KS Quotient
Super Easy: Easily mixed, readily available ingredients, added all at once. No hand-shaping.
Studded with chocolate morsels and boldly flavored with cocoa powder, this bread is dark, moist, and full of chocolate-honey goodness. It also has an irresistible crunchy sugar crust. It's great as a snack with coffee, tea, or milk and makes a pleasing light dessert, especially if topped with the Glossy Chocolate Drizzle . For a more sophisticated taste, try either the lightly spiced or orange-hazelnut versions at the end of this recipe.
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 15 slices
3¼ cups (16.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more as needed
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process, sifted after measuring
2½ tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
Generous 1¼ teaspoons table salt
¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
½ cup clover honey or other mild honey
¼ cup corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil, plus extra for coating dough top and baking pan
1¾ cups ice water, plus more if needed
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
Glossy Chocolate Drizzle for garnish, optional
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, cocoa, 2½ tablespoons sugar, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the honey and oil into the water. Thoroughly stir the mixture and chocolate morsels into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides and mixing until well blended. If too dry to mix together, add just enough more water to facilitate mixing, but don't over-moisten, as the dough should be stiff. If necessary, stir in enough more flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
Second Rise Vigorously stir the dough. Using an oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center all the way around (this organizes the gluten for shaping the dough into a loaf). Invert it out into a very well-greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Evenly brush or spray the top with oil. Smooth out the dough and evenly press into the pan with an oiled rubber spatula or fingertips. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.
Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 1- to 2-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a ½- to 1½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate, covered, for 4 to 48 hours, then set out at room temperature. When the dough nears the plastic, remove it and continue the rise until the dough reaches the pan rim or doubles from its deflated size.
Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.
Baking Sprinkle the loaf top evenly with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake on the lower rack for 40 minutes, or until the loaf is well browned. Cover the top with foil and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes, occasionally testing with a skewer inserted in the thickest part. When it comes out with just slightly moist particles clinging to the bottom portion (or until the center registers 204° to 206°F on an instant-read thermometer), bake for 5 minutes more to ensure the center is done. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the loaf with a knife, then place on the rack. Cool thoroughly. Garnish the cooled loaf with Glossy Chocolate Drizzle, if desired.
Serving and StoringServe warm, or cool, or toasted; the bread slices best when cool. Cool thoroughly before storing in plastic or foil. Keeps at room temperature for 3 days. May be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
Prepare as directed, except add ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg along with the salt and increase the yeast to 1 teaspoon (the nutmeg inhibits yeast growth a bit).
Prepare as directed, except add 1½ teaspoons finely grated orange zest along with the water mixture and ½ cup hulled, chopped, and lightly toasted hazelnuts along with the chocolate morsels.