Sourdough Chocolate Brioche

This fluffy Sourdough Chocolate Brioche bread is a beautiful chocolate sourdough loaf that stays soft and moist for days!

The decadent loaf is only slightly sweet and made with a buttery enriched dough. Using the tangzhong method keeps the bread moist and helps it rise tall using only sourdough starter for leavening.

Pull apart the chocolate brioche and serve for Valentine’s Day, make chocolate French Toast, or serve slices with a slather of butter, cream cheese, or raspberry jam.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The tangzhong method blooms the cocoa in hot milk for a more intense chocolate flavor.
• Makes a perfect Valentine’s Day homemade gift and the best chocolate French toast.
• The chocolate brioche is only lightly sweetened with dark brown sugar.
• Naturally leavened dough with a soft, pull-apart texture like my sourdough brioche bread.
• Top with Swedish Pearl Sugar for added crunch and sweetness.

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👨‍🍳 Tips for Making the Best Sourdough Chocolate Brioche

• Use room-temperature ingredients for easier mixing, including softened butter, as in these popular Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls.
• Proof the bread dough until doubled in size, puffy, and full of air, so it is light and fluffy.
• Use tangzhong to create a moist sourdough chocolate milk bread that rises tall, like in my Sourdough Hot Dog Buns, Sourdough Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls, and Einkorn Sourdough Sandwich Bread.
• Brush the bread with an egg wash for a shiny crust.
• Let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, to prevent the bottoms and sides from getting soggy by circulating the air.

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking Scale
  • Measuring your ingredients by weight rather than volume is essential for a more consistent, accurate bake.
• Stand Mixer with dough hook attachment
  • A stand mixer helps bring this sticky, enriched dough together better. This will help the dough build gluten more easily and quickly than by hand.
  • I don’t recommend hand mixing this dough.
• Bread Loaf Pan
  • I used the small USA Pullman Pan, which is 9×4″ without the lid.
  • If you want to double the recipe, you can divide the dough in half and bake the bread in two pans.
• Pastry Brush, for egg wash
• 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.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

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

• Bread Flour
  • I use King Arthur Bread Flour at 12.7% protein, which gives the chocolate brioche a chewy texture and helps it rise tall.
  • If you want to make it even heartier, substitute about 120g of whole wheat flour for a cup.
• Salt
• Sourdough Starter
  • Use an active sourdough starter, not sourdough discard, for the leavener in brioche.
  • 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.
• Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
  • You can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this bread, but Dutch-process cocoa powder is less acidic, has a smooth chocolate flavor, and a darker color.
  • If you want an even darker bread, substitute some black cocoa in the tangzhong like in my Homemade Sourdough Oreos.
• Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • This is a brioche dough, so it’s vital that your butter is at room temperature so it will incorporate into the dough. If it’s too cold, it won’t mix well (or take forever to mix) and if it’s melted, it may make your dough too sticky.
• Egg, for richness, rise, and binding the ingredients. Plus, an egg is needed for the egg wash.
• Whole milk
  • I always bake with whole milk and full-fat dairy for richness and the best flavor, but you can substitute the whole milk with 2%, low-fat milk, or plant-based if needed (use unsweetened).
• Dark Brown Sugar
  • The brown sugar adds molasses sweetness, color, and moisture to the bread.
  • You can substitute the brown sugar with granulated sugar.
• Vanilla Extract, for aromatic warmth that highlights the chocolate even more, such as in Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Swedish Pearl Sugar, for topping (optional)
  • If you want added crunch and sweetness, add a sprinkle of pearl sugar onto the bread before baking.
  • They’re a nice topping to this Sourdough Babka with Any Jam, as well!

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🍫 How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Brioche

Follow this visual step-by-step guide to help make the best Sourdough Chocolate Brioche.

1. Make the Tangzhong

Whisk cocoa powder, flour, and whole milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until thickened like chocolate pudding.

Set aside to cool.

2. Mix the Sourdough Chocolate Brioche Dough

Add the bread flour, brown sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix.

Once the tangzhong has cooled slightly, add it to the bowl along with the sourdough starter, egg, whole milk, and vanilla extract.

Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes. The dough is very sticky.

Continue mixing on medium speed, adding a small pat of softened butter at a time until incorporated. Wait until the butter is fully combined before adding the next piece.

Mix the dough for 10-15 minutes, or until it is smooth, tacky, slaps the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.

To test, pull a piece of dough between your fingers. If you can stretch it into a thin membrane, like a windowpane, without it tearing, then it’s mixed enough. Otherwise, keep mixing for a few more minutes.

3. Bulk Fermentation

Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and cover it for bulk fermentation, which will take approximately 4.5-5 hours at 78°F.

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

Bulk fermentation is complete when this dough has doubled in size, is smoother, and domes in your bowl.

4. Overnight Proof

Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for a cold, overnight proof and up to 48 hours.

The dough will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator, which helps develop flavor and allows you to bake on your own schedule. The cold dough is also easier to divide and shape into rolls.

If you’re limited on time, you can skip the overnight proof.

5. Shape

Before shaping, butter or grease the bread loaf pan pan. Set it aside.

Punch down the cold dough, weigh it, and divide the dough weight by 8. This is how much each roll should weigh when you divide the dough. Mine usually weigh about 92g each.

Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 pieces. Then, use the palm of your hand to shape and roll the dough into round spheres.

6. Final Proof

Place the shaped rolls tightly in the pan and cover with plastic wrap or a lid for the final proof.

At 78ºF, the final proof typically takes about 3 ½-4 hours.

At the end of the final proof, the brioche dough should double in size and rise to the top of the pan, be puffy, and feel full of air if you poke it with a floured finger.

7. Bake

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC).

Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle the top with optional pearl sugar.

Bake the bread for 25-28 minutes or until the top is deep chocolate brown and it has an internal temperature of 190ºF-200F (88ºC-93ºC), as measured with an instant-read thermometer.

Finally, cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then turn the bread out of the pan and finish cooling completely on the wire rack to prevent condensation.

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How to Store, Make Ahead, & Serve

The chocolate tangzhong (cooked flour roux) and sourdough help keep this beautiful loaf soft for days so you can easily make ahead and store it.

Keep the bread covered at room temperature for 3-4 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. It will lose some moisture over time and become more stale, but you can reheat or toast slices slightly before serving.

To freeze the baked bread, place slices in a freezer-safe bag and store for a few months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and rewarm in the oven.

If you want to freeze the unbaked bread, do so after shaping. Then, let it thaw overnight in the pan in the refrigerator and do the final proof and bake as usual. This final proof can take longer since it’s colder.

This chocolate sourdough brioche is perfect for Valentine’s Day dinners, breakfast, French toast, or hearty soups and stews.

I like serving slices with softened butter, Raspberry Rose Jam [No Pectin], mascarpone, or cream cheese.

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