Chocolate Coffee Sourdough Bread

I love experimenting with unique flavors and inclusions in sourdough bread and the pairing of chocolate and coffee in this Chocolate Coffee Sourdough Bread recipe is a keeper!

Contrary to what you might anticipate, this recipe doesn’t lean towards excessive sweetness. The inclusion of dark chocolate, bloomed cocoa powder, and brewed coffee imparts a sophisticated bittersweet and earthy dimension to this divine loaf.

The chocolate sourdough bread is fantastic choice for Valentine’s Day or the chocolate lover in your life and pairs well with butter, raspberry or cherry jam, or even transformed into sourdough chocolate French toast!

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🍫 How to Add Chocolate to Sourdough Bread

Adding inclusions in your bread recipes is a great way to add new flavors and experiment with different ingredients.

And while it may be exciting to throw any ingredients into your breads, there are many push and pulls you have to consider in the process on how it will affect the fermentation and structure of your bread.

This loaf is double chocolate and uses both cocoa powder and chopped dark chocolate chunks.

The natural tannins in cocoa powder will tighten the gluten structure of your bread. Adding too much can result in denser bread and make a less extensible loaf. You’ll notice this during mixing and shaping as the dough will feel tighter, akin to adding a high fat ingredient like in my Black Sesame Sourdough Bread.

Hence, to reduce the amount of cocoa powder in the recipe, I bloom it with hot coffee. Blooming the cocoa in a hot liquid is like blooming spices in oil in that it intensifies the chocolate flavors. It’s the reason many chocolate cake recipes will cake for you to use boiling or hot water!

I pair coffee with chocolate because coffee brings out the flavor even more. It’s a tip that I use for my Sourdough Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies.

Because both the cocoa and coffee can reduce yeast activity (higher pH acidity levels than sourdough yeasts) and result in a tighter crumb, I add a bit of granulated sugar in the levain and dough to help feed the yeasts and speed up the process.

Plus, I reduce the amount of salt in the recipe slightly. Salt tightens the gluten, so reducing it some here to less than 2% helps to open up the crumb more.

☕️ How to Add Coffee to Sourdough Bread

Brewed coffee is mostly water, so it’s easy to substitute water with coffee in your sourdough bread recipes.

However, the caffeine in coffee can affect fermentation by inhibiting yeast, thus slowing down the fermentation process. You may notice that sourdough bread recipes with coffee may take longer to proof and have a slightly denser crumb overall. An alternative is to use decaffeinated coffee.

Coffee adds a slight bitterness to your bread and pairs exceptionally well with chocolate, even bringing out more chocolate flavor. The flavor isn’t very strong though, so even non-coffee fans will enjoy this loaf!

I use strongly brewed coffee for this recipe, but you’re welcome to use espresso, instant coffee, or instant espresso mixed with hot water or decaf coffee.

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👨‍🏫 Baker’s Percentage Chart

I include a baker’s percentage chart to scale a recipe up or down easily. With baker’s percentages, the total weight of all flour in the recipe is 100%.

I also include the prefermented flour from the levain in this flour weight. Finally, I note the ingredients proportionally to the total weight of flour (in this case, 430g, which includes 30g from the levain). That’s why the total percentages below will add up to over 100%.

If you want to learn more, the King Arthur website has a more detailed reference page on why and how baker’s percentages are calculated.

Ingredients	Weight	Baker’s Percentage
Bread Flour	330 grams (includes 30g for levain*)	76.7%
Whole Wheat Flour	100 grams	23.3%
Sea Salt	7 grams	1.6%
Water	153 grams (includes 30g for levain)	35.6%
Sourdough starter	30 grams (all for levain)	7%
Brewed Coffee	191 grams	44.4%
Granulated sugar	30 grams (includes 10g for levain)	7%
Dark chocolate, chopped	100 grams	23.3%

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🛠 Tools Needed

View my Sourdough Tools and Equipment guide for a complete list of my favorite bread-baking tools.

• Dutch Oven
  • I love baking with my Challenger Bread Pan. It bakes excellent sourdough bread for a home baker and is heavy-duty cast iron.
  • For more dutch oven information, I list my recommendations with pros and cons here.
• Baking Scale
  • It’s important to measure your ingredients by weight instead of volume so you get a more consistent and accurate bake.
• Bread Lame
  • Can use a sharp razor blade or sharp knife.
• Bench Scraper
  • Assists with shaping and transferring your bread to your banneton or basket.
• Banneton Proofing Basket
  • I use this 10″ oval proofing banneton for baking batards (ovals) and a 9″ round banneton for boules (rounds).
  • A proofing basket will help keep your dough shaped while it proofs overnight and removes easily from the basket with a liner. If you don’t have one, line a mixing bowl with a floured tea towel.
• Optional: Brød and Taylor Folding Bread Proofer
  • This folding proofing box by Brød & Taylor is a game changer to keep your sourdough starter and doughs at the perfect temperature while proofing.
  • The proofer folds up easily, includes a humidity tray, is multifunctional, and can even be a slow cooker.
• Optional: Danish Dough Whisk
  • Mixing chocolate sourdough bread can be messy and sticky. I really like using a Danish dough whisk to help get the job done faster and with less mess. It’s an optional, but helpful tool.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for more information, variations, and possible substitutes.

• Bread Flour
  • I used King Arthur Bread Flour at 12.7% protein for recipe testing this bread. A high-gluten content flour works best for this loaf, but you can use all-purpose flour too.
• Whole Wheat Flour
  • Can substitute with another whole wheat flour such as spelt or einkorn flour. A small amount of rye flour pairs well with chocolate and coffee, too.
• Sourdough Starter
  • Use active sourdough starter and not sourdough discard for this bread.
  • Don’t have a sourdough starter? Learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter and make a stronger sourdough starter with my top sourdough starter tips and why I maintain a small sourdough starter.
• Salt
  • I use less salt in this recipe (only 1.6%) to loosen the dough structure and to expedite fermentation.
• Water
• Cocoa powder
  • You can use natural or Dutch-process high-quality cocoa powder in this recipe. Either will work, but Dutch-process will give you a darker loaf with a smoother and richer chocolate flavor.
• Brewed coffee
  • Just before blooming your cocoa powder, brew some strong, hot coffee. You can also use espresso or decaf coffee.
• Granulated sugar
  • The sugar helps accelerate fermentation and adds a subtle sweetness to the bread. Granulated is easy to mix in because of its small granules (caster is even finer and better!), but you can use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or even a bit of honey, agave, or maple syrup, too.
• Dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • I generally prefer baking with bittersweet or semisweet dark chocolate (60% or higher). You can chop your own chocolate chunks from chocolate bars, but I used this pre-chopped chocolate squares from Aldi that worked perfectly in the loaf! That way, you get large pieces of slightly melted chocolate in the bread.
  • You can use chocolate chips as well. Milk chocolate will be sweeter and melt faster during proofing in a warm location and during baking, so I don’t recommend it for this loaf.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to bring out even more chocolate flavor.
• Rye flour goes particularly well with chocolate and coffee by adding more sourness. Add 20-30 grams of rye flour to the bread.
• You can add dried fruit such as dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, or raisins for some acidity and brightness in this loaf.
• If you like the orange and chocolate combination, you can add chopped candied orange slices or orange zest to your loaf.
• Add chopped and toasted nuts like walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts for crunch.

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⏰ Sample Baking Schedule

This is my typical baking schedule for most sourdough breads. This schedule works well for a weekend bake. However, many steps are flexible, depending on your own day-to-day schedule.

For example,  you can make the levain the night before (use 10g of starter and 40g of flour and 40g of water). You can also proof the dough overnight in the refrigerator for up to a day to bake on your own time.

Steps	Time
1. Make the Sweet Levain	9:00am
2. Bloom Cocoa Powder and Autolyse	1:00-2:00pm
3. Add Levain & Rest	2:00-2:30pm
4. Add Salt & Mix	2:30pm
5. Bulk Fermentation (Includes folds)	2:30-8:00pm (about 6-7 hours after adding the levain)
6. Shape	8:00pm
7. Overnight Proof	8:00pm-9:00am (or up to a day)
8. Score and Bake	Next Day, 9:00am

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Chocolate Coffee Sourdough Bread

Follow this visual and detailed guide to help you make the best chocolate sourdough bread recipe.

1. Make the Sweet Levain

I like making a sweet levain for this recipe, which helps accelerates fermentation slightly and adds a touch of sweetness to offset the bitterness in the chocolate and coffee. It’s not much sugar, but since there’s a longer fermentation with this loaf, the sugar helps balance out some of the acidity (something I do for my Sourdough Maritozzi as well).

Mix 30 grams of sourdough starter, 30 grams of bread flour, 10 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of water in an empty jar.

Cover and set it in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about 4-5 hours until it’s bubbly and ripe. The levain should at least double in size during this time.

2. Bloom the Cocoa Powder and Autolyse

About an hour before the levain is ready, combine the cocoa powder (can use natural or Dutch-process) and remaining granulated sugar in a small bowl.

Bloom the cocoa powder with freshly brewed hot coffee. Pour the hot coffee into the bowl of cocoa powder and sugar and mix until you have an intoxicating mocha mixture.

Mix the bread flour and whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl and pour in the bloomed cocoa and coffee mixture (okay if still hot) and warm water.

Use your hands or a Danish dough whisk to mix the flours and liquids. It’s okay if some scraggly bits of flour remain, but you want most of it to be hydrated.

Cover the bowl and set it aside to autolyse for an hour. The autolyse will reduce mixing time later by kickstarting gluten development.

3. Add the Sweet Levain and Rest

When the levain is bubbly and ripe, add all of it to the dough.

Use your hands to dimple the levain into the dough. Then, stretch and fold the dough onto itself for a few minutes until you thoroughly incorporate the levain into the dough.

You’ll do more mixing later when you add in the salt, but you want to make sure the levain is evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Cover the bowl and rest it in a warm location for 30 minutes.

4. Add Salt & Mix

After 30 minutes, sprinkle the salt onto the dough.

At this point, you can add another 10 grams of water if you think the flour can handle it. The small amount of water (called bassinage) helps to dissolve the salt, increase the hydration, and develop the gluten a little more.

Dimple in the salt and begin mixing. Stretch and fold the dough for about 5 minutes until it’s smoother and mostly holds its shape.

Cover the bowl and rest for 30 minutes.

5. Bulk Fermentation and Folds:

After mixing in the salt, bulk fermentation will take about 6 hours at 78ºF. You’ll notice this dough is more sluggish because of the added cocoa powder and coffee.

If your dough and environment are colder, bulk fermentation will take longer. Conversely, in warmer conditions, the dough will ferment faster.

Fold in Chocolate Chunks

30 minutes after adding the salt, fold in the dark chocolate chunks through the first set of stretch and folds.

I generally like to add inclusions closer to the beginning of fermentation for a couple of reasons:

1. The inclusions are equally distributed in the dough with continued folds during bulk fermentation.
2. Adding the inclusions later can affect the structure of the dough by tearing the gluten and popping any gases/the alveoli formed from fermentation.

For larger or less inclusions, such as these chocolate chunks or my Preserved Lemon & Rosemary Sourdough Bread, I stretch and fold them in. For smaller or more inclusions, such as my Sun-Dried Tomato Sourdough Bread with Capers, I will laminate them in.

To stretch and fold, use a wet hand to lift a portion of the dough, stretch it, and fold it down upon itself. Repeat three more times in the bowl for one set.

Between each set, sprinkle ¼ of the chocolate chunks on top of the dough.

Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.

Perform at least two more sets of stretch and folds, separated by 30-45 minutes each.

If the dough is still very slack or not holding its shape after the last fold, you may need to add a couple of more folds.

The dough rests for the remainder of time until shaping.

Bulk fermentation is complete with this dough doubles in size, feels full of air, is smoother, and there are some visible bubbles on top of and around the dough.

Don’t rush this dough as it will take longer to ferment.

6. Shape:

Lightly flour your surface and banneton (rice flour is helpful to prevent sticking) and use a bench scraper to shape the dough into a boule (round) or batard (oval). Lift the dough and place it seam-side up into the banneton.

Try to shape the bread so that there aren’t any visible chocolate chunks on the outside of the loaf. They will burn during baking. If you need to, remove any on top or sneak them inside of the loaf when shaping.

7. Overnight Proof:

Cover the banneton and place it in a cold refrigerator overnight and up to 48 hours.

The overnight proof, or retard, will give additional flavor to the dough and slow down fermentation so you can bake it on your own schedule.

8. Score & Bake:

Place an empty Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat it at 500ºF (260ºC) for an hour.

After an hour, remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a small piece of parchment paper.

Then, score the dough using a sharp bread lame.

I usually score with one long slash for a batard (oval). For a boule (round), score the dough with a cross pattern in the center of the dough or another design.

To help increase the chances of a sourdough ear, the score should be about ¼”-½” deep at a slight angle. If interested, I often share scoring videos on my Instagram.

Carefully place the scored dough with parchment into the Dutch oven and immediately cover it with the lid.

Bake

I follow the same routine to bake most of my sourdough breads, such as My Everyday Sourdough Bread Recipe and adjust the final baking times slightly depending on how fast a loaf is browning.

Bake at 500ºF (260ºC) for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn the oven down to 450ºF (232ºC), and bake with the lid off for about 13-15 minutes.

It’s normal if any chocolate chunks char slightly on the outside. I don’t mind these, but you can easily pick them off if you don’t like the taste.

Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Finally, enjoy cutting into this mouthwatering chocolate sourdough bread!

I love serving this chocolate coffee sourdough bread with cream cheese, softened butter and flaky salt, or with raspberry jam.

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How to Store

I like to store sourdough bread cut-side down once sliced. This helps the loaf retain moisture so it doesn’t dry out and become stale.

To slice, cut the bread in half, turn it cut-side down, and then slice it with a sharp, serrated bread knife.

Then, wrap the loaf in a tea towel and place it in a bread bag, bread box, or brown paper bag, where it will stay fresh for about three days. After a few days, you may need to reheat or toast slices.

Unsliced, the bread will last another day or two without staling or losing too much moisture.

Finally, you can freeze the chocolate sourdough bread by placing slices in a freezer-safe bag where it will keep for months. To thaw, reheat the frozen slices in a toaster oven, toaster, or oven.

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❓Chocolate Coffee Sourdough Bread FAQs:

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