I love sourdough.  And even though I make it regularly at home, I bought some the other day.  Because it was chocolate sourdough.  I was curious, though skeptic at first until I tried it.  And after I found how good it was, I had to make some myself.  This is just slightly adapted from the Extra tangy sourdough loaf recipe.  I make it without sugar, but the cocoa powder will give it a little bit of bitterness so if that bothers you I would add some sugar.  I leave one loaf for eating right away, the other I slice and freeze for french toast.  I suspect it would make amazing bread pudding as well…. or anything.. 🙂

CHOCOLATE SOURDOUGH LOAF

1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar, optional
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 tsp salt
5 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips ( I used semi sweet)

In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, sugar, cocoa powder and 3 cups of the flour together vigorously.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for 4 hours.
Refrigerate overnight, or about 12 hours.
Add the salt and remaining 2 cups flour and knead to make a smooth dough.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, let rise for about 5 hours or puffy (it doesn’t double in size usually).
Form the dough into 2 oval loaves and place on a large baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 2-3 hours.
Make a couple of slashes in the top of each loaf and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, or golden brown.  Cool on a rack.

Chocolate Sourdough Loaf

February 12, 2014

by Holly

Category Bread, Yeast Sourdough

Ingredients

• 1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup sugar, optional
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 cups flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips ( I used semi sweet)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, sugar, cocoa powder and 3 cups of the flour together vigorously. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for 4 hours.
2. Refrigerate overnight, or about 12 hours.
3. Add the salt and remaining 2 cups flour and knead to make a smooth dough. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, let rise for about 5 hours or puffy (it doesn’t double in size usually).
5. Form the dough into 2 oval loaves and place on a large baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 2-3 hours.
6. Make a couple of slashes in the top of each loaf and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, or golden brown. Cool on a rack.

This recipe calls for 2 of my most favorite things.
1. Sourdough starter.  I got mine from King Arthur Flour and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  I know you can make your own, but it was worth it to me to pay under $8 for something I love and use constantly.
2. Baguette pan.  How did I EVER live without one?  A baguette pan can single handedly turn an ordinary bake into an extraordinary bake.  I make these baguettes all the time and I swear my hubby can smell them baking 5 miles away on his drive home from work.  Yes, you could make these on an ordinary baking sheet.  They might even be good.  But I bet they won’t be AS good. 🙂

Did I convince you to go buy those 2? Excellent.  Now we can both make these fabulous baguettes and when people swoon over them we can say with pride “I made them myself” 😉

These baguettes are soft, chewy, and oh so perfect.  The Parmesan makes that crust even more delicious.  And the sourdough is present, but definitely not over bearing.  Now go bake.

PARMESAN SOURDOUGH BAGUETTES

1 1/4 cups warm water
2 cups sourdough starter
5 to 6 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
4 tsp instant yeast
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
Egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 T water)
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Combine the water, starter, and 3 cups of the flour in a large bowl.  Mix until smooth then add the salt, sugar, yeast, and gluten and mix until combined.
Add 2 more cups of flour and stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Add up to 1 more cup if needed, but remember dough should feel a little sticky.  This makes for a lighter more tender loaf.

Knead the dough on a lightly greased counter for 5 minutes (or in your mixer if that’s what you’re using).  Let it rest for about 5 minutes, then knead again for 5 minutes.  Place in an oiled bowl and rest covered until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Gently deflate dough, then form into 3 baguettes (or 6 for skinnier baguettes).  Shape into 18 inch loaves (I just formed mine to the length of my baguette pan).  and place on a lightly greased baguette pan or baking sheet.
Let rise for 1 hour.

Brush loaves with egg wash and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Put on broil for a few additional minutes to give a darker, crisper crust.

Recipe slightly altered from King Arthur Flour

Parmesan Sourdough Baguettes

October 15, 2013

by Holly

Category Bread, Yeast Sourdough

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 cups sourdough starter
• 5 to 6 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp instant yeast
• 4 tsp vital wheat gluten
• Egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 T water)
• Parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

1. Combine the water, starter, and 3 cups of the flour in a large bowl. Mix until smooth then add the salt, sugar, yeast, and gluten and mix until combined.
2. Add 2 more cups of flour and stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add up to 1 more cup if needed, but remember dough should feel a little sticky. This makes for a lighter more tender loaf.
3. Knead the dough on a lightly greased counter for 5 minutes (or in your mixer if that's what you're using). Let it rest for about 5 minutes, then knead again for 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and rest covered until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Gently deflate dough, then form into 3 baguettes (or 6 for skinnier baguettes). Shape into 18 inch loaves (I just formed mine to the length of my baguette pan). and place on a lightly greased baguette pan or baking sheet.
5. Let rise for 1 hour.
6. Brush loaves with egg wash and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Put on broil for a few additional minutes to give a darker, crisper crust.

I heart sourdough.  I’ve tried different homemade starters without much success and finally bought a starter from King Arthur Flour.  That was over a year ago, and I still love it.  This is my favorite sourdough recipe, and while it does have a lot of raising time, you really don’t have to do much and that extra time helps develop that tangy sourdough flavor more.
You could probably substitute a homemade starter, but I can’t vouch for the success of it.   If you love sourdough too I think it’s completely worth it to buy your own starter.  While it’s ideal to “feed” your starter every week, I go sometimes 3-4 weeks and it’s still fine.   It’s stored in the fridge in a crock (you can buy one from King Arthur Flour, or use a small crock with a loose lid- if it has a rubber seal, remove that so it can get a tiny bit of air).  As long as you use bottled water to fed it you remove most of the risk of it developing any mold as well.  Like I said, I’ve had mine for over a year and still love it!
This bread is a little chewy without being hard, and has a great tangy sourdough flavor from the extra rise time.  I have frozen a loaf before with good results, but honestly, we go through it usually!  It’s great for panini sandwiches as well, or my favorite, toasted.

EXTRA SOUR LOAF

1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp salt
5 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour together vigorously.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for 4 hours (the original recipe states 68 to 70 degrees is ideal, I’ve always just put it on my kitchen counter with no issues).
Refrigerate overnight, or about 12 hours.
Add the salt and remaining 2 cups flour and knead to make a smooth dough.
Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, let rise for about 5 hours or puffy (it doesn’t double in size usually).
Form the dough into 2 oval loaves and place on a large baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 2-3 hours.
Make a couple of slashes in the top of each loaf and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, or golden brown.  Cool on a rack.

Recipe source: King Arthur Flour

Extra Sour Loaf

December 7, 2012

by Holly

Category Bread, Yeast Sourdough

Ingredients

• 1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 cups flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour together vigorously. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for 4 hours (the original recipe states 68 to 70 degrees is ideal, I've always just put it on my kitchen counter with no issues).
2. Refrigerate overnight, or about 12 hours.
3. Add the salt and remaining 2 cups flour and knead to make a smooth dough.
4. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, let rise for about 5 hours or puffy (it doesn't double in size usually).
5. Form the dough into 2 oval loaves and place on a large baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 2-3 hours.
6. Make a couple of slashes in the top of each loaf and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, or golden brown. Cool on a rack.