How to Bake Chocolate Chip Sourdough Bread
Chocolate sourdough chocolate bread is a rich and delicious recipe that you will love to make again and again. It is soft and chewy inside, crusty on the outside, and has chocolate chips mixed in.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven For baking with steam, creating a beautiful crust.
- Mixing Bowls To mix dough and let it rise.
- Kitchen Scale Accurate measurements are crucial!
- Bench Scraper For handling sticky dough.
- Proofing Basket (Banneton) Helps shape the dough during the final rise.
Ingredients
- 100g Active Sourdough Starter Fed and bubbly – this is your leavening agent!
- 400g Bread Flour High protein content is essential for structure.
- 300g Warm Water Around 85-90°F / 29-32°C – not too hot, not too cold.
- 8g Salt Enhances flavor and controls fermentation.
- 30g Granulated Sugar Adds a touch of sweetness and helps with browning.
- 200g Chocolate Chips Use good-quality chips or chunks for the best flavor.
Instructions
- Autolyse: Take some flour and water and put them in a bowl. Stir them together until they are mixed, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Let the mixture sit for 45 mins. This helps the flour absorb the water better, which will make the texture nicer.
- Mix the Dough: Add the active starter, sugar, and salt to the autolysed dough. Mix well to combine.
- Bulk Fermentation: Over the next 3-6 hours, perform stretch and folds every 30-60 minutes. This develops strength in the dough and encourages even fermentation.
- Add the Chocolate Chips: Gently fold in the chocolate chips during the last few sets of stretch and folds. Be careful not to overmix, as this can degas the dough.
- Make the Dough: Carefully form the dough into a round or oval shape.
- Proof: Place the dough in a well-floured proofing basket. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours for best flavor.
- Bake: First, heat your Dutch oven in an oven set to 450°F (232°C) for at least 30 minutes. After it's hot, carefully take it out and use a sharp knife to make cuts on the surface of the bread. Place the bread inside the Dutch oven, cover it, and bake it for 20 minutes. Then, take off the lid and bake it for another 25-30 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown color.
- Cool: Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and enjoying.