Chocolate-Cherry Sourdough Bread Recipe (2024)

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naran

How about a recipe for the sourdough starter?

Mary Rae Fouts

A heaping teaspoon of active dried yeast in sourdough bread? Sorry, but that's cheating.Call this recipe bread if you wish, but dont' call it sourdough bread.

SugarFree

Sourdough starters can be used to raise bread (typically only an oz or so) -- but starter can do do much more. It preferments the dough. It keeps baked goods moist for longer than foods made with only yeast. It adds amazing flavors that would not be there with just yeast. I add some sourdough to nearly everything I bake, including brioche, bagels, banana bread and coffee cake. The time and temp you use to develop the starter for each recipe determines whether the dough will be sour or sweet.

Kat

Gee, I wonder if you couldn't just incorporate all these flavour ingredients (the chocolate, the cocoa, the cherries, the espresso) into the No-Knead Bread Recipe here on the NYTimes. Experiment away!

Will In Pittsburgh

In most high-hydration dough, the flour is allowed to rest after mixing with water and before the addition of salt. This is called "autolyze," and allows the flour to become fully hydrated and to begin developing gluten. Salt hinders this process, as well as slowing down the development of yeast.

The salt will become fully and evenly Incorporated through the repeated stretch and folds.

Dana

Not really. I've read it's not uncommon for French bakers to use a combination of sourdough culture and yeast. I give some breads a long fairly cool primary fermentation exclusively with sourdough culture, but add a very small amount of yeast (1/2 to 1 gram per loaf) to assist with the final proof and oven spring. I don't know if it's really necessary, but since the bread develops complex flavours during the primary fermentation I don't consider it cheating.

SG-SF

This recipe has a typo/variation from the Modernist Bread recipe. In the original the amount of yeast is 1/8 of a teaspoon (0.16 g), which makes a difference.

Frank

This turned out well. I followed the recipe to the letter, using the scale, as opposed to the volume measurements. Mine needed an extra 5 minutes to reach the final temperature. The resulting flavor is reminiscent of a brownie, but unsweetened, and in bread form. It's an intriguing breakfast or snack, great with a cup of coffee. I bake high hydration breads regularly. I can see that this dough might be challenging if you have not played with bread making much. Be patient. Try again!

Frank

See the included link for sour dough starter.Use a bowl if you don't have a basket.While this is not a difficult recipe, baking high hydration breads does require some patience. Bread baking, even for experienced home bakers is fussy business. Most mistakes are edible. Why not bag the impatience and give it a shot?

david

It would be helpful if the recipe included the hydration percentage of the starter as used in Modernist Bread.

Alan Z

Surprising recipe. Lighter and more tart than the version LaBrea Bakery in LA sold for many years.I followed the recipe carefully and had no issues.I would suggest using larger chunks of chocolate. Gentle and careful folding will keep the ample chocolate & cherries inside to prevent their burning. 2.5 hrs out of fridge. If you don’t cut the loaf before baking, it will force a higher rise. Steam will escape anyway from the few cherries which poke out. Learned much from this one.

Joyce

This is a tasty bread, as noted, more for brunch than dinner. I make sourdough bread regularly, so the time was not an issue. But this recipe is more hands-on than advertised - way more folding and resting than regular sourdough. Dough rested overnight in a wine fridge- 50F - and did not get a lot of rise. However, after baking and cooling the interior was moist with a nice crumb. I would not make again because too labour intensive for result and too many charred cherries for my liking.

Canyon Bread Store

This was so much fun to make. I used my starter and made it a bit more liquid than usual. I also had to add a little extra flour as it is hot and sticky here. I used my mixmaster to knead ten minutes and then followed directions. It needed more than six folds to achieve window pane. I also baked it cold (that is how I always bake my bread) after heating Dutch oven with lid on. Highly recommend giving this a try!!!! Visit my instagram for photos.

Rob

You guys still haven't fixed the yeast quantity here. It's about 10x too high, as the original uses 1/8 tsp per batch, not a heaping tsp.

Heidi

Ended up making French toast with this bread. It was delicious with maple syrup and all the chocolatey cherry flavors still came through. With the syrup, you definitely wouldn't want the bread any sweeter.

Coffee grinder

Very good for breakfast & with tea. I reduced yeast to 1/8 tsp. The amount of fruit & chocolate chips seemed excessive when I was folding them in but the end result was good. I would not reduce the amount of the add-ins. I baked at 450 degrees for the recommended time but used a baking stone instead of the dutch oven. I covered the loaf with a large foil roasting pan for the first 20 minutes of the bake. Next time I will double the recipe & make two loaves.

Babbz

I was skeptical about this, but just had to try it... I like it, although as some others have commented, because the cherries and chocolate aren't all encased in the dough (some do stick out on the top and the bottom), they get charred in the hot oven. Even so, this is very tasty!

A frequent sourdough baker

This recipe is overly complicated and much fussier than it needs to be. I made it following the recipe and then got something very similar by just adding cocoa and espresso to a regular no knead sourdough recipe and adding a little more water.I added the cherries at the 2nd stretch and fold like any other add in. I let it rise, shaped it, and baked it as a regular no knead doughNote: I just used regular 100% hydration starter (added an extra 1/4 cup) without extra yeast

Ann

I am sure the addition of yeast is for folks who might not know what to watch for in a sourdough starter and to speed up the process. It's a back-up plan. But yeast is definitely not necessary with this much starter in the recipe. Claire Saffitz's guide to sourdough here in the NYT cooking pages is excellent, and a very fine basic recipe that turns out every time. For chocolate bread, a wee bit of chili pepper, especially aleppo, adds some zest.

Lparis

This bread isn't worth the the work to make it. Six folds takes three hours of babysitting If you're going to invest the time, make at least two loaves. I preferred a King Arthur recipe for a similar bread.

Amirissa

Would recommend that you whisk in all the dry ingredients (besides salt) before adding the flour for even distribution.I have tried this recipe multiple times, I never get enough gluten build up to get a thin membrane if I just do the 4 folds ever 30 minutes, even if in total I do this for 5 hours. With an hour left of turns, I pull it out of the bowl and kneed it until it’s almost at the membrane stage, and then allow for 2 final turn intervals before it goes in the fridge.

AM

As others have mentioned this is a very wet dough (100% hydration), and quite difficult to work with. The end result is delicious though.However, hydration is not the main problem here. The problem is the yeast that acts so fast not allowing the gluten to develop. That's why the dough never comes together and there's no oven spring. I am still confused if it is supposed to be this way bec the recipe describes a totally different dough. Will def try again, with no added yeast (just sourdough)

Ken Fricklas

Tried this as stated... the amount of flour made it more the consistency of a soup than a bread. Wound up added several tablespoons at a time until it resembled something that could be considered a "shaggy mass", probably at least another 3/4 cup. I chopped a cup of dark chocolate into chunks, which made for a mix of about 1/3 powder and 2/3 chunks (3x or so chip size). Came out great -- will make again. No need to be fussy about bread basket, plastic container, etc... it'll be fine.

Oscar

Made with a loafpan and a baking tray with water below for the last ten minutes. Very nice looking! Just waiting for it to cool.

PQ

Recommend soaking the cherries in water for approx 30 minutes then draining before folding in. It helps prevent them from burning (I also baked at 475 which might have helped)

Rita

I did not have any instant yeast just active dry yeast so I had to activate it and it did take longer to rise than what the recipe says. It is a very slow rising bread anyway so it really didn't make much difference. It was very good and a mix between sweet and not.

Elizabeth

This is a great recipe, but tricky, and to get the result I wanted it needed some tweaks. It's probably best for people already comfortable with sourdough. The combination of sourdough and yeast isn't unusual, and great for using sourdough discard. I didn't want it as bitter and added 2 tbps honey. I didn't bother with the wicker basket, for the rise, just used the bowl. I used parchment paper to put it in the heated pot, baked at 475, next time might do 450 for longer.

Renee

Hmmm, I cooked this and had tasty but dense (undercooked?) results. It ended up more like a "yeasty" cake! It's delicious, but I don't think I can call it "bread". Why the yeast? I'm going to try this without the yeast - my starter works great. (I make bread at LEAST every other day). ALSO. I added about a TBSP of date syrup mixed into the coffee to add some sweetness. - just seemed like it needed it.

Rebs

Really quite yummy, loaf did not survive a day in a family of 4. I used 1 tsp yeast and 70 g 100% hydration starter (all I had), making up the difference with more flour and water. Used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips and sweetened dried cherries (all our rural grocery store carried), so the result was plenty sweet. Was alarmed at how much rise I had during the ferment with the yeast, will experiment with yeast/starter quantities in the future.

Nicole

Made exactly as the recipe dictated- it turned out perfectly! I will say it seemed really wet and difficult to fold during the folding phase, but it ultimately turned out great. Worth the labor!

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Chocolate-Cherry Sourdough Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is sourdough bread not fattening? ›

Sourdough bread's fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium content all support a heart-healthy diet. The soluble fiber found in sourdough bread binds to dietary cholesterol in the small intestine, helping pass this fat through the system instead of absorbing it.

Is it cheaper to buy or make sourdough? ›

So if you look solely at the ingredients, it is cheaper to make your own sourdough. But if you bring other factors into it - it might not be as cheap.

Why do you put baking soda in sourdough bread? ›

Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda can be used in sourdough bread to create a less sour loaf. Added after bulk fermentation, but before shaping, it can help to create a lighter, more fluffy loaf of sourdough.

What is the best flour for sourdough bread? ›

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour.

Why do you put honey in sourdough bread? ›

Adding honey to your sourdough starter enhances its flavour profile and infuses it with antioxidants, enzymes, and trace elements.

What happens if you eat sourdough bread everyday? ›

Can you eat sourdough bread every day? It's good news for sourdough super-fans. 'Sourdough is rich in carbohydrates which should make up around 50% of our energy intake every day, so there's no problem with eating sourdough daily,' says Tilt, who adds; 'it's delicious and I often do!

Is sourdough bread bad for belly fat? ›

Whole grain sourdough bread is a great option for weight loss, since this type of sourdough has little to no sugar and fat, while also having increased protein and fiber.

Is sourdough bread inflammatory? ›

The best bread to reduce gut inflammation is bread made from whole grains. Refined grains, such as the grains found in white bread and white pasta, are known to increase inflammation across the whole body. Sourdough bread and rye bread are both good options for an anti-inflammatory diet.

What is the disadvantage of sourdough bread? ›

Potential Drawbacks

Therefore, sourdough bread is not a safe choice for people with celiac disease or a wheat allergy, and it is not an ideal choice for people who are eating gluten-free or avoid wheat for any other reason.

Can I just buy sourdough starter? ›

If you're anti-social, you can also buy sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour and have it shipped to your door. A one-ounce jar of starter will set you back about $9. And even then, mail-order starter will need to adapt to wherever you happen to live (which is why making an at-home starter is preferable).

Is store bought sourdough actually sourdough? ›

Supermarket sourdough is often sourfaux – here's how to make the real thing. Mass-produced sourdough has been found to be adulterated with everything from vinegar to commercial yeast. Why not bake your own?

Why do you put vinegar in sourdough bread? ›

There are two main acids produced in a sourdough culture: lactic acid and acetic acid. Acetic acid, or vinegar, is the acid that gives sourdough much of its tang. Giving acetic acid-producing organisms optimal conditions to thrive and multiply will produce a more tangy finished product.

Why do you spray sourdough with water before baking? ›

Wetting the dough causes the surface to steam. Covering it traps the moisture. This partnership stops the bread from drying out on the surface in the hot air of the oven and forming a premature crust. Your bread rises more and produces a richer colour, becoming glossy on the surface.

How to get fluffier sourdough? ›

Keeping the lid on for the first part of baking allows steam to expand between the gluten fibers to rise the bread and create a fluffy loaf. Step 4: Remove the lid and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown. Once you take the lid off, the bread likely won't rise anymore.

What makes sourdough bread taste better? ›

Keep the dough temperature lower: Lactic acid bacteria are most active in the higher temperatures of the mid 80s-90sºF. Keeping the dough in the 76-78º F range will still ferment and produce bacteria but will encourage lactic acid bacteria instead of acetic acid bacteria resulting in a more mild flavored loaf.

What is the mother of sourdough bread? ›

Mother - this is the overall dough culture that lives in a bowl in your fridge. We take portions from it to make our ferments (Starter) for our sourdough recipes. When the mother culture gets low, we add to it (feed it).

What is the secret behind the sour of sourdough bread? ›

Sourdough bread's signature taste comes from friendly bacteria and yeast, which produce flavorful lactic and acetic acids in rising bread dough.

How can I make my sourdough rise better? ›

So don't leave your dough in a warm oven, on a radiator or in sunlight. It will likely be too warm and will dry out your dough too. Instead, find a cosy spot, with no drafts, for your dough to rise. And, if your sourdough starter is struggling to get going, consider finding it a warmer spot too.

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