Dark Chocolate Espresso Sourdough Loaf
If you’re a fan of chocolate and coffee, this dark chocolate espresso sourdough loaf is a delightful treat that combines the rich flavors of dark chocolate and espresso with the tangy depth of sourdough. Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a special snack, this loaf is sure to impress. Here’s how to make it!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients:
Strong Brewed Coffee: 50g
Active Sourdough Starter: 50g
Warm Water: 315g
Brown Sugar: 50g
Bread Flour: 470g
Salt: 11g
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 30g
Cinnamon: 3g
Chocolate Chips: 180g
Equipment:
Kitchen Scale
Large Mixing Bowl
Medium Mixing Bowl
Bowl Cover - reusable, plastic wrap, or tea towel
Mixing Utensils
Dough Scraper
Proofing Basket
Scoring Knife
Parchment Paper
Dutch Oven/Loaf Pan/Bread Stone
Cooling Rack
Step-by-Step Instructions
Feed your starter
Depending on your schedule you can either feed your starter in the morning or the night before you plan to bake.
The key is to create enough starter to use for the recipe and to have some left over.
When I plan to bake I feed a 1:2:2 early in the morning or 1:3:3 ratio the night before I bake. You can feed a 1:1:1 if you are in a pinch and need your starter to rise quickly. Read my Understanding Starter Feed blog for more information on this!
Your starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are lots of bubbles on the sides of the jar and big bubbles on the surface.
Here’s a feeding example: 15g starter + 30g flour + 30g water = 75g starter. You’ll have roughly 25g left over after making this recipe.
Brew The Coffee and Set Aside
I made 1 cup of an Espresso Coffee and made it quite strong, 3 tablespoons of coffee beans for 8 ounces
You can use an instant espresso or coffee powder if you’d prefer! Mix 4 tablespoons of hot water with 1 tablespoon of instant espresso.
Mix the Dough
In a large bowl, add active starter, warm water, coffee, and brown sugar. Use a Dough Whisk to mix until it looks like a milky liquid.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk these ingredients together, it will help in getting a consistent brown color in your loaf instead of steaks.
Add the dry ingredients to the starter mixture. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated.
You will want your dough to look like a shaggy mass at this point, not a ball.
Autolyse
Cover the bowl with a reusable cover, tea towel, or plastic wrap for 30-60 minutes.
Forming-Up the Dough
Uncover your shaggy mass and begin to work it into a ball in the bowl by stretching and folding the dough over itself.
Start on one side, pull the dough up gently so it stretches and fold it over itself.
Rotate your bowl a quarter turn or 90° and repeat the same process.
Do about 20 stretches
Pro Tip: slightly wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands
Cover & Rest
Once you have finished forming the dough cover it and let it rest for 30 mintues
Stretch & Folds
Repeat the stretch and fold process above but only do 4 stretches. You will end up rotating your bowl in a complete circle or 360° for one complete set.
Pro Tip: slightly wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands
Inclusion Mix-In
Before starting your second set of stretch and folds, sprinkle the chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate) over top of the dough.
Repeat the same stretch and folds as before, some of the chips may break through the dough and that is fine! They will continue to be mixed in during the remaining stretch and folds.
Cover and rest 30 minutes.
Repeat the same stretch and fold routine two more times for a total of four rounds, waiting 30 minutes between each stretch and fold.
Cover the dough after each set.
Bulk Fermentation
The timing of this step largely depends on the temperature of your kitchen and dough. Warm temperatures, your dough will ferment/rise faster. Cooler temperatures, your dough will ferment/rise slower. Timing can range from 5.5 hours to 16 hours.
My kitchen and dough typically stay around 73°F and I bulk ferment my doughs for 6 to 7 hours.
Please read my A Guide to Bulk Fermentation for a complete explanation on this step.
Shaping & Cold Fermentation
Once dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently stretch the dough into a small rectangle. Fold the left side to the center, fold the right side over the left, then roll the dough up starting at the bottom. Work the dough into a ball by pushing and tucking the dough.
Let the dough bench rest for 20-30 minutes, then perform a final shape, tightening the surface of the dough by pushing and tucking again.
Place the dough, seam side up, into your floured proofing basket. Stitch the seam together to help the dough hold its shape.
Cover and place in your refrigerator for 8-24 hours. The longer you let your dough cold ferment the more complex the flavor will become. (I typically do 12 hours).
Scoring
Place parchment paper down on your work surface and turn your dough out onto it. Lightly brush away excess flour. With a sharp scoring lame cut in your desired design, this will allow steam to escape and your loaf to expand.
Pro Tip: For intricate scoring designs, place your proofing basket and dough into the freezer for 15 minutes. This will stiffen the dough slightly so it will not pull as you cut your intricate designs.
Baking
Place your scored loaf into a cold dutch oven, using your parchment paper lift the loaf into the baking vessel. Cover with the lid and place in the oven to bake at 450°F for 50 minutes, this includes the preheat time.
Remove the lid after 30 minutes, bake at 410°F for 10-15 minutes without the lid.
Pro Tip: Put the lid or a baking sheet on the rack below the dutch oven to prevent the bottom of the loaf from becoming too hard
Cool & Enjoy
Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. This cooling time helps the crumb set and enhances the flavor. Once cooled, slice and enjoy this decadent double chocolate espresso sourdough loaf!
Tips & Notes
Serving Suggestions: This loaf is delicious on its own, but you can also serve it with a spread of cream cheese or butter for an extra treat.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. You can also freeze slices for longer storage.
Conclusion
This dark chocolate espresso sourdough loaf is a delightful way to enjoy the flavors of chocolate and coffee while making use of your sourdough starter. With its rich texture and indulgent taste, it’s perfect for any chocolate lover. So grab your ingredients and get baking—you won’t be disappointed! Happy Baking!
Dark Chocolate Espresso Sourdough Loaf
Ingredients
- Strong Brewed Coffee: 50g
- Active Sourdough Starter: 50g
- Warm Water: 315g
- Brown Sugar: 50g
- Bread Flour: 470g
- Salt: 11g
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 30g
- Cinnamon: 3g
- Chocolate Chips/Chunks: 180g
Instructions
- Depending on your schedule you can either feed your starter in the morning or the night before you plan to bake.
- The key is to create enough starter to use for the recipe and to have some left over.
- When I plan to bake I feed a 1:2:2 early in the morning or 1:3:3 ratio the night before I bake. You can feed a 1:1:1 if you are in a pinch and need your starter to rise quickly. Read my Understanding Starter Feed blog for more information on this!
- Your starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are lots of bubbles on the sides of the jar and big bubbles on the surface.
- Here’s a feeding example: 15g starter + 30g flour + 30g water = 75g starter. You’ll have roughly 25g left over after making this recipe.
- I made 1 cup of an Espresso Coffee and made it quite strong, 3 tablespoons of coffee beans for 8 ounces
- You can use an instant espresso or coffee powder if you’d prefer! Mix 4 tablespoons of hot water with 1 tablespoon of instant espresso.
- In a large bowl, add active starter, warm water, coffee, and brown sugar. Use a Dough Whisk to mix until it looks like a milky liquid.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk these ingredients together, it will help in getting a consistent brown color in your loaf instead of steaks.
- Add the dry ingredients to the starter mixture. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated.
- You will want your dough to look like a shaggy mass at this point, not a ball.
- Cover the bowl with a reusable cover, tea towel, or plastic wrap for 30-60 minutes.
- Uncover your shaggy mass and begin to work it into a ball in the bowl by stretching and folding the dough over itself.
- Start on one side, pull the dough up gently so it stretches and fold it over itself.
- Rotate your bowl a quarter turn or 90° and repeat the same process.
- Do about 20 stretches
- Once you have finished forming the dough cover it and let it rest for 30 mintues
- Repeat the same stretch and fold process but only do 4 stretches. You will end up rotating your bowl in a complete circle or 360° for one complete set.
- Before starting your second set of stretch and folds, sprinkle the chocolate chips/chunks (I used dark chocolate) over top of the dough.
- Repeat the same stretch and folds as before, some of the chips may break through the dough and that is fine! They will continue to be mixed in during the remaining stretch and folds.
- Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Repeat the same stretch and fold routine two more times for a complete total of four rounds, waiting 30 minutes between each stretch and fold.
- Cover the dough after each set.
- The timing of this step largely depends on the temperature of your kitchen and dough. Warm temperatures, your dough will ferment/rise faster. Cooler temperatures, your dough will ferment/rise slower. Timing can range from 5.5 hours to 16 hours.
- My kitchen and dough typically stay around 73°F and I bulk ferment my doughs for 5.5 to 7 hours.
- Please read my A Guide to Bulk Fermentation for a complete explanation on this step.
- Once dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently stretch the dough into a small rectangle. Fold the left side to the center, fold the right side over the left, then roll the dough up starting at the bottom. Work the dough into a ball by pushing and tucking the dough.
- Let the dough bench rest for 20-30 minutes, then perform a final shape, tightening the surface of the dough by pushing and tucking again.
- Place the dough, seam side up, into your floured proofing basket. Stitch the seam together to help the dough hold its shape.
- Cover and place in your refrigerator for 8-24 hours. The longer you let your dough cold ferment the more complex the flavor will become. (I typically do 12 hours).
- Place parchment paper down on your work surface and turn your dough out onto it. Lightly brush away excess flour. With a sharp scoring lame cut in your desired design, this will allow steam to escape and your loaf to expand.
- Place your scored loaf into a cold dutch oven, using your parchment paper lift the loaf into the baking vessel. Cover with the lid and place in the oven to bake at 450°F for 50 minutes, this includes the preheat time.
- Remove the lid after 30 minutes, bake at 410°F for 10-15 minutes without the lid.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. This cooling time helps the crumb set and enhances the flavor. Once cooled, slice and enjoy this decadent double chocolate espresso sourdough loaf!
Notes
- Slightly wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands during the stretch and folds
- For intricate scoring designs, place your proofing basket and dough into the freezer for 15 minutes. This will stiffen the dough slightly so it will not pull as you cut your intricate designs.
- Put the lid or a baking sheet on the rack below the dutch oven to prevent the bottom of the loaf from becoming too hard.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. You can also freeze slices for longer storage.
