Chocolate Rye Sourdough Bread
Chocolate Rye Sourdough Bread is so pretty! It has only a slight chocolate flavor so it's really a savory bread. The rye is enhanced by the chocolate and you taste a both sweet and savory explosion of flavor not unlike a good stout beer.
Imagine how well this goes with a good Irish Stew! Don't forget to pick up some Irish butter or even better make your own Cultured Butter.
This bread has a fairly even crumb and also makes wonderful sandwiches and morning toast. It would be awesome for a Reuben Sandwich.
The picture gallery below has a great step by step tutorial so click through the pictures for the details. They really help to illustrate the method of this recipe.
How to know when the dough has risen properly and it's time to continue with the recipe:
When your dough has risen until you can still see the dent from your finger when you poke it gently and it doesn't immediately spring back then it's time to form your loaf after the first rise or time to bake the bread after the second rise. If it doesn't spring back at all it has over risen.
Many of my sourdough bread recipes follow the same method with only slight variations. I change up the ingredients and make different shaped loaves but they all start with the same basic bread, Everyday Sourdough Bread.
Once you make a few loaves using my recipes and methods you will probably find yourself feeling confident enough to experiment with few of your own favorite flavors and ingredients using the same principals. I hope that I inspire you to continue to find new and interesting breads to try.
Cheers!
~Melisa
Chocolate Rye Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/4 whole wheat flour
1/4 cup bread flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 /2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons soft butter
1 cup sourdough starter, fed the night before
1 cup warm water + 2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup flour for forming the loaf and baking
Method
Add all of the dry ingredients to a mixer and mix on low speed just to combine, then add the molasses, butter and sourdough starter and begin mixing on low speed.
With the mixer running on low speed slowly add the warm water up to one cup until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl as shown above. If the dough has not fully combined, add warm water one tablespoon at a time until it does. Be sure to give it time to mix in before each addition. If the dough becomes too wet add a little more all purpose flour until it comes together.
Once your dough has come together, continue to mix for 6-8 more minutes on low. The dough should be just tacky now but still very soft.
Scrape the dough onto a well floured board and knead with floured hands 4-5 times and form the dough into a ball.
Place the ball into a bowl with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and swirl it around until all sides are lightly coated with the oil.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled. (60-90 minutes)
After the dough has risen, move the dough back onto the floured board, knead 4-5 times and reform into a ball creating surface tension on the top of the loaf by pinching the bottom of the ball as you form it.
Place the ball of dough top down into a well floured banneton or alternatively, into a bowl lined with a thin cotton towel that has been well floured.
Cover with the banneton cover or a piece of plastic wrap sprayed with oil and allow the dough to rise once more in a warm place until doubled (45-75 minutes)
Begin heating a Dutch oven with the lid on inside of your oven to 450 degrees.
When the dough has risen properly ( see tips about rising above), gently roll the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper that has been sprinkled with cornmeal or polenta and score deeply as desired.
Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 450 degree oven. Remove the lid and lift the bread using the parchment paper and place it inside the hot dutch oven, paper and all. Replace the lid, place the dutch oven back into the hot oven and lower the heat to 425 degrees.
Bake 40 minutes without peeking.
Uncover your beautiful bread and carefully lift it out of the dutch oven and onto a bread board to cool using the parchment paper.
Be sure to let it cool completely before slicing.
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