Chocolate + Espresso + Sourdough = Pure Indulgence
If you’ve ever wished sourdough could double as dessert, this Chocolate Espresso Sourdough Loaf is your dream come true. With a deep cocoa flavour enhanced by espresso and studded with melty chocolate chips, this bread is the perfect balance of rich, bold, and indulgent.
Think of it as the love child between a rustic sourdough loaf and a fudgy chocolate cake.. hearty enough to slice and serve with butter, but decadent enough to stand on its own as a sweet treat.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Decadent flavour: Bloomed cocoa + espresso create a rich, intense chocolate base.
- Chocolate overload: A mix of dark and milk chocolate chips ensures every slice has gooey pockets of sweetness.
- Perfect for any time of day: Enjoy it warm for breakfast, toasted with butter, or as a dessert loaf alongside coffee or ice cream.
- Sourdough twist: Natural fermentation adds depth of flavour and balances the sweetness.
Ingredients
- 100g espresso coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 100g water, cooled to room temp)
- 50g cocoa powder
- 50g brown sugar
- 300g water
- 150g active starter
- 500g bread flour
- 10g salt
- 400g chocolate chips (50/50 dark and milk)
Method
1. Bloom the Cocoa
In a medium bowl, whisk together 50g cocoa powder, 100g coffee, and 50g brown sugar. Let the mixture sit for 15–20 minutes to bloom the cocoa and intensify the chocolate flavour.
2. Mix the Dough
To the cocoa mix, add 300g of water and 150g of active sourdough starter and mix until incorporated. Gradually add 500g bread flour, mixing until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
3. Add Salt & Stretch
Mix in 10g salt. Add 200g of chocolate chips, then perform your first set of stretch and folds. Repeat three more times every 30 minutes, resting in between. (Tip: if the dough feels tight, fewer stretches are fine.)
4. Bulk Fermentation
Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until it doubles in size with a smooth, slightly domed surface.
5. Pre-Shape & Bench Rest
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Stretch into a rectangle, sprinkle with chocolate chips, fold into thirds, sprinkle more chips, and roll into a ball. Rest for 15-20 minutes.
6. Final Shape
Shape the dough and place seam-side up in a well-floured banneton. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. Bake in Dutch Oven
Preheat your oven and Dutch oven to 250°C for at least 30 minutes. Transfer dough onto baking paper, score, and bake:
- 40 minutes with the lid on
- 10-20 minutes with the lid off (longer lid time helps prevent chocolate chips from burning)
8. Cool & Enjoy
Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing into your indulgent sourdough loaf.
Serving Suggestions
- Spread with salted butter for a sweet-savoury combo.
- Pair with espresso or hot chocolate for the ultimate treat.
- Turn it into next-level French toast or bread pudding.
- Serve slices warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This loaf is the kind of bake that will impress guests but also secretly feel like a baker’s reward at the end of the week. Deeply flavoured, perfectly textured, and packed with melty chocolate, it’s proof that sourdough can be so much more than your daily loaf.
