You know the saying ‘being in the right place at the right time’? Well, this dark chocolate bread arrived just like that, in the right place at the right time.
Or rather… it’s all thanks to my friend Paola’s chocolate bread! 😄 that came across my path at the right moment sparking the right idea. Go figure! 😀
Dear friends, okay, wacky introductions aside… here we are after the Easter break for the usual Monday appointment! Today’s Light and Tasty recipe is a post-Easter recycling recipe. And what do we usually recycle after Easter?
Every year I have an abundance of chocolate from Easter eggs, even though we all eat way too much of it. But somehow we always end up with more eggs than we need!
I’m happy with this recipe, this chocolate bread turned out delicious. And it’s perfect for Light and Tasty because it’s not a dessert – after all the desserts we’ve had in the past few days I really didn’t feel like making a dessert! – and therefore it fits well with the light that the column requires.
But it’s also very tasty, especially for us who are great bread eaters, so much that we started and finished it right away this morning for breakfast!
Well, are you ready? Come on, come on! Because we can talk about details on flours, yeast and various things even after the recipe!
PS: and… thanks Paola for giving me this idea!
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More chocolate recycling ideas? Here they are! 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15 slices
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup spelt flour
- 1/2 tbsp fresh yeast (or half a cube)
- 2/3 cup milk kefir
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 3.5 oz dark chocolate
Tools
- Loaf pan
- Stand mixer
Preparation
In the end, I came up with a recipe that is somewhat a cross between Paola’s recipe and my kefir bread recipe I made a while ago (this), somewhat whole grain but not too much, just enough to go perfectly with dark chocolate.
Instead of the sourdough starter I always use for my leavened goods, this time I used fresh yeast, which I hadn’t done in ages (I had a cube in the freezer for a year!). Would you believe me if I said it felt like I no longer knew how to use it? The 3-hour rising time flew by! 😀
Alright, let’s get started!
First, prepare the dough:
Add the three flours, crumbled yeast, sugar, softened butter (softened like a pomade, not melted), 2/3 cup water, and 2/3 cup kefir (or plain natural yogurt, or milk if both are unavailable) to the bowl of the stand mixer,
Turn on the stand mixer and knead until the dough is smooth.
Tip: It’s preferable not to add all the water at once, start with 1/2 cup and then add the remaining 1/3 cup (or perhaps more or less for you) gradually as needed. This is because not all flours absorb the same way, and it’s always better to add liquids gradually rather than end up with a dough that’s too wet. Differences can also arise when using milk instead of yogurt or depending on the consistency of your homemade kefir, which can sometimes be very thick or less so.
Let the dough rise for about an hour in the bowl covered with plastic wrap (or even just with a plate).
Chop or break the chocolate into pieces with your hands (as I did).
Add the chocolate pieces to the dough.
Run the stand mixer for a minute or two, just enough to incorporate the chocolate.
Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise until doubled in size (about two more hours).
Transfer the risen dough into a loaf pan (or other pan of choice) greased and floured or lined with parchment paper.
Tip: Pinch the dough on the surface where the chocolate pieces are visible to cover them with the dough, this is to avoid the chocolate getting too toasted during baking.
Let it rise again for half an hour or so (I did 45 minutes) before baking (optional brushing of the surface with milk).
Baking:
Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
This dark chocolate bread is great for breakfast, snack time, or whenever you crave a tasty treat that’s not too sweet. 😉
It can also be made non-whole grain, or if you prefer it sweeter you can use milk chocolate and add a few more teaspoons of sugar to the dough. I’m already experimenting with a new version, so… stay tuned!
If you’re curious to see my other chocolate egg recycling recipes, here they are:
Cheesecake with puffed millet base and chocolate
Bignolata, that is: half an egg stuffed with cream puff filled with ice cream
candied orange peels covered in chocolate
For those interested in the WW propoints diet: the total points for the entire bread are 72. Points for each slice (with 15 slices): 4.8
(Of course, the chocolate can be reduced, and the butter can be omitted to lower the score as needed).
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