Chocolate Strawberry Sourdough Bread
The perfect sweet loaf for your sweetheart. This chocolate strawberry sourdough bread is swirled with freeze-dried strawberries and dark chocolate chips- A loaf of bread that tastes like chocolate covered strawberries.
Ingredients
- 300 g bread flour
- 200 g water
- 50 g sourdough starter active and bubbly (see notes)
- 7 g salt
- 2-3 drops red food coloring Optional
- 10 g freeze dried strawberries chopped
- 50 g dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Mix the bread flour and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a glass measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, water, and food coloring if using.
- Pour the water mixture over the flour. Use a bread whisk or your hands to mix the dough until no dry flour remains. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Over the next hour, perform a set of stretch and folds every 15 minutes, covering the bowl between sets. To perform a stretch and fold, grab one edge of the dough. Gently stretch the dough up until you feel maximal tension, then fold the dough over itself. Turn the bowl ¼ turn and repeat until you make a complete rotation around the bowl.
- When you complete your last set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl and allow to rest for 5-10 hours for bulk fermentation. The timing of the bulk fermentation greatly depends on your environment. The dough is complete when it is smooth and dome shaped with the edges separating from the bowl. The dough will have some give when pressed and appear to have small bubbles over the surface. Please see my guide to bulk fermentation if you need help with knowing when your dough is done.
Shape the Dough
- When bulk fermentation is complete, lightly flour a clean counter. Gently stretch the dough into an approximate square measuring about 6-8 inches long.
- Sprinkle about 2/3 of the strawberries and chocolate chips over the surface of the dough.
- Fold the dough into thirds like an envelope. Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the strawberries and chocolate chips over the top of the dough. Roll the short end of the dough toward you, forming a ball.
- Place the dough seam side down on the counter. Gently pull and rotate the bread towards you on the counter to build surface tension. Repeat 3-4 times. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured banneton. Cover and place in fridge for cold fermentation. Cold fermentation should last between 1-24 hours for this recipe. You can also skip cold fermentation altogether and bake immediately.
Bake the Dough
- When ready to bake, place a 5 or 6 quart dutch oven in the oven. Preheat oven to 450℉.
- Remove your loaf from the fridge and turn, seam side down, onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the loaf with a sharp knife or bread lame from one end of the loaf to the other.
- Use the parchment paper to carefully lift the dough and transfer it to your preheated dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 15 minutes.
- After the 15 minutes is up, reduce the temperature to 425℉. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered. (Note: Place a trivet underneath the bread if you have one for this final bake to prevent the bottom crust from getting thick and tough.)
- Remove bread from dutch oven and transfer to cooling rack when done. Allow to cool before cutting into the loaf.
Notes
Ensure sourdough starter is active and reliably doubles when fed.
- 8-12 hours before baking, feed 10 g of starter 20 g of water and 20 g flour. This will create the 50 g needed for the recipe.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!