Go Back
–+ servings
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.

Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Elien Lewis
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. 
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
16 hours
Total Time 17 hours
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 247 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Levain

  • 25 g sourdough starter
  • 40 g bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • 40 g water

Chocolate sourdough

  • 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

Instructions
 

Levain

  • Mix starter, flour, and water until well combined. Cover loosely and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled and bubbly, about 4 to 6 hours. 25 g sourdough starter, 40 g bread flour, 40 g water

Dough

  • Once the levain is ready, bloom the cocoa. Whisk cocoa powder with hot coffee or hot water until smooth. Let this cool. 80 g hot coffee, 43 g cocoa powder
  • Add to this the room temperature water and flour and mix together into a shaggy dough. Let this sit and autolyse for 30 minutes. 440 g bread flour, 300 g water
  • Add the sugar, vanilla, levain, and salt. Mix everything together by hand, squishing and folding until combined. The dough will be sticky. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. all the levain, 50 g soft brown sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla paste

Bulk fermentation

  • After the rest, remove the dough from the bowl and give it a few slap and folds on the bench to start building structure. This is also a good time to clean out the bowl so it doesn’t leave a stuck-on dough mess for later. If you prefer, skip the slap and fold and go straight to stretch and folds, lifting one side of the dough and folding it over itself, turning the bowl a quarter turn each time.
  • Perform 3-4 more sets of stretch and folds over the next 2-3 hours, until the dough feels elastic and slightly airy.
  • Let the dough rise in a warm spot (around 25°C/77°F) until puffy and roughly 50-60% larger. The timing will depend on your room temperature.

Shaping

  • Lightly flour the work surface and gently tip the dough out. 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. 85 g chocolate chips
  • Turn it 90 degrees. Sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips.
  • Roll the dough up into a log, then gently pull it toward you to create surface tension.
  • Place it seam-side up in a floured banneton, and stitch the seam together by pinching sections of dough from opposite sides and bringing them to meet in the middle. Repeat along the length of the dough to tighten it.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 8–16 hours.

Baking

  • Preheat the oven and Dutch oven to 230°C (450°F) for at least 30 minutes.
  • Take the dough from the fridge and gently flip it onto parchment paper or flour the bottom of your Dutch oven. Score the top with a sharp blade.
  • Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes until browned.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

Both metric and US customary measurements have been provided. Use the toggle on the recipe card to switch between the two. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 247kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 7gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gSodium: 315mgPotassium: 144mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chocolate, Sourdough
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!