Easy Double Chocolate Sourdough Bread

This easy sourdough chocolate bread recipe is irresistibly delicious! With chocolate morsels hidden in every bite and a subtle cocoa flavor to the bread, this decadent sourdough can be enjoyed as a dessert or a decadent side dish.

The outside of the bread is crunchy and crisp, and the inside is perfectly soft and chewy. And the chocolate swirled within makes this bread a heavenly treat (this is coming from a true chocolate lover, of course!).

This sourdough bread is made with a simple yet satisfying blend of cocoa powder, brown sugar, and salt. The chocolate chips scattered throughout add a touch of indulgence, especially yummy when the bread is toasted and the chocolate melts.

My family feasts on this bread, slathered with peanut butter, as an indulgent snack. We also enjoy it toasted with lots of butter for a rich wake-up call at breakfast!  

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My Simple Bread Recipe

Though sourdough can be challenging, I’ve made this recipe as simple as possible to follow. There are just a few steps:

• Feeding the sourdough starter 4-8 hours prior to making dough
• Mixing the ingredients and forming a rough ball of dough
• Stretching and folding the dough
• Letting the bread ferment and develop overnight
• Shaping and putting in the fridge
• Baking, then resting the bread

Keep in mind that sourdough bread baking can be intimidating, it is actually quite forgiving. Even novice baker’s can pull off this impressive bread.

Tools

For this recipe you will need:

• Dutch oven
• Reliable kitchen scale
• Parchment paper
• A lathe or razor for scoring bread (this is the one I use)
• Large bowls for mixing dough
• Banneton for bread proofing (optional)
• Whisk

Let’s dive into the ingredients; then, we’ll walk step by step through baking this delicious chocolatey bread together. 

Ingredients

This decadent double chocolate sourdough requires just a few ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry!

Active Sourdough Starter:  Your starter must be fed and active for this recipe. Typically speaking, your starter will be ready 4-12 hours after feeding. (See timeline for more details).

Bread Flour:  Flour is the base of this recipe, of course! Bread flour lends this recipe extra texture and chewiness. You can sub-all-purpose unbleached white flour if need be. 

Water:  Use a clean, high quality water source. Chemicals like chlorine can inhibit sourdough’s vitality. If using tap water, be sure to filter it. 

Cocoa Powder:  No need to get fancy; any cocoa powder will do. I keep this brand on hand at all times (you know, in case of chocolate related emergencies!).

Brown Sugar:   Brown sugar lends a hint of sweetness to this recipe, rounding out the bold cocoa flavors.

Salt:  A hint of salt offsets the sweetness and adds the perfect flavor to the dough. Salt also strengthens the dough and adds structure to the loaf.

Chocolate Chips:   Sprinkled throughout the dough, chocolate chips melt while this bread bakes, giving each mouthful a delightfully indulgent taste of chocolate! I use semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe, but you could use milk or dark chocolate if your prefer.

How To Make Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread baking can be intimidating! Breaking down each section of the process helps me wrap my head around what I’m doing and makes the process easier. 

Step 1: Feed Your Starter

You’ll need a fed, active starter for this sourdough bread. This means that the sourdough starter has been fed with water and flour and has fermented for several hours. For this recipe, I feed my sourdough starter in the morning (around ten am), then use it in the evening. The starter is active and bubbly at this time. 

Step 2: Measure and Mix Your Dough

Once your starter is active and bubbly, weigh out and mix all of the ingredients for your dough. I use this kitchen scale to measure my dough. Make sure to press “tare” to zero out the scale before weighing your ingredients.

Start by whisking together the cocoa powder, salt and flour.  

Then, create a well in the middle of your dry ingredients. Add the water, sourdough starter, and brown sugar to the middle of the well. Mix well with a spatula, then form into a shaggy dough ball with your hands. The dough will be sticky.

Step 3: Resting (Autolyse)

Next, you’ll want the dough to rest for an hour. This resting period called autolyse. During this time, enzymes break down the protein in the flour, making the dough easier to work with.  

Cover the bread dough with a damp tea towel or plastic. 

Step 4: Stretch + Fold

After the dough has rested, you’ll do a series of stretches and folds on your dough at thirty-minute intervals. Stretching and folding is done in place of kneading the dough.

The process strengthens the dough and adds air, resulting in those classic sourdough bubbles you find inside the crumb. After each set of stretching and folding, you’ll find your dough is smoother and easier to work with, and the stickiness will gradually fade. 

This is where I mix in the chocolate chips- as the dough is folded, add in a portion of the chocolate chips, working your way around the dough.

I try to keep most of the chocolate chips tucked into the dough- the ones on the outside of the bread burn during the baking process.

To stretch and fold, grab one side of the dough, pull it up and outward, and then fold it over itself. Work your way around the dough until you’ve done a fold on four sides. Stretch and fold the dough three times at 30-minute intervals. 

Rinsing your hands in cold water and using slightly damp fingers will help you better handle the sticky dough.

Step 5: Overnight Fermentation

After the last set of stretches and folds, leave the dough in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel, plastic wrap or shower cap. The dough will ferment overnight with no help from the baker!

The dough needs between 8-12 hours to rise: rising time depends on the maturity of your sourdough starter and the kitchen’s warmth.  

Step 6: Shape Dough + Place In Fridge

In the morning, the dough should be about double in size and form a nice round dome. Perform a final set of folds on your dough, shaping it into a ball at the end. 

At this time, you can set your dough into a banneton or simply flour the bottom of a bowl and place your dough in it. This makes it easier to transfer to the Dutch oven to bake.  (Some people prefer to set the dough on parchment paper during this step).

Leave the dough in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours before baking. 

Step 7: Score + Bake

Once ready, place the dough on a piece of pre-cut parchment paper, place in Dutch oven and score the dough. I did a simple cross shaped score on this bread (not shown). Set the bread into the oven, then turn the oven to 450 degrees, and bake for 50-55 minutes.

There is no need to preheat the oven for this recipe- and baking time is adjusted to reflect the oven heating up. 

Leave the lid on the entire bake time. Once the bread has finished baking, remove it from the Dutch oven and allow it to cool for several hours before slicing.

I have gotten the best results from allowing the bread to cool for at least 3 hours. When sliced into earlier, you will have a moist loaf that is a little gummy. It still tastes delicious, so if you can’t resist, dig in! Just know the texture of the loaf will not be as developed. 

Topping Ideas

This chocolate sourdough bread is scrumptious on it’s own, but we’ve enjoyed it in the following ways:

• Sliced, toasted and topped with butter
• Warmed up with peanut butter
• Slathered with nutella (for us chocolate fanatics- I love this low sugar option)
• Topped with bananas and honey

This yummy chocolate bread tastes best with a cup of hot chocolate or tea, along with a good book!