This is the second of two posts that I dedicated to chocolate (even though I'm no chocolate lover). After bitter chocolate drink, here is a recipe for bittersweet chocolate yeastbread. But first, a little more of chocolate history.
Chocolate was introduced to Western societies during the 15th century by the returning explorers. It was quickly adopted by the nobility but also conquered the masses. Chocolate was gradually used in baked goods
after James Baker, Coenraad Van Houten and Rodolphe Lindt developed
methods for processing the cacao beans in 1764, 1828 and 1879
respectively. From then on, cakes were not only filled and glazed
with but also made entirely of chocolate. The
peak of this 'chocolate
fever' was the introduction of Devil's food cake in the 1930s. Some
versions of this luscious dessert were not only made but also
filled with chocolate. Other delights for chocolate lovers in more recent years have been chocolate soufflé, chocolate brownies, and chocolate
fudge.
Chocolate yeastbread is rare and most people who do make this version use sourdough for leavener. My own version is leavened with biga starter (Italian pre-ferment), which is quicker to make.
CHOCOLATE BREAD
Biga starter is prepared with or without yeast one day ahead, left overnight to
rise and fall, then mixed into yeast-dough, resulting in
open-textured breads, such as ciabatta.
I n g r e d i e n t s
for the biga starter
225g strong bread flour
210ml whole milk
1tsp dried yeast (or 7g fresh yeast)
for the dough
450g strong bread flour
3tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2tsp dried yeast (or 15g fresh yeast)
1tsp vanilla sugar
a pinch of salt
150ml whole milk
115g butter, cubed
100g dark chocolate, chopped
150g caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150g almonds
M e t h o d
Day 1: Combine the flour and yeast in a bowl. Heat the milk until lukewarm.
Add to the dry ingredients and stir well. Cover the bowl with a towel
and let stand overnight. Day 2: 1. Combine the flour, cocoa, yeast,
vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. 2. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Mix in
the butter, chocolate, and sugar. Add the beaten egg, saving a little
for brushing the dough. Stir vigorously until combined. (The temperature
of the mixture should be 37-38C.) 3. Pour into the starter, then combine
with the dry ingredients. Cover with a towel and let stand for 30
minutes. 4. Transfer onto a hard surface, knead for 15 minutes, return to
the bowl, cover and let proof until doubled in bulk, about 1.5 hour. 5. Punch down, knead for 2-3 minutes, and leave to rise until nearly
doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. 6. Punch down, roll out into a thick
sheet, cover with almonds, and roll. Seal the edges and transfer onto a
baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with the towel and let
stand for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 225C. 7. Slash the dough with a knife horizontally at 5-7cm intervals. Thin out the
remaining egg with a little milk or water and brush the loaf. 8. Bake for 25 minutes, lower the
temperature to 190C and continue for 10-20 minutes. (To check if it's ready, knock underneath. The sound must be hollow.) 9. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
V a r i a t i o n s
Leave
out the almonds. Fill with marzipan. Replace the sugar with candied fruit.
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