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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.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
I made a loaf with Einkorn flour and Enjoy Life mini chips. I think it taste better than normal flour and nestle chips. Wow, so good and easy.
I wonder if this would be good with Maraschino cherries minus the chocolate chips?? I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I can so see this combination.
Can this be baked ahead and frozen for Christmas gifts and taken out of the freezer on Christmas morning? It’s absolutely delicious with butter and honestly just as a snack by itself
This looks incredible!! Think I could sub honey for the sugar? If so, how much would you recommend? Thank you for all of your amazing recipes; they are always reliable and my go-tos! xoxo
Awwhhh so glad you love all the recipes 🙂 That’s awesome! Yes you can sub honey for the sugar – I’d add up to 50g 🙂 Enjoy xo
How much maple syrup would I use to sweeten it instead of sugar?
This recipe is sooo good, but I’ve made it a few times and each time my loaf is flat. It still tastes great! The dough rises beautifully, but when I transfer it to the dutch oven it flattens out and doesn’t rise back up while baking. I’ve never had this issue with sourdough, but this is the only sweet one I’ve ever made. Not sure what I’m doing wrong or if it’s a climate issue.
Quick question, I don’t like artesano bread, so can I bake this recipe as sandwich loaf 🍞 bread?
You are the GODDESS of sourdough discard recipes. This chocolate sourdough loaf is unbelievably delicious. I made it with discard from a very vigorous sourdough starter so I didn’t use yeast. Let it rise for 4 hours at room temp and overnight in the fridge. Just finished baking it and usually I can resist the temptation of cutting into it before it cools down but NOT THIS TIME! It is absolutely perfect. Crusty, chewy, a powerful punch of dark cocoa, fait sour taste, delicious chocolate chips. It is the perfect loaf. I anticipate it will be gone before the weekend.
My house smells amazing. I used old discard and regular yeast as I didn’t have what the recipe called for. It rose in a couple of hours. Baked beautifully. I can’t wait to try it.
What temp does this need to be when done?
I am getting ready to try this right now. Can I open bake this on a cookie sheet with some water in a pan underneath?
Wow! I am not the type of person to leave reviews and have tried and loved a few of your recipes now, but this one I just had to review! This was insanely easy to put together and turned out perfect. I didn’t even use bread flour, just all purpose, and I also baked it in a sandwich tin. It’s incredible, thank you! This is going to be a hit at Mother’s Day lunch this weekend 🥰
Oh my goodness! This recipe is AMAZING! Love love love the chocolate bread! I’ve made it twice (both times with less yeast than what’s called for as my discard is somewhat active and bubbly) and I can’t wait for my boule to cool down fully before slicing it (it just came out of the oven 😅).
Thank you so much for sharing this treasure! I just can’t get enough of this bread…sooooo yummy 🤤
Absolutely love this recipe and it always gets eaten up very quickly! I am curious, each time I’ve made it the crust doesn’t really get as hard and crispy as my other sourdough loaves. Am I doing something wrong? I follow the recipe exactly.
This time I’m making it with some chopped dried cranberries and a tad of cinnamon. I also used Special Dark 100% cocoa. Toast slices with cream cheese with strawberries. It is so good. This will be the neighbor gift exchange this year since I have to make quite a few! Thank you!
I love hearing that, Lori! That sounds so delicious!
Easy AND delicious. SOLD
We loved it!! I made it the first time as in the recipe. The second time I made it, I replaced half the water with leftover coffee. Both times were huge hits with the family. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you so much for sharing!
Great idea, Misty! That sounds delicious.
Well, I was planning on making myself some dinner tonight. But then I pulled this out of the oven and have been munching on it all afternoon! I’ve got to save the rest, so I can take it to work and make my co-workers fat! 😀 Really, super delicious! I didn’t have enough discard, but I did have a levain I made Friday night that I didn’t get to use, so I used that instead. The next time I make this (and I will!), I’m going to use dark cocoa, chocolate starter, and dark chocolate chips. Maybe some dried cherries too. The possibilities are endless. Thank you for a fantastic recipe, Kate!!!
This was SO good. I discovered partway through measuring the ingredients that my daughter has been using all my baking cocoa for mug cakes and I was considerably short. I made up the difference with my husband’s favorite Mexican hot cocoa mix and hoped for the best. It was not a poor decision and I would do it again.
I found this recipe to be a bit difficult to work with because it is VERY loose. I mixed in my stand mixer and even with a bit of extra flour, it is still really free form after resting. I would likely add even more flour just to get it manageable. Scoring seemed a bit pointless and it did end up popping kind of wherever it pleased as a result. Not a pretty loaf, but dang did it taste good!
Mexican hot cocoa sounds delicious in this loaf! I’m glad it was delicious despite the loose dough 🙂
Easy to make and delicious. Didn’t want to use yeast so used 200g of sourdough discard. Doubled in about 3 hours. Added 100g of dried cherries. Delicious. Will make this again. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jean. Thank you so much for your review!
I am blown away by this bread. Not only is it a dump-in-one-bowl sourdough recipe, and uses up discard, it came together so easily. I used large dark chocolate chips which I had on hand. After it was done the crust was so crunchy, the aroma amazing, and I swear it tasted just like a giant chocolate croissant. There’s no need to have those anymore when I can make a giant one at home with little effort. This will be a lifelong recipe – many thanks!!
If I choose to refrigerate the dough, what is the maximum amount of time I can leave it in the refrigerator? Thank you!
You could leave it in the fridge for up to 12 hours, it’s just that this is made with some commercial yeast which rises faster than sourdough starter 🙂
Why yeast?
Because this is a discard recipe 🙂 You can use active sourdough starter and leave out the commercial yeast if you want to.
This was so incredibly delicious! I had never heard of chocolate sourdough before and decided to try it – so moist and so flavorful! I had a very active starter, so I omitted the yeast and it was perfect! I will definitely be making this regularly! Sourdough is so fun – I am enjoying learning how to use it in different ways! Thanks for sharing so many ideas on your site!
I absolutely love this recipe and have shared it with many friends. I was wondering if I need to let the dough rest or come to room temperature before baking if I chose to refrigerate it after the rise?
I’m so glad you love the recipe. No you don’t have to let it come to room temp, just bake straight from the fridge 🙂
hi I would like to try this recipe, would be my 1st making sourdough. With that been said, recipes calls for 7g instant yeast, could I use active dry yeast instead? Thank you.
Yes you can use active dry yeast if you prefer 🙂 I use instant yeast because you do not need to bloom it first 🙂
Can this be made in a loaf pan instead?.
Yes you can definitely bake this in a loaf pan 🙂