Recipe of the week: Chocolate Bread

Why Chocolate Bread?

What a great excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast! Despite its looks and smell, it is not cake. There is very little sugar in this recipe the real enjoyment is the chocolate. Try to use good quality cocoa in this recipe as is will add a great depth of colour, and importantly the flavour you want from anything that has chocolate in the title. It is delicious straight from the oven, or toasted with a smear of butter and marmalade or cherry jam. (Think chocolate covered orange rinds or black forest cake with out the guilt!)

Ingredients

20 g dried yeast
40 g caster sugar
310ml milk
400 g bread flour
40 g unsweetened good quality cocoa
40 g melted butter

Method

Place the yeast and sugar in a bowl. Gently heat the milk in a saucepan until a little hotter than your finger and add to the yeast. Stir through and leave for 10 minutes and foamy.

Meanwhile place the flour, cocoa and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Add the milk mixture to the flour and mix well. Knead for 5 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic in texture; feel free to use a machine with a dough hook. (I personally feel you get a better result by hand)

Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave in a warm, draught free area for up to 2 hours to double in size.

Knock the dough by punching it with your fists. Reshape the dough and lay it in a floured 30 ¥ 11cm loaf tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for another 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 180∞c.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is firm and the bread sounds hollow if you tap it on the bottom. Allow to cool.

Enjoy it by itself, or with butter and jams. It also freezes well for a little indulgence at another time.

Bon Appetite