This sourdough chocolate bread tastes like a fudgy brownie and cake combined, deliciously moist with depths of chocolate in every bite. The fermentation process gives the bread a great flavor depth heightening the chocolate with the perfect balance of sweet that had my kids devouring it one day, you might want to double the recipe!
This recipe took a few go-rounds, the first time I made, I didn’t have the ratio of sourdough starter to flour quite right and it ended up being too gooey in the center… like the loaf fell apart when I removed it from the pan. Don’t worry, I ate it with a spoon like a chocolate bread pudding (which definitely is on my list of sourdough recipes to develop), none went to waste! You can learn from my trial and error by reading my sourdough baking tips and tricks for success.
However, I wanted to create a fully fermented sourdough chocolate bread for all the fabulous health benefits but I didn’t want it to taste sour, which can be tricky when doing fully fermented recipes. Especially if you have kids with taste buds on high alert for any sourness, so I kept tweaking this bad boy until we reached as close to perfection as possible.
When I first started with sourdough I had no idea that the WAY I was feeding and maintaining my starter was the reason it was SOOO sour. If you want to create a sourdough starter that isn’t too sour (or make one from scratch for the first time) head on over to my free sourdough video series here!
If you’re not worried about fully fermenting your recipe, you just want all this delicious in your mouth pronto, then skip the soaking phase and mix ‘er up.
What does Chocolate Sourdough Bread Taste Like?
I know, chocolate sourdough, it seems, well kind of weird, like maybe they shouldn’t go together. But oh my friend, sourdough somehow transforms chocolate recipes into a whole nother realm of amazingness.
Even with less sugar than most sweetbreads and semi-sweet chocolate chips, this is a dark chocolate sourdough bread that tastes like a fudgy brownie with the height of quick bread. In other words, more deliciousness in your mouth.
If you love chocolate (like chocolate wacky cake with chocolate buttercream frosting), then you will want to dive taste buds first into this recipe. I used my double chocolate zucchini bread recipe as the base for this one. With pockets of melted chocolate chips, it feels like a sinful dessert. A sinful dessert with only a scant 1/2 cup of sugar for the ENTIRE recipe and no dutch oven needed!
Tips for Making Sourdough Chocolate Bread:
- If you want a fully fermented bread recipe, mix the starter and flour 8 to 12 hours before you want to bake the bread (if you want to bake in the morning, do it the night before, if you want to bake it warm for supper, then mix the starter and flour in the morning). Don’t let it form a hard crust. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel to keep the top of the dough from drying out during the bulk ferment.
- Your sourdough starter doesn’t have to be in an active state or mature for this bread recipe. You can absolutely use discard (and us sourdough peeps all need more sourdough discard recipes)! If you’re not sure what any of those terms mean, go through my FREE sourdough video series here!
- If your batter feels too thick (see the video so you can see what my batter looks like when I pour it into the cast iron loaf pan but think a thick pancake batter, thicker than cake batter) add a small amount of brewed coffee or espresso for extra liquid. You won’t taste the coffee but it’s your secret weapon to making any chocolate cake or bread taste more chocolatey!
- Want dried cherry chocolate chip bread? Add in 1/2 cup of dried cherries with the chocolate chips
Tools You May Need:
- Danish dough whisk (you’ll never have a kitchen without one once you use it!)
- Cast Iron loaf pan (you guys, this is the ONLY bread pan you’ll ever use, no need to use parchment paper… I need to get a second one because I can’t bring myself to use my other metal pans after using cast iron)
- Large mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons
- Grain mill if you’re using fresh ground flour (everything you need to know in my guide about grinding your own flour and home milling and my favorite places to find whole grains in bulk.)
- Silicone spatula
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Sourdough Chocolate Bread Ingredients
- Sourdough starter. I keep my sourdough starter at 100% hydration and room temperature for this recipe, which means equal parts flour and water by weight, if your sourdough starter is runny, you will need to adjust and add a bit more flour so it’s stiffer. Learn how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch and how to revive a sourdough starter.
- Flour. This recipe is versatile, you can use all-purpose or Spelt. You really don’t need bread flour as we’re not developing the gluten in this loaf. I used fresh ground Spelt for this bread (which does well when in a pan as Spelt has a tendency to spread out instead of up). Spelt is one of my favorite grains to use as a pastry or cake flour due to it’s lower gluten level. Learn how to pick the best flour for recipes here in my Best Flour for Baking- Home Baker’s Flour Guide 101.
- Cocoa powder. I user organic raw cocoa powder and buy it in bulk (in case you didn’t notice, we’re huge chocolate fans on the homestead). Raw cocoa powder is nutrient-dense and non-alkalinized (which means more of the good stuff our bodies need!). I purchase this brand in 5-pound bags, but you can get it in smaller amounts as well.
- Vanilla extract. Such a tiny ingredient but really adds to the flavor of baked goods. I haven’t used store-bought vanilla extract in YEARS. It’s so simple to make and homemade has so much more flavor. Here’s my easy tutorial to make homemade vanilla extract.
- Applesauce. I adore recipes that use my home-canned items. One of the beautiful things about canning your own applesauce is I control the amount of sugar that goes in I rarely add any sugar to my applesauce. The applesauce in this recipe not only adds natural sweetness but also contributes to the moisture of the bread as it bakes. Want to learn how to can? I have a free online canning class here
See the notes section for tips on knowing when your bread is done (we don’t want a raw middle or overbaked and dry).
Let me know if you enjoy this recipe for sourdough chocolate bread, it’s decadent enough to have as a dessert but we also love it as a quick breakfast!
Looking for more sourdough resources?
- Best Beginner Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter + Tips for Success
- Reviving a Sourdough Starter from the Dead
- Rehydrating Sourdough Starter
- Easy Sourdough Tortilla Recipe
- Essential Homestead Skills
Get ALL of my sourdough recipes in Sourdough Recipes for the Home Kitchen e-book
Sourdough Chocolate Bread From Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 3/4 cup fresh ground Spelt flour
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup raw cocoa powder
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee or espresso *
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix together sourdough starter and flour (*if using fresh ground spelt increase to 3/4 cup). For fully fermented allow to soak for 8 to 12 hours.
- Grease your 9×5 loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add in cocoa powder, applesauce, salt, sourdough and flour. Mix until fully combined.
- *If dough is stiff, add in brewed coffee/espresso.
- Add baking powder, baking soda and 3/4 cup of your chocolate chips (reserve a 1/4 to sprinkle on top of loaf), fold in until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes in pan, then remove to cooling rack.
Notes
- Don’t over bake. Each oven bakes slightly different, check your bread at 45 minutes. The two ways to tell if it’s done, one is when a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, the second is when the bread begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Full fermentation. If you want a fully fermented bread, mix the starter and flour 8 to 12 hours before you want to bake the bread (if you want to bake in the morning, do it the night before, if you want to bake it warm for supper, then mix the starter and flour in the morning).
- Don’t add the baking powder and soda with other dry ingredients. When working with sourdough remember it is acidic so DON’T add your baking powder or soda until right before pouring into pan so the bread rises in the oven as it’s baking, not while you’re incorporating other ingredients into the dough.
- If experiencing unincorporated bits of dough from full ferment, add more water to starter and flour so it’s wetter and easier to incorporate into liquids when making up the full recipe to avoid any flour spots inside the baked bread.
How would you substitute the coffee portion or can’t you taste it? I honestly do not like coffee but this looks super good!
Would just add water, if you don’t like coffee.
This was INSANE! Immediately after I tried it, I ran some over to my neighbor to show off! Hits ALL the notes🥰
This is one of The Best chocolate recipes I’ve ever tasted!
Yes, I tried this recipe and it turned out good except the top was dry from setting overnight to ferment. I had it covered with a towel. I mixed it all by hand which was probably the reason for bits of flour and the dry top pieces showing up throughout the loaf.
This has turned out amazing! I’m a lil confused by the flour situation, but I have added flour to make it into some sort of batter, seems if I only use 3/4 cup with my starter, that isn’t enough–so……I have just winged it. Could you clarify how you use/add the flour?f I read it as add 3/4 to the starter and let ferment…then add the rest, at that point my batter is soup, so I have been adding. It has been absolutely delicious!
Melissa, you have been talking about your sourdough brownies. Is this the same recipe you are talking about, the sourdough chocolate bread recipe? Thanks.
Hi
Wondering if I can use a different pan then a loaf pan?
I used ap flour and batter was too wet
Then simply add more flour
I just got into the world of sourdough about 5 weeks ago, and I’ve been using my discard to make this recipe. Husband loves it! I have celiacs so I have no clue what it tastes like, but it smells heavenly as it bakes! Making a second batch now, this time mixing the starter with all the liquids, and then adding the dry ingredients. (I wasn’t patient enough/I forgot for it to do the ferment). The starter seems to have incorporated so much better than round one (the first batch had clumps, but didn’t last long enough to go to waste- it was still devoured!)
I absolutely love this recipe! It is a guilt-free fix for my sweet tooth. My granddaughter also loves it so much that I used it to make her smash cake for her 2nd birthday party! I do recommend letting it cool more than 10 minutes before taking out of the pan so that it holds together better. Also make sure to bake until the center is done by checking with a toothpick.
I baked this bread this morning. Did the fully fermented version using 100% hydration discard, followed the directions to the letter, baked it for 58 minutes, the edges pulled away from the sides and toothpick was clean. Was raised and beautiful when I brought it out. When I returned to the kitchen 10 minutes later it was sunken terribly in the middle. I cut it after totally cooled. Tasted the edge piece , DELICIOUS! I am not throwing it away and will toast or microwave the goopy center. Any idea why this happened? If I left it longer the edges would have burned. I used a metal pan but not cast iron. It’s yummy on the edges.
Can I get the measurements in oz please. I prefer using my scale.
Thanks
Hey Melissa,
thank you so much for this recipe- so far it tastes very good I just have a couple of questions.
1. If I want to use Spelt flour already ground from the store (not freshly milled at home), should I use the 3/4 cup or the 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons?
2. I made the bread following your exact instructions including a 12 hour ferment with the flour and active sourdough starter. The sourdough and flour doesn’t appear to have mixed completely with the batter in the final bread product (there are small clumps of flour in the final bread). Do you know how I can avoid these clumps? I am going to try to mix better with the next batch. I also did use my hands to mix everything since I don’t have the tool you suggested.
thank you!
Hi Melissa, I would like to try this recipe but I don’t have any sourdough starter yet (mine accidently got ruined 2 weeks in. The weather changed so I put it in the oven with the light on and a couple of hours later without thinking, preheated my oven to make spaghetti squash. Needless to say the starter was ruined. I will be starting a new one soon). Can I make this recipe just using the baking powder and baking soda ( adjusting the flour and applesauce)? I am new to baking. Thank you so much. I purchased your sourdough class and have been enjoying your videos on youtube.
Hi .is the 3/4 cup flour also included with the all purpose four? I cant get that part Thanks much
No, it’s 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour if using all-purpose, if using spelt flour it’s 3/4 cup
This is really tasty. I would have rated it 5 stars but after letting the sour dough starter and flour ferment it’s really hard to incorporate it all into the batter. Maybe 3rd will be the charm. Even with the unincorporated bits my family still loves it, it just frustrates me that I can’t get it right.
We loved this recipe; thanks, Melissa! Since we didn’t have applesauce on hand, I took Melissa’s advice in one of the comments to add more oil (I used 1/4 c butter) and an extra egg as a substitute. I also added 1/4 c honey to add moisture and sweetness that the apples would’ve added, but I think 2-3 tbsp would’ve been better. I also used milled soft white wheat instead of AP flour. It turned out so moist and flavorful! I hope to make this again, but properly, with applesauce.
Hello, I have a question, it says for fully fermented. My question is, can I use starter and flour mixture after 5 hours? Didn’t realize the time difference for the fermentation.
Yes, you can use it immediately or wait, up to you.
My whole house smells like chocolate and this bread is DELICIOUS!! I didn’t have apple sauce so I used two mashed bananas and it worked well. Thank you for sharing it with everyone!
Love the idea of the banannas!
Hi! Made this today with all purpose flour. It rose in the pan looking like it would spill over in the oven but then it fell in the oven. Tasted delicious though, especially warm! I did add the leaveners at the end too. Maybe I over mixed. Could you use half butter and half oil? Thanks and I do enjoy your blog!
Why are there things crossed out on the blogpost? I’m confused by the cocoa powder being crossed off in the recipe.
If the link is broken (it looks Amazon changed the link on the cocoa powder) it crosses out the link, I haven’t had a chance to update those
I was on the fence about this recipe, all the way up until I tasted it. It did not come together easily, but it tasted amazing! I will be making this again!
This turned out wonderfully! I made it for my family to enjoy together, but I had to try it myself before everyone came home and it was just perfect! I love a good sourdough recipe!
Thanks for posting this recipe. It is in the oven as I am typing this, but the batter was yummy! I know, you are not suppose to eat raw batter, but it was too yummy not to. haha. Thank you once again, and I will let you know how my family loves me for making this.
Loved this!! I substituted flax seed for the eggs and coconut oil for the butter, and used homemade applesauce … I had to add the coffee to loosen up the dough at the end. Gooey and delicious.
If using not freshly ground spelt flour should the amount be the same? Also, I imagine mashed bananas could replace applesauce pretty finely? I love partial banana bread. Thanks for your trial and error so I don’t have to try and err myself to get comparable results!
If not using fresh ground spelt then use the other measurement amount. I think a mashed banana would work perfect (I’ve also used shredded zucchini too)
I would love to make this. Do you think I could use white whole wheat flour instead of AP flour?
Red looks delicious! I’m an experienced Baker, and followed your directions exactly even through fermentation. However, when I filled up the 9 x 5 it was extremely full, and luckily I put a tray underneath of it. It overflowed! Is the pan you use deeper than a traditional 9 x 5 loaf pan?
Howdy! I am super excited to make the fully fermented version of this recipe! I really wanting to use bananas, I have some super ripe bananas that need to be used. Do you think I could sub the applesauce for banana? Thanks!
Yes I think those would work great!
Hi Melissa
I just mixed my active starter with flour (all-purpose flour) For fermentation and dough is crumbly. I don’t have a dough whisk so I used a spatula. It did not look like the dough in your video, so I sorta formed it together with my hands. Now it seems like a tough heavy ball is that normal or have I over mixed it? I’m afraid tomorrow when I mix with wet ingredients it’s not going to mix well. Let me know what you think. Thanks
Try incorporating some water with it first, that definitely sounds too dry
hi melissa,
happy valentines day! i am making this chocolate sourdough bread. i also have the curiosity of the dough being too dry during fermentation? mine is a tiny bit dryer than you show in the video. you mention to ‘andi’ on june 13, 2020 (above) to incorporate a little water, should i try the same? do i do this before fermenting or when i mix everything together?
also is it okay to mix it all in a kitchen aid using a dough hook?
thank you for your help.
ps. it was not clear to use active starter or discard, now i know.
Hi Susi,
Yes, use more water if it’s dryer and it’s probably easier to do it before fermenting but can be done later too. If the dough hook makes it easier its fine to use
I need to get your book where you have mostly bread recipes & the recipes to make different things like apple spice,vanilla…etc!. Please. I’m a beginner baker. Love your website & recipes & videos. Thank you. Luz
Is this a discard recipe or is the starter fed and active? I ask because you use baking soda and powder for the leavening.
Discard recipe
Hi Melissa,
This recipe sounds wonderful! The only flour I have though is einkorn whole wheat flour and sprouted einkorn whole wheat flour that I sprouted and ground myself. Will one of these work for this recipe? If so, do I have to change anything in regards to how much flour, etc. to use? I will replace the applesauce with the oil and egg you mentioned in another answer.
Thank you,
Deb Casey
What can you use if you don’t use coffee? I don’t drink or buy coffee so that isn’t an option.
Thanks,
Christy
Just use all water instead.
I don’t drink or buy coffee, either… but I get free samples! I opened the drawer to see some coffee and I put it in a milk filter in a glass bowl– this turned out perfect! I will confess I added flour to a consistency that I thought more appropriate than I started with….and WORD, this turned out moist, and delicious. Also-I didn’t have applesauce on hand, so I cooked up 4 apples that were sitting in the fridge, added roughly a cups worth to the processor and served the rest for supper……… this was PERFECT. So good. I just paid a professional $50 for a birthday cake that was gorgeous, but oh, so, dry–this cake totally put them to shame. Dare I ask if you know nutrition? I also subbed coconut sugar!! YUMMMMMMYY
Ever made this into muffins? Thinking portion control… . Assume baking time adjustment but anything else to consider?
No but I’ve been thinking about it! I would just adjust bake time and start checking them at about 18 minutes
The recipe says 1/2 cup of flour, but if using all purpose, to use less. If fresh milled flour requires more hydration, why would you want more fresh milled than all-purpose?
It says 3/4 cup flour when using fresh ground spelt, if using all-purpose it says use 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (it’s only 2 Tablespoon difference either way). I find Spelt is different than hard or soft white wheat and this amount works best. I’ll make a note for those who didn’t watch the video and hear me say Spelt so it’s more clear in the written instructions.
No luck or maybe no skill! I feel defeated this week and urgh the cost of wasted ingredients… Take 1, after 8 hours my fermenting starter and flour got a hard crust. Take 2, I skipped the fermenting and wound up with cocoa slop with white dough chunks that wouldn’t break up and mix in it. The sourdough starter is getting the best of me. Maybe next week I can try again. Now what the heck do I serve for dessert tonight? I let my family eat all the bananas and I used all but jar scrapings in the starter jar.
Did you cover the mix with something while it was formenting ?
Hi Melissa,
Thank you very much for sharing with us this recipe.
Have you ever tried to make this cake without adding baking soda or baking powder and just letting it naturally rise with a live sourdough once you mix all ingredients?
In this case I am assuming you will start with an active started at the beginning of this recipe.
I wonder it if would work?
I haven’t, without the gluten structure once it hits the oven I’m afraid it would just bubble over and make a mess as the batter is just an inch from the top of the pan without rising as is.
Do you think an Amish starter would be active enough for good fermentation for this bread? Thank you for the post! I’ve been making a different version and it always comes out too dry. I’m excited to give this one a try!
I’m not sure what an Amish starter is vs. regular starter so I don’t know. This doesn’t use the starter in it’s active state or need to be fully mature so I’m guessing it’s okay.
Is the starter flour mixture supposed to be liquidy or doughy? I think I did something wrong in this step. Thank you!
It’s easier to incorporate if it’s more liquidy for this recipe.
I have made this 3 times now, the problem I am having is that the starter doesn’t all mix into the batter. I have small chunks of starter all through the cake. I have tried both overnight fermentation and not. The bread is so tasty, that’s why I keep trying, I am not a novice baker . I have also tried using thinner starter……and I have watched your video several times. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks for all you do, stay safe.
Martha,
Try mixing your starter with the wet ingredients first if you’re not doing the overnight ferment and then add in the additional flour, cocoa powder, baking powder/soda and salt. This should help eliminate any clumps of starter/flour.
Thanks, I’ll give that a try. This is such a yummy bread. Even with the clumps my grandson loves it. Thanks again, stay safe
Hi! What happens if I don’t add the applesauce, trying to use whatever I have in the pantry during quarantine right now and don’t have applesauce!
You’ll need some type of other moisture/fat content. Shredded carrots or zucchini work or you can try 1/2 cup oil and an additional egg.
I hade this problem as well and did a search and found the 2 ripe bananas can also be a replacement! It was DELICIOUS!
Made this And all I can say is WOW THIS IS DELICIOUS. Not too sweet, great chocolate flavor. Great way to use discard or just to use some starter.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it as much as we did!
I am making this. So i is I pull out my starter use one cup, mix the starter with the flour and let ferment overnight. Then in the morning add everything else? Sorry this isn’t clear to me
Hi Lisa, correct, if you want all the flour in the bread to be fully fermented pull out 1 cup of starter and mix in the flour and let sit for 8 hours.
Question about this part as well. After the ferment, it says add coco powder, applesauce, salt, soughdough & flour…is this adding in additional flour beyond what was used to ferment and if so how much? Also, you don’t need any water for the ferment, just starter & flour?
Thanks!
If you’re doing the ferment then don’t add more flour, sorry if that was confusing (I’ll reread and edit that if needed). No extra liquid for the fermenting or you’ll have too much liquid in the bread batter. If doing the ferment with the starter and flour, you’ll want to mix all your liquids/fats together and then incorporate the fermented starter and flour, then add in the remaining dry ingredients.
I had the same problem, crunchy bread! I didn’t understand to add the other liquids in with the starter to ferment either.
Hey Melissa!
Yummy is one great word for this chocolate bread. I made it yesterday. I followed your recipe, and it turned out just perfect! My entire family loved it! My husband even told me I had to hide it cuz it tasted soooo good!
Thank you for sharing this treasure and all of your useful tips. They helped me A LOT. <3
Hi Melissa!
Thanks for the double chocolate sourdough bread recipe! I made it yesterday for Valentine’s Day and it was sooo yummy and moist, and oh so chocolatey. I’m fairly new to sourdough, and I’m still trying to get my husband to eat more sourdough and this recipe helps ALOT! 🙂
Thanks again!
Just curious… when you make applesauce what type of apple do you use?
Cant walt to try out this recipe!
Any apple will work, but the more tart like a Grannysmith then you’ll have to add more sugar for most to find it palatable. My favorite is Gravenstein, Honey Crisp, Gala, Golden Delicious and Chehalis.