Not all chocolate recipes have to be sweet. Cocoa has a wonderful earthy flavor all on its own, which lends itself well to yeasted bread. It makes delicious toast, spread with butter or cream cheese.
On the Ingredients
- Dark chocolate has all kinds of proven health benefits dark chocolate. For instance, did you know that chocolate is actually very nutritious? A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70–85% cocoa contains something like 11 grams of fiber, 67% of the RDI for iron, 58% of the RDI for magnesium, 89% of the RDI for copper, 98% of the RDI for manganese. It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. Chocolate is also a powerful antioxidant, filled with organic compounds like polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins. Some studies show chocolate may help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. There’s also a possibility that it reduces the risk of heart disease. Heck, dark chocolate might even make you smarter because cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which can improve brain function in the short term.
Savory Chocolate Bread
Prep time
30
minutesCooking time
30
minutesResting time
4
hoursTotal time
5
hoursNot all chocolate recipes have to be sweet. Cocoa has a wonderful earthy flavor all on its own, which lends itself well to yeasted bread. It makes delicious toast, spread with butter or cream cheese.
Ingredients
1 cup water (lukewarm)
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups bread flour
4 tbsp cocoa powder (sifted)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Combine the bread flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl. Pour in the yeast and water, add the vanilla, and use your hands to mix it together into a thick, dry dough.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes. It should be dry enough that you can knead on the counter without any extra flour. Return the dough to the bowl, cover the dough with a damp towel, and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a rectangle. Fold the top down to the center of the rectangle, then the bottom to overlap the top slightly, like an envelope.
- Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat.
- Lightly grease a clean bowl and place the dough ball in it. Cover with the damp towel and let it rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until it’s doubled in size.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, flatten it slightly and fold in half to shape your loaf. Dust a cookie sheet with some flour, set the loaf on it, cover with the damp towel and let it rest for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven to 480° F 30 minutes before the dough is ready.
- 30 minutes later, wet your hands and use them to moisten the top of the loaf. Score the top with three diagonal slashes.
- Reduce the heat to 430° F and place the bread in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350° F and bake for 15-20 minutes more.
- To check the doneness, turn the loaf over and tap the bottom. A fully baked loaf will sound hollow.
- Let the bread cool on a wire rack. Serve as is or toasted with butter or cream cheese.
