Hi there! Just dropping in for a quickie Saturday post to share this easy recipe for Bittersweet Chocolate Bread with you. And yup, it tastes as good as it sounds. There’s cocoa powder in the batter and chunks of bittersweet chocolate so it’s full of deep, dark chocolate flavor without being overly sweet. YUM!

It’s a simple weekend project that will make your house smell fabulous and elicit cheers from anyone lucky enough to enjoy a slice.

I love it sans toppings, just warmed a little or toasted, but if you want to make it even more special you can spread on some cream cheese and add a few fresh raspberries for even more gorgeousness!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I was thinking that you could whip up a batch of this (literally the batter takes just minutes and there’s no kneading or shaping involved) and indulge in one loaf this weekend and hide the other away to pull out for an extra-special Thursday morning breakfast! Sound good? Or maybe you just have to gobble it all up today! Whatever you decide to do, as long as making this yummy bread is in the near future, you can’t go wrong! Happy baking! Stay warm!❤️❤️❤️

Bittersweet Chocolate Bread

Makes 2 small loaves

Prep Time:  10 minutes; Rise Time:  2 1/2 hours (sometimes longer if it’s cold in the kitchen); Bake Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 1/3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarsely into small chunks

• 1/2 cup hot coffee (instant is fine)

• 1 ½ cups cold water

• unsalted butter for greasing bowls

The Recipe

1.  Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. Add the chocolate and toss to coat the pieces. Pour the hot coffee into a measuring cup and add enough cold water to make it 2 cups. Stir the mixture and add to the flour mixture in the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together very well. It will be thick and sticky but you want to make sure there are no traces of flour remaining. Wet a dish towel and wring out the excess water. Cover the bowl, place it in a warm spot and let rise for 2 hours, until doubled in bulk. If your kitchen is cold, turn the oven to 215º F and place the bowl on top of it.

2.  Use the softened butter to generously grease two 1 quart oven-safe round bowls. Preheat oven to 350º F. 

3.  Use 2 forks to deflate the dough, by releasing it from the sides of the bowl towards the center, giving the bowl a quarter turn each time, so that you repeat the process a total of 4 times. Now use the forks to divide the dough equally down the middle and lift the dough halves into the prepared pans. Sometimes it’s easier to just use your hands to do this. If so, butter your hands a bit so it doesn’t stick as much. 

4.  Let the dough rise uncovered until it crowns the tips of the bowls. This can take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature. Then bake for 45 minutes and turn out onto cooling racks to cool for at least 30 minutes and even better, to room temperature.

5.  Loaves last well wrapped at room temperature for at least 5 days and longer in the fridge. 

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford. I increased the amount of chocolate to 6 ounces.