No-Knead Chocolate Bread - You Read that Right, CHOCOLATE

"If a chocolate cake and a loaf of bread had a baby, this would be it!" - April S.

This recipe is Part 2 of the No Knead Bread Series for the K-Nervous Bread Maker. My idea is that I would use the same base recipe as found in the straight up bread and just add stuff to completely change the product. If you've missed it, here is Part 1 - Straight Up Artisan Bread.

I adjusted this recipe to suit my 3.5 Quart Dutch Oven. There are literally hundreds of recipe variations which give amounts for 5 and 6 Quart ovens.

Important to NOTE: You do not need a Dutch Oven, simply a pan with a cover that can take 450F temperature. Or a pan that can take the heat and aluminum foil.

Also, this bread takes 12 hours to rise, at least.

Note:  My lovely friend Kelly Neil and I have been trialing different temperatures with this recipe. When I first made it I used a 450F oven during the whole process and there was some scorching of the outside of the bread (still tasty though). Since then I have adjusted the recipe to the temps that have worked for me.  I use a Natural Gas oven so adjust to your oven (some run hotter or cooler).  Preheat to 450F, bake covered for 30 mins at 425F and then bake uncovered for 15 mins at 400F. 

Things you Knead (Need - See what I did there??) (Otherwise Known as Ingredients and Supplies)

2 cups All Purpose Flour, plus some for dusting
3/8 tsp Quick Rise Yeast
1&1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp Cocoa - You will need some more for dusting while forming the dough
1 Tbsp +2 tsp Granulated Sugar
1&1/3-1&1/2 cups Water, Cool to Room Temperature
3/4 cup chocolate pieces (I used chips, chunks, and cacao nibs - 1/4 cup each) - You could use peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, toffee pieces - it's up to you.

Parchment Paper
Plastic Wrap
Dutch Oven (3.5 qt) or a pan that can take the heat
Something that serves as a cover
Large Bowl for rising dough
Spoons, measuring cups - You know the drill

Things you Do (Otherwise Known as Directions)

Dump 2 cups of flour in the bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, cocoa and salt and mix together. I use a small whisk.

Add chocolate pieces.

Add the water.  I start by dumping 1&1/3 cups in and using a wooden spoon or spatula to mix. Please DO NOT overmix - the less you fuss the better. If you find that the flour is not incorporated, add remaining water, a Tbsp at a time until no "loose" flour is left.

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

12-18 hours later...

Preheat Oven to 450F. When your oven reaches the temp. Carefully put your pan (with cover or foil on) in the oven and leave for 30 minutes.  It's creating a steam oven within a steam oven!

Meanwhile...
Take a piece of parchment and lay out on  the countertop. Dust the parchment paper with 1 Tbsp flour and 1 Tbsp Cocoa and coat your hands. The dough will be uber-sticky!  Unwrap the dough bowl, take a scraper (or a really pointy hand) and dump on the paper. Keep plastic wrap.

 Don't worry that the dough is like a light brown colour, it darkens significantly in the baking process.

Using your well flour/cocoa-dusted hands mold the dough into the shape of the pan (I use a round Dutch Oven). I have added the "How To" Pictures from my Straight Up bread here too.  You will end up with loose flour/cocoa on the top - no worries, we'll deal with that shortly.

Different bread, same method

Different Bread ,Similar Look

Place the plastic wrap loosely on the dough and let it rest until the pan has heated for 30 minutes.

Ding!  The 30 minute timer has gone off.

Take  a brush and gently dust off the excess flour/cocoa on the parchment paper. Even brush a little off the top. There is some flour/cocoa that will stay stuck and that is absolutely ok.

Reduce heat to 425F and WITH OVEN MITTS, take out the pan, take off the cover and CAREFULLY drop the dough (parchment paper and all) into the pan. Put cover on (or in my case crimp foil on) and place in oven for 30 minutes.

30 minutes later...
Reduce heat again to 400F, take off cover and bake for 15 minutes more.

When done, carefully remove from oven and lift the bread out and place on cooling rack.

Let cool completely (yeah right) and then slice, use as bowl, rip off chunks - whatever tickles your fancy.

Here's what I figured - There was slight scorching on top. May if I reduced the heat to 400 for the last 15 minutes it may solve the issue? Worth a thought and try next time.

I recommend cutting and top the slice with Peanut Butter (you know what I'm saying!)

Wrapping it in plastic wrap will keep it for about a week easily.

Cheers and happy non-kneading,
Lori