the cherries/chocolate mixture at each fold – I missed reading about this until later since I chose the "jump to recipe" option. Also, might help to note in step 9 to preheat bakeware to 450 degrees for 30 minutes. I was thinking of making an orange and chocolate loaf, would the orange zest potentially mess up the hydration? Thank you!
Thanks for the comments there Katie, will update! Orange zest wont have much affect, it'll be just fine.
NY Times chefs often add espresso powder to unsweetened cocoa powder to intensify the chocolate flavor. Instead of, or in addition to, blooming the cocoa powder, do you think substituting half (or so) espresso powder will intensify the chocolate flavor?
I absolutely do think that will work.
i made this bread and it was amazing! my family and i LOVE it. second dough is bulk rising as i speak 🙂 wondering tho what's the reason behind the whole wheat flour, is it for the flavour? like the sourness of the bread or something else. What differnce does it make opposed to just adding white flour?
Emmaly, glad you and the family are enjoying the bread! The whole wheat flour adds complexity to the flavor profile and increases acid production from the lactic acid bacteria during fermentation, which contributes to that subtle tang. It also brings some nice nutritional benefits to the mix. Keep baking!
I made this bread for Christmas. Added toasted pecans and split the dough into 4 to create small boulles for gifts. They turned out lovely and tasted delicuous! Everyone enjoyed them.
Oh love that pecan add, great idea. So happy you guys liked em! This bread is so delicious.
Do you really only need 8 g of starter for two loaves of bread?
You use that 8g of starter to make a larger levain , which scales up the preferment!
Thank you for the recipe. I want to try baking. Is it possible to bake this bread without cherries, only with chocolate? Can I use only 13% protein flour?
Yes to both! Just omit the cherries.
One of the BEST breads I've ever made and one of the BEST I've ever tasted! The flavors and textures were outstanding, and the process throughout was straight forward and easy! My family and I absolutely loved the slices toasted, buttered, and slathered with Bonne Maman Cherry Preserves! Divine goodness! Thank you for another reliable and elevated recipe!
So happy you guys liked this, Pamela! I love the idea of using BM cherry preserves, great finisher 🙂
How would you add white chocolate as well? Would you replace some of the dark chocolate with white chocolate?
Correct, I'd do a sub.
Can someone clarify for me-
-is the white flour (11.5% protein), bread flour? cause when I google central milling artisan baker’s craft goes to a bread flour too
-then the other flour is also bread flour, but king arthur’s brand?
So is it two types of bread flour?
That's right, the 11.5% flour is flour designed for bread (not high protein bread flour).
I am a sourdough beginner but really want to try this recipe. I have had a hard time trying to convert grams to the baking measurements needed. Is there anyway you could convert this for the beginner? I do have King Arthur bread flour and would this be ok on its own instead of mixing in the other flours? Thanks for your help!
Small kitchen scales are now so cheap, you should absolutely get one. Being able to weigh rather than measure for baking is a huge advantage. I use my scale many times a week. Order one off of amazon or somewhere like that and it should only be about $15 dollar or less and you’ll have it in a day or two. Do you have to have KA bread flour? No. Any bread flour will work. However they do call out using bread flour, so subbing all AP flour will not yield the same results.
Hey Nancy! I measure all the ingredients in my posts by weight for accuracy — scooping flour works most of the time, but it’s so hard to ensure consistency. And since I’m always doing everything I can to help my readers get consistent bakes every time, I post only in weight measurements.
Sorry about that — I hope you understand, even if it’s a bit frustrating.
I’m speechless. This bread is seriously delicious.
Hi! I want to make this for Valentine’s Day for my husband, but my local grocery store doesn’t carry dried cherries. Since I have some frozen fresh cherries from the summer, I was thinking of using those but know I will need to adjust the hydration significantly. Any tips? If the fresh frozen berries are a terrible idea, I was able to find some cherry-flavored dried cranberries. Thanks in advance for your help!
I used fresh cherries (not previously frozen) and it turned out delicious. It took some tinkering (extra flour and cocoa powder) to get the hydration right but overall turned out beautifully. I did squeeze the cherries a fair amount to reduce the liquid.
Wonderful bread! I did want to mention that based on other’s comments I checked mine at 20 minutes after removing the lids and they were done. About 205 degrees inside and maybe a little overdone on the bottom. It doesn’t matter, I am going to have a hard time not gobbling this up by myself! I used 2 bars of Lindt dark chocolate (which I was nervous about holding up, but it was what I had) and a bag of Mariana sweetened dried cherries. Flour was King Arthur AP and Bobs Red Mill Artisan Bread. As I believe you suggested, I watched my water and didn’t need the full amount since I was using the AP. Maybe next time I’ll try chocolate specific for baking but the bars really weren’t bad!
Hi Maurizio! I just made this and for some reason my loaves burned. 🙁 every time I’ve attempted a chocolate loaf the outside and tops burn a bit. I am doing an open bake method on baking steel, using lava rocks to steam for the first 20 min and then removing them for the last 30 min. Any suggestions?
I loved the flavor and structure but struggled getting the bloomed coco to incorporate. I definitely mixed for longer than I normally do and still ended up with a fair amount of marbling. Next time, I’ll probably reserve more water to add after the autolyse and dilute the coco bloom in that to mix it in. I also used maple syrup in lieu of sugar (and used less). Definitely going to keep making it though!
Right on ML. Yea, the marbling happens, but I kind of like it 🙂 A little more water will definitely help!
Is white flour the same as all purpose flour? My bread flour has ~12.3% protein, which is in the middle of the two flour types you use.
I would use your bread flour!
Can I use 100% whole grain flour?
That will change this recipe quite a bit! You’d have to reduce the amount of levain the dough with that much whole grains.
What a delicious loaf! Per your suggestion, made it for Mother’s Day. The only adjustment I made was subbing ghee for the oil. I did drop the oven temp to 400°F after the initial 20 minutes- came out perfect. Many thanks.
So glad you guys like this one, Jay!
Hi Maurizo, I’ve tried other chocolate/cherry recipes with minimal success. Found yours and going to try it. My question is – I find that the cocoa is enough chocolate for us, but would rather more cherries. Can I sub the amount of chips for cherries? By the way, I have your book and it’s most awesome! Thanks!
Yes, you can do a 1-to-1 sub with the chocolate and cherries! Thank you, glad you’re enjoying my book 🙂