Name: Chocolate Sourdough Bread
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1020 min
Ingredients: 25 g sourdough starter; 40 g bread flour (or all-purpose flour); 40 g water; 80 g hot coffee (Or hot boiled water); 43 g cocoa powder (dutch-processed ); 440 g bread flour; 300 g water (room temperature); all the levain ((or around 100g or 1/2 cup active starter)); 50 g soft brown sugar; 1.5 tsp salt; 1 tsp vanilla paste (or extract); 85 g chocolate chips

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A rich, soft chocolate sourdough loaf with deep chocolate flavor and a gentle sourdough tang. It’s lightly sweet, soft inside, and perfect for toast or even French toast.

A close-up of a slice of dark chocolate sourdough bread with a porous, airy texture, resting on a wooden cutting board. Another piece of bread is visible in the blurred background.

About this chocolate sourdough

This chocolate sourdough has a higher hydration than a typical loaf, and that’s on purpose. Cocoa powder absorbs a lot of water, even more than flour so if you used a standard hydration level, the dough would end up quite dry. The extra water keeps the dough soft and workable.

To get the most from the cocoa, I like to bloom it. This is just mixing the cocoa powder with some of the hot coffee or water before adding it to the dough. It helps the flavor develop and gives the bread a deeper, smoother chocolate taste. This loaf isn’t sweet like cake, just gently chocolatey. It’s lovely on its own, or toasted with butter or cream cheese. It also makes the best chocolate French toast if you’ve got a few slices left the next day.

This recipe is very similar to my original chocolate sourdough on my Home Grown Happiness blog, but I wanted to share a version here too because it’s one of my all-time favorites. The changes are a slightly smaller levain and a little more water for a softer, more open crumb. I’ve also used brown sugar instead of white and a little bit less chocolate chips to keep the dough balanced.

Just a few ingredients

Cocoa powder: This gives the bread its deep chocolate color and flavor.
Brown sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness and helps the crust brown beautifully. It also softens the crumb slightly.
Espresso powder or coffee: Brings out the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
Sourdough starter: Provides the rise and structure, along with a subtle complexity in flavor.
Chocolate chips or chunks: Folded in at the end so they stay in pockets through the crumb. They melt slightly as it bakes, giving little bursts of chocolate in each slice.
All-purpose flour: Or bread flour. I keep the flour choice simple, but feel free to try other flours like whole wheat or rye for a bit more flavor and color.

Method with pictures

The dough

Feed your starter in the morning so it’s ready to go when you need it.

A hand holds a spatula coated in melted chocolate above a glass bowl filled with smooth, glossy melted chocolate on a wooden surface.

Mix together the hot coffee and cocoa into a smooth paste.

A hand is mixing chocolate chip cookie dough in a large white bowl with a wooden spoon on a wooden surface.

Mix the chocolate paste, extra water and flour to a large bowl and mix into a shaggy dough. Let this rest for 30 minute.

Add the starter, brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Pinch and fold until everything is evenly combined, then rest for 30 minutes.

Note: After this initial rest, I like to give the dough a few gentle slap and folds here to start building some structure early on. It’s also a good time to clean the bowl. It makes the next few steps tidier and easier later.

Two hands knead chocolate dough inside a large white bowl, with dough residue on the sides. The bowl rests on a wooden surface.

A hand kneads smooth chocolate dough in a large white bowl on a wooden surface.

Over the next 3 hours, perform stretch and folds every 30 minutes.

A round, risen ball of chocolate dough sits in a large white mixing bowl on a wooden surface.

Continue the bulk ferment until the dough shows signs of activity and has risen about 50%

Stretch and folds

To stretch and fold, wet your hands lightly so the dough doesn’t stick. Lift one side of the dough and stretch it upward, then fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat with the next side. Continue until you’ve folded all four sides, then cover the bowl and let it rest until the next fold.

Repeat this process every 30 minutes over about three hours. At the start, the dough will feel soft and tear easily, but it will build strength and elasticity as you go. Each fold helps it become smoother, bouncier, and easier to handle.

Shaping

A hand adds chocolate chips to a slab of chocolate cookie dough on a floured wooden surface.

Shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Sprinkle about 3/4 of the chocolate chips over the surface, then fold the dough into thirds like a letter.

A hand adds chocolate chips to a loaf of chocolate dough on a floured wooden surface, preparing it for baking.

Turn it 90 degrees. Sprinkle over the remaining chocolate.

Two hands kneading chocolate dough with chocolate chips on a wooden surface dusted with flour.

Roll the dough up into a log and tuck in the edges.

A loaf of dark bread sourdough dough rests in a flour-dusted oval proofing basket on a wooden surface. The dough has a rough texture and several raised sections along the top.

Place it seam-side up in a floured banneton. Cold-proof the dough overnight.

Baking

A loaf of rustic bread, dusted with flour and scored along the top, sits in a cast iron skillet, ready to be baked.

Score the top, then bake.

A rustic loaf of bread with a dark, crusty exterior sits on a wooden cutting board next to a knife with a white handle. The background features a tiled wall in neutral tones.

Let the loaf cool before slicing.

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