Chocolate Cherry Sourdough Bread Recipes

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Day 1 (morning): If you store your starter in the refrigerator, take 85 grams and allow it to come to room temperature, about one hour. Make sure you have enough starter leftover to feed and store for future use. (Edit: cold starter straight out of fridge works well, too)
• Day 1 (morning; Mix the dough): Stir in the unfed starter and water in a bowl. Once the starter has been evenly distributed in the water add the bread flour and cacao powder. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let sit for one hour.
• Day 1 (morning): Add the soaked and drained dried cherries, kosher salt and almonds to the mixture in the bowl. Combine the dough using a wet hand and folding the dough over from the bottom to top. Then Ken Forkish employs what he calls the "pincer" method to make sure all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Imagining your hand as a lobster claw (my description), cut through the dough pinching a few times, mixing, then pinching again.
• Day 1 (morning; stretch-and-fold). Pick up one portion of the dough (without taking it out of the bowl) and fold it over. Repeat this folding step a few times, inverting the dough with the folds at the bottom of the bowl when done. This stretch-and-fold step should be done every thirty minutes, three or four times over the course of two hours. After the final stretch-and-fold, cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap to for bulk fermentation
• Day 1 (evening; testing for completion of Bulk Fermentation): Depending on the temperature of your kitchen your dough should have doubled in size eight afters after stretch-and-fold. A warmer kitchen would take less time and a cooler one, more time. You should see bubbles throughout the dough if you're using a clear container and if you pull the dough a little it should be webby underneath.
• Day 1 (evening; shape and overnight proof): Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. The dough will relax and flatten when you take it out of the bowl. Taking one section of dough at at time, fold the sections over the rest of the dough until you have a somewhat tight ball shape. Then tighten the dough by pulling it towards you by cupping the dough with both your hands using your pinky fingers as the anchors. Tension is created on the surface of the dough as you pull it towards you. Rotate then repeat three to four times until the dough holds its ball shape. Transfer the dough on a floured banneton with the seam side down (See Note). Cover the entire proofing basket with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator overnight. For this loaf, the dough proofed in the fridge for 36 hours. It should be fine to bake the next morning. To test for readiness, poke the dough with a floured finger, making about a 1/2-inch indentation. If the dent springs back immediately, the dough needs a longer proofing. If the dent springs back slowly and doesn't completely disappear, the dough is ready to bake.
• Day 2 or 3 (bake): This recipe uses a dutch oven for baking. Preheat your oven to 475ºF with a rack in the center of the oven. Put the dutch oven with the lid on the rack while the oven preheats. Once the oven has reached temperature, take the dough out of the refrigerator and invert it onto a piece of parchment paper, leaving enough paper on either side to be able to lift it. Make sure you have oven mitts then take the (very hot) dutch oven out of the oven and place on the counter or stove. Remove the lid and rest one of your mitts on top of the lid so you don't touch it by accident. Take the ends of the parchment paper and carefully lift and transfer the dough to the dutch oven. Cover the dutch oven and place it back in the oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for another 20-25 minutes, checking your bread at the 15-18 minute mark just in case your oven runs hot. When done, tilt the bread out of the dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a wide mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and water and allow the yeast to bloom, about 1 minute. Whisk the sourdough starter into the mixture until dissolved, then add the flour, cocoa powder and coffee. Use a dough scraper to stir the ingredients into a shaggy mass. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes, then add the salt, incorporating it well. Transfer to a lightly oiled plastic container and cover with plastic wrap; it will be sticky.
• Rest dough for 30 minutes, then lightly oil hands to fold: Pull one edge of the dough up and press it down into the center of the ball; repeat with the 3 other edges of the dough, then cover dough. In 30 minutes, repeat the folding, this time incorporating the chocolate chips and cherries. Repeat the folding every half-hour, for a total of 6 folds. Check for gluten development: Pinch a piece of dough between your fingers and stretch it. It should stretch out to a thin, transparent membrane before tearing. If not, repeat folding and check again.
• Turn the bread out onto a lightly floured surface and use hands to gently tuck the edges up toward the center of the dough, then flip the dough over so it's seam-side down, and gently round with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and rest dough for 20 minutes, then tuck edges down toward the seam, to shape dough into a tighter ball. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 10 minutes. Transfer to a flour-dusted wicker breadbasket, seam side up, pinching the seam shut if necessary. Wrap basket with plastic wrap, or slide the basket into a clean plastic bag, closing it. Proof at about 55 degrees, or in the refrigerator, for 14 to 16 hours, until dough has increased in size, and springs back slightly to the touch.
• When you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it, smooth side up, to a large cast-iron pot (with a lid) lined with a round of parchment paper. Be careful not to over-handle dough and lose air bubbles. Cover and bring to room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Position a baking rack in the center of the oven and heat to 500 degrees. Using a razor or fine, sharp knife blade, score a cross on the top of dough, making a fast, clean cut about 1/8- to 1/4-inch deep.
• Bake covered for 33 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes, cracking open the oven door for the last 5 minutes. Push a thermometer into the bread dough; it should read 195 to 200 degrees for cooked bread. Transfer bread to a cooling rack, carefully remove the paper, and allow to cool completely at room temperature before cutting open.

SOURDOUGH CHOCOLATE BABKA

Steps:

• Combine sugar, sourdough starter, milk, and flour in a bowl to make the levain. Place it in a warm spot, at around 75°F/24°C for 8-10 hours, or until the levain has doubled/tripled in size.
• Add the flour and milk to a small pot. Heat up over medium heat, while stirring with a whisk, until the mixture thickens and the temperature has reached 150°F/65°C.
• Transfer to a plate/bowl and cover with plastic wrap. To avoid a skin forming, make sure the plastic wrap touches the entire surface of the tangzhong. Cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.
• To the bowl of your stand mixer, add flour, sugar, eggs, milk, all the levain, and all the tangzhong. Mix until just combined. Rest/autolyse for 30 minutes.
• Add the salt and knead at medium speed for 5-10 minutes.
• Slowly add in cubed butter, one cube at a time. When all the butter is added, scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl and continue mixing at medium speed until your dough passes the window-pane test. This typically takes 15-25 minutes, depending on your mixer.
• Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and proof for two hours at around 75°F/24°C.
• After the two hours proof, you can transfer the dough to the fridge and let it cold-proof for 8-15 hours.
• You can start preparing the filling 30-60 minutes before you plan to take your dough out of the fridge.
• In a small pot, melt the butter over low-medium heat. Add the dark chocolate and stir until the chocolate is fully melted. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to taste. Stir until smooth.
• Transfer the chocolate filling to a bowl and let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can let it sit at room temperature for longer, but you still want to mix it every now and then. Be careful as this filling tends to harden quickly. You want it to be a spreadable paste.
• Take the filling and dough out of the fridge. Give the filling a good stir.
• Place the dough onto a floured work surface and roll it out into a square that measures approx. 13×13 inches/35×35 cm
• Evenly spread out the filling, leaving a ½ inch/1 cm border all around.
• Use both hands to roll up the square like a roulade.
• Push in the sides to even out the roll. Next, place it in the fridge, seam side down, and rest for at least 20 minutes before continuing with the next step.
• With a heavily floured and sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise.
• With the cut sides facing up, starting from the middle, lift the left half over the right half, followed by the right half over the left half. Repeat all the way down to create a two-stranded plait. (see pictures above for reference)
• Gently tuck in the ends and transfer to a 10-inch/25 cm lined or buttered bread tin. Cover the tin and proof at 75°F/24°C for 6-8 hours or until the dough fills up about 80% of the tin.
• Preheat your oven to 390°F/200°C. Bake the babka for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F/175°C and bake for another 20 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.
• While the babka is in the oven, you can make the syrup:
• Add sugar and water to a small pot over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Take the syrup off the heat and leave to cool.
• The babka is ready when the internal temperature is at least 203°F/95°C, and the exterior is golden brown.
• When the babka is out of the oven, immediately brush/pour over the syrup. Then leave it in the bread tin until it is cool enough to handle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Place ingredients in bread machine pan in order suggested by manufacturer.
• Use regular, rapid or delayed time bake cycle.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BREAD

Steps:

• Mix milk and yeast in a small bowl with a fork until frothy, about 5 minutes. Add egg, butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 cup flour. Beat for about 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups flour; mix until dough comes together.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and feels rubbery, about 10 minutes. Add additional flour if needed. Add chocolate chips and cherries; knead just until incorporated.
• Cover dough and let rise in a warm, humid area until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down dough gently. Let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough in half; shape into loaves. Transfer loaves to a greased baking sheet and let rise again, about 1 hour more.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• The night before, dissolve the starter into the water as best you can. Mix the salt with the flour.
• Dump the flour into the starter slurry and mix it all up together until it's all hydrated. The dough should be very tacky and maybe a little sticky, but not super sticky.
• Cover the bowl with plastic or a plate, and let it sit at room temperature (about 70°F, more or less) for about 12 hours (anywhere from 10-14 should be fine).
• Pour some boiling water over the cherries. If you can't find dried tart cherries, dried cranberries will usually do almost as well. Let the fruit soak for about 15 minutes, drain and then place them on towels or paper towels to dry.
• Mix it up with the chocolate and cherries in a bowl.
• Flour a workspace lightly, and then gently turn the dough out onto the board. With wet hands, lightly pat the dough into a rectangle. Stretch the dough to about twice its length, and then spread 1/4 of the chocolate cherry mixture in the center. Fold one-third of the dough on top, and again, spread 1/4 of the mixture on top. Fold the final third of the dough like a letter, and then turn the dough one-quarter. Follow the same procedure, and then cover the dough. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.
• Now, after letting the dough rest for 15 minutes, gently shape the dough into a boule, and place it in a well-floured banneton.
• Let rise for 3 hours.
• Put my cloche, a dutch oven, oven-safe casserole, baking stone, or baking sheet in the oven and preheated it to 500°F.
• Score bread, bake (covered if possible) for 30 minutes, and then uncovered for about 17-18 minutes (about 48 minutes total). Let cool.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• In a wide mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and water and allow the yeast to bloom, about 1 minute. Whisk the sourdough starter into the mixture until dissolved, then add the flour, cocoa powder and coffee. Use a dough scraper to stir the ingredients into a shaggy mass. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes, then add the salt, incorporating it well. Transfer to a lightly oiled plastic container and cover with plastic wrap; it will be sticky.
• Rest dough for 30 minutes, then lightly oil hands to fold: Pull one edge of the dough up and press it down into the center of the ball; repeat with the 3 other edges of the dough, then cover dough. In 30 minutes, repeat the folding, this time incorporating the chocolate chips and cherries. Repeat the folding every half-hour, for a total of 6 folds. Check for gluten development: Pinch a piece of dough between your fingers and stretch it. It should stretch out to a thin, transparent membrane before tearing. If not, repeat folding and check again.
• Turn the bread out onto a lightly floured surface and use hands to gently tuck the edges up toward the center of the dough, then flip the dough over so it's seam-side down, and gently round with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and rest dough for 20 minutes, then tuck edges down toward the seam, to shape dough into a tighter ball. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 10 minutes. Transfer to a flour-dusted wicker breadbasket, seam side up, pinching the seam shut if necessary. Wrap basket with plastic wrap, or slide the basket into a clean plastic bag, closing it. Proof at about 55 degrees, or in the refrigerator, for 14 to 16 hours, until dough has increased in size, and springs back slightly to the touch.
• When you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it, smooth side up, to a large cast-iron pot (with a lid) lined with a round of parchment paper. Be careful not to over-handle dough and lose air bubbles. Cover and bring to room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Position a baking rack in the center of the oven and heat to 500 degrees. Using a razor or fine, sharp knife blade, score a cross on the top of dough, making a fast, clean cut about 1/8- to 1/4-inch deep.
• Bake covered for 33 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes, cracking open the oven door for the last 5 minutes. Push a thermometer into the bread dough; it should read 195 to 200 degrees for cooked bread. Transfer bread to a cooling rack, carefully remove the paper, and allow to cool completely at room temperature before cutting open.

RYE CHOCOLATE CHERRY SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. I suggest using a dough whisk or stiff spatula as rye is very sticky for hand mixing. Note the time if you want to track the length of the bulk fermentation.
• Optional Stretch and Folds: Cover and let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough, cover and let it rest another 20-30 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough a second time.
• Cover and set it aside for several hours to continue fermenting. For my dough, in winter room temperatures (~68F), this was 9 hours from the initial mixing.
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Gently press it into a thick rectangle. Fold it in thirds like a letter, and then thirds the other way, to make a tall square, seam-side down. Brush off excess flour as you go. Cover and let the preshaped dough rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Without flipping the dough, shape a boule by tucking the sides of the square under and scooting the dough in circles.
• Place the dough into a floured or lined basket, seam-side up. The seams should be closed from all the time they have spent pressing down on the counter. If not, you can wet your fingertips and seal any wide cracks or overly floured areas.
• Cover and proof 1-3 hours, depending on room temperature. My dough proofed 2 hours.
• Thirty minutes before the end of the proofing stage, begin preheating your oven with the baking vessel inside.
• If you plan to try a complicated score, prep a cutting board with a piece of parchment paper on it. At the end of proofing, cover your basket with the paper and cutting board, and flip the dough out onto the paper. Brush off excess flour and score with a lame or razor.
• Remove the hot baking vessel from the oven and lift the dough into it. Cover and return it to the oven.
• Bake at:
• 500 F for 20 minutes covered
• 450 F for 10 minutes covered
• 450 F for 10-20 minutes uncovered
• Internal temperature should be about 205 F.
• This bread is quite a treat when still warm, and possibly worth the melted chocolate mess. However, you may want to let it cool for several hours, as you can always toast the chocolate back to a melted state.