Chocolate & Orange Sourdough
This is bread that blurs the line between baking and pastry. Rich, buttery sourdough studded with melting pools of dark chocolate and bright hits of candied orange peel. The sourdough tang cuts through the sweetness beautifully. Eat it warm when the chocolate is still molten, toast it for breakfast, or slice it thin and serve alongside cheese. It's the loaf people don't expect, and the one they can't stop eating.
Ingredients
Dough
- 75g active sourdough starter (from your kit)
- 350g strong bread flour
- 50g cocoa powder (Dutch process for deeper colour)
- 240g warm water (30°C)
- 50g honey
- 30g unsalted butter, softened
- 8g fine sea salt
Mix-ins
- 150g dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped into chunks (not chips, you want irregular, melty pools)
- 80g candied orange peel, diced (or zest of 2 large oranges if you prefer fresh)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional finish
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Flaky sea salt
- Extra dark chocolate, grated
Method
Mix the dough
Combine the starter, flour, cocoa powder, warm water, and honey in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will look dark and chocolatey. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Then add the softened butter, salt, and vanilla. Knead for 5-8 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
Bulk ferment with lamination
After 1 hour, wet your hands and stretch the dough out on a damp bench into a large rectangle. Scatter half the chocolate chunks and orange peel over the surface. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter), rotate 90°, stretch again, and scatter the remaining mix-ins. Fold into thirds again. Return to the bowl.
Continue bulk ferment
Perform 2-3 more sets of stretch and folds over the next 2 hours. Then leave the dough undisturbed for another 4-6 hours (or overnight at cool room temperature) until it's roughly doubled, domed, and bubbly around the edges. Enriched doughs take longer, so be patient.
Shape
Gently turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pre-shape into a round and rest 20 minutes. Final shape into a boule or batard, being gentle to avoid crushing the chocolate chunks. Place seam-side up in a well-floured banneton. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 8-14 hours.
Bake
Preheat oven with Dutch oven to 240°C (465°F) for 45 minutes. Turn the dough out onto baking paper and score. The chocolate may drag slightly, and that's fine. Commit to the cut. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid, drop to 220°C (425°F), and bake for another 18-22 minutes. The crust should be firm and the loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Finish
While still hot, brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt and grated dark chocolate. The chocolate will melt into the crust. Let cool for at least 1 hour if you can. The chocolate pools need time to set slightly. Slice to reveal the swirled, marbled interior.
Pro Tips
Use the best dark chocolate you can find, at least 70% cocoa. Cheap chocolate chips won't give you those gorgeous melting pools.
Chop the chocolate by hand into irregular chunks. Some big, some small. The variety of sizes means some melt completely (gooey pockets) and some hold their shape (satisfying chunks).
This bread is extraordinary served slightly warm with a sharp aged cheddar or creamy brie. The chocolate-cheese combination sounds strange and tastes transcendent.
If you can't find candied orange peel, use the zest of 2 oranges mixed with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Toss through the chocolate chunks before folding in.