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This simple chocolate sourdough discard bread can be made in just a few hours. It’s a great way to use up some discard while you’re waiting for your sourdough starter to mature. There are also lots of flavor variations to explore. So let’s grab a bowl and some discard and get started!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Use Your Chocolate Sourdough Starter – It is a delicious way to use the discard from making a Chocolate Sourdough Starter. And the leftovers make the most amazing sourdough bread pudding.
No Special Equipment – this loaf literally comes together in one bowl! You can shape it and bake it in a Dutch Oven or if your dough is too wet, pour it into a loaf pan and bake it.
If you’re looking for some other sourdough discard chocolate recipes, this Sourdough Chocolate Star Bread can be made using discard too, along with these chocolate sourdough brownies, sourdough chocolate cookie sandwiches and these chocolate chunk sourdough muffins.
Ingredients
- Bread Flour – In my experience, you’ll get the best result by using a strong bread flour, but you can use all purpose flour if you prefer. I recommend reducing the water by 20 to 30g if you’re using all purpose flour.
- Sourdough Discard – this recipe has been developed with sourdough discard.
- Water – you can also add a little vanilla extract to the water for extra flavor if you like.
- Sugar – You could substitute the sugar with honey or even maple syrup if you want to. I find that granulated sugar is the easiest way to sweeten it, but as always, there are lots of alternatives you could try. You could even substitute brown sugar if you prefer.
- Cocoa Powder
- Chocolate Chips – I alway use Kirkland semi-sweet chocolate chips from Costco to make this loaf because they give the most rich chocolate flavor, but use whatever chocolate chips you like to eat. Dark chocolate chips or even a blend of milk and white chocolate chips work really well too!
- Salt
- Instant Yeast – this is included because your sourdough discard might not be strong enough to rise your bread. If you don’t want to use instant yeast, you might like this sourdough chocolate bread made with active starter.
How To Make A Chocolate Sourdough Discard Loaf
This simple sourdough chocolate loaf comes together in just one bowl, making it perfect for relaxed, everyday baking. Add all of the ingredients, including the chocolate chips and any extras you’d like to a bowl and mix them together until a shaggy dough forms. The dough doesn’t need to be smooth at this stage; just make sure all of the flour and cocoa powder are fully hydrated. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1–2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, gently tip it onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together into a rustic round before transferring it to a piece of parchment paper dusted with rice flour or fine semolina to prevent sticking.
Score the top of the dough, then carefully place it into a preheated Dutch oven and bake until the crust is deeply set. After baking with the lid on, finish the loaf uncovered to develop a beautiful crust, then allow it to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.
Kate’s RECIPE Tip
Refrigeration Tip
If you are wanting to put your bread in the refrigerator to bake another time (within 24 hours) then just pop some plastic wrap over the bowl of doubled dough and put it in the fridge. You don’t need to do anything to the dough before it goes in. You can then take it out when you’re ready to bake, shape it and put it into a hot oven.
Flavor Variations
While this delicious chocolate sourdough discard bread is perfect the way it is, there are lots of ways you can vary the flavors to make something truly special. Here are some ideas:
- Dried Fruit – Add some dried fruit like cherries or apricots. Add up to 100g of dried fruit in addition to the 100g of chocolate chips.
- Toasted Coconut – Top your bread with shredded coconut before you bake it for a toasted coconut topping.
- Crunchy Nuts – Add your 100g of your favorite nuts to the mixture along with the chocolate chips. You could try pecans, walnuts or even pistachios!
How To Eat This Loaf
This bread is quite sweet. It is lovely for breakfast, toasted and served with homemade butter and maple syrup. It also makes a delicious dessert or supper. My kids are absolutely in love with it! They’ve even even eaten it with whipped cream and strawberries! Spoiled much?
Here are a few ways you can use this chocolate sourdough discard bread:
- Toasted and topped with small batch strawberry jam and whipped cream or cream cheese and fresh raspberries (you can even drizzle with maple syrup);
- Toasted and topped with fresh homemade ricotta and drizzled in raw honey;
- Use it to make French Toast – such a delicious weekend breakfast and great way to use up some eggs too!
- Slice thinly, toast and top with good quality vanilla ice cream – you have to trust me on this one!
Chocolate Sourdough Discard Loaf Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 450 g Bread Flour
- 100 g Sourdough Discard, (egular discard or chocolate starter discard)
- 360 g Water
- 40 g Sugar
- 30 g Cocoa Powder
- 100 g Chocolate Chips
- 10 g Salt
- 7 g Instant Yeast
Instructions
- Take a clean ceramic or glass bowl and add all ingredients to the bowl (including the chocolate chips and any other additions you'd like).
- Use a wooden chopstick or end of a wooden spoon to gently bring all the ingredients together into a shaggy dough. I also find a silicon dough scraper is really good for this stage – it allows you to clean the sides of the bowl as you mix. You don't need to it be fully smooth, just ensure that all of the flour & cocoa powder is wet.
- Cover the bowl in cling film and set it somewhere warm for 1 – 2 hours. It really depends on the temperature of your house with this one. If your house is warm, 1 hour will be plenty. In the depths of winter or with air con, you may need more than 2 hours. You just want it to double in size, no more or it won't rise in the oven.
- Around 45 minutes before you want to put your bread into the oven, you'll need to put a dutch oven into the oven and preheat it to around 220ºC/430ºF. A round Dutch Oven is perfect for this recipe.
- Once your dough has doubled in size, grab a piece of parchment paper and lay it out on your counter. Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of rice flour or fine semolina flour (this is just so that the dough doesn't stick to your hands). Pop this aside for now – you'll need it once your dough is shaped.NOTE – If you are wanting to put your bread in the refrigerator to bake another time (usually within 24 hours) then just pop the cling film over the bowl of doubled dough and put in the fridge. You don't need to do anything to the dough before it goes in.
- Use a silicone dough scraper to scrape the dough out of the bowl and flip it onto a floured surface (the counter is fine).
- If it's not too wet, use the flour and your finger tips to gently bring it into a round shape – you will need to pull each side over each other to do this. If your dough is too wet – don't fret, just try and bring it into some kind of shape without getting too messy. Use a metal dough scraper to move the dough to the parchment paper. Don't stress too much – this bread is a rustic loaf.
- Using a lame or razor, score the top of the dough – a cross or single line is perfectly fine.
- Carefully take your dutch oven out of the oven and remove the lid. Use the parchment or baking paper as a handle to gently place your discard bread inside the pot and put the lid back on.
- Bake in the oven, with the lid on for 30 minutes at 220ºC/430ºF. Then remove the lid of the pot and bake for a further 10 minutes at 200ºC/390ºF. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Try to let it cool for at least an hour before cutting it. It will still taste great if you cut it hot, but it's so much easier to cut if you let it cool!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My family loves this bread! I’ve made it several times including some of the variations you suggested and it’s always turned out perfectly. I’m new to sourdough and have learned so much from you. Your recipes are easy to follow and your tips and tricks are so helpful! Thank you for sharing your incredible knowledge and making sourdough more fun and less intimidating for this novice!