An unlikely but delicious duo, the slightly tangy taste of sourdough goes perfectly with cocoa and chocolate chips. We love eating this with cream cheese on top for breakfast, and so will you. Really. Try it.

finished sourdough chocolate loaf on cooling rack

If you’ve never made sourdough bread before, I recommend you start with something a little more simple. Unless you’re ambitious. I am too. Read about sourdough bread for beginners and then come back.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

If you can’t find vanilla bean powder, I’ve left a link below. Or you can also use double the amount of vanilla extract. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use a baking sheet for the bread and another one with water in it to create steam.

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ingredients in bowls on counter.

This will make 1 loaf of bread. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, or use metric measurements, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ½ cup active and bubbly sourdough starter
  • 1 ½ cups water warmed to 90℉
  • 3 cups + 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder (can sub with 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract)
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever kind you want – dark, milk, etc.)

How to Make

Step One: Feed Starter Night Before

Feed your starter so you have ½ cup of bubbly starter ready tomorrow. Mix 30g starter + 40g flour + 30g water. Done.

Step Two: Mix Starter and Flour

Mix your active starter with 1½ cups warm water in a big bowl.

sourdough starter mixed with water.

Add 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour, stir it up, and let it sit for 10 minutes. This autolyze step matters – don’t skip it.

wet dough in bowl after flour was added to starter.

Step Three: Prepare Dry Ingredients

In a small bowl, combine your whole wheat flour, salt, sugar, vanilla powder, and cocoa powder.

dry ingredients in bowl and mixed together.

Step Four: Make the Dough

Add this cocoa mixture to your flour bowl and mix with a spatula until it gets too thick to stir. Then dump it on your counter and knead until everything’s combined. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

ingredients mixed together to form chocolate dough ball.

Step Five: Rest and Stretch

Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Then do stretch and folds – wet hands, grab one side, stretch up, and fold over. Do this 3-4 times, flip the dough, cover. Wait 30 minutes and repeat two more times. This dough is drier so it won’t stretch as much as regular sourdough.

dough being stretched and dough ball resting in bowl.

Step Six: First Rise

After your last stretch and fold, let it rise 6-8 hours at room temperature until doubled.

dough before and after doubling in size.

Step Seven: Add Chocolate Chips

Turn dough out and fold in chocolate chips – about a third at a time. Be gentle so you don’t deflate it.

chocolate chips added in a third at a time and dough folded over each time.

Step Eight: Shape and Cold Rise

Shape into a ball, put in a floured banneton, cover with plastic, and refrigerate 10-12 hours.

dough resting in floured banneton.

Step Nine: Preheat and Score

Preheat Dutch oven to 425°F for 30 minutes minimum. Turn dough onto parchment paper, score in a cross pattern with a razor.

bread scored in cross pattern and placed in Dutch oven.

Step Ten: Bake

Bake covered 20 minutes at 425°F. Remove lid, drop temp to 375°F, bake another 20 minutes.

baked chocolate sourdough bread loaf in Dutch oven.

Step Eleven: Cool Completely

Cool completely on a wire rack – at least an hour before slicing. I know it’s hard to wait, but cutting too early ruins the texture.

slice of chocolate sourdough bread showing inside.

Serving & Storing

Have a slice with coffee or tea, spread some butter over it (or Nutella for an extra treat for the kids), or have some fresh berries on the side.

Wrap the bread in a clean kitchen towel or place it in a paper bag and keep it at room temperature. Don’t use plastic bags that can make the crust soft.

You can also freeze it. Sliced it first, then wrap each slice individually and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. To thaw, let them sit at room temperature for about an hour. You can also reheat the slices in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

Questions and Troubleshooting

What if my dough doesn’t rise much during the first rise?

Give it a bit more time and place it in a warm spot to help speed it up. You want it doubled in size, even if it takes a bit longer.

Do I need a Dutch oven to bake this bread?

A Dutch oven helps create a great crust, but if you don’t have one, you can use a baking sheet. Just add a pan of water to the oven to create steam.

How do I know if my sourdough starter is ready to use?

Your starter should be bubbly and active. A good test is to drop a small spoonful into a glass of water. If it floats, it’s ready to go!

Can I make this bread without letting it rise overnight?

Yes, you can speed it up by adding a teaspoon of instant yeast. This can reduce the rise time to around 6 hours in total.

a slice of chocolate sourdough bread spread with butter, with a bite taken out.

More Delicious Sourdough Breads You’ll Love

It’s so fun to add in different mix-ins.

Printable Recipe

round chocolate sourdough loaf.

Chocolate Sourdough Bread

Katie Shaw
This bread combines the rich flavors of cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips for a decadent twist on a classic loaf. Makes 1 loaf.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Rise Time 20 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 21 hours

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • ½ cup active and bubbly sourdough starter
  • 1 ½ cups water warmed to 90℉
  • 3 cups + 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
  • cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder can sub with 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever kind you want – dark, milk, etc.)

Instructions
 

  • Feed starter. The night before, feed your sourdough starter so you have 100 grams of active and bubbly starter the next day. Combine 30 grams of starter with 40 grams of unbleached all-purpose flour and 30 grams of filtered water.
  • Autolyze. In a large bowl, add the active sourdough starter and water. Stir to combine. Next, add the all-purpose flour, stir to combine, and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
  • Mix dry ingredients. In a small bowl, add the whole wheat flour, salt, sugar, vanilla bean powder, and cocoa powder. Stir until fully combined.
  • Make dough. Add the cocoa powder mixture to the flour/sourdough mixture, using a spatula to mix everything together. Once it gets too hard to use the spatula, turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface and knead it to make sure everything is mixed in.
  • Rest. Cover the bowl and let it sit covered for 30 minutes.
  • Stretch and fold. Wet your hands with warm water, pick up one side of the dough, stretch, and fold it over. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times. Flip the dough over. Cover the dough and let it sit for 30 minutes. Repeat the stretch and folds 2 more times. (This dough is dryer, so it may not stretch out very far.)
  • First rise. After the last stretch and fold session, cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature for 6-8 hours or until it has doubled in size.
  • Add chocolate chips. Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface. Fold the chocolate chips into the dough by adding about a third at a time, gently folding the dough each time. (Try to avoid pressing too hard when folding so you don’t remove all of the air inside the dough.)
  • Second rise. Shape the dough into a ball, then place it in a well-floured banneton and cover with plastic. Place it in the fridge for 10-12 hours (overnight is best).
  • Preheat oven. Preheat the Dutch oven to 425℉ for a minimum of 30 minutes. (This helps make sure that the Dutch oven is at temperature.)
  • Prep loaf. Take the dough out of the fridge and turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper or a silicone bread mat. Using a bread razor, score the dough down the center, shift the dough 90 degrees and score the dough again making a + sign or an X.
  • Bake. Place the dough into the hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake at 425℉ for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and reduce the heat of the oven to 375℉. Bake for another 20 minutes.
  • Cool and slice. Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Let it cool completely (at least 1 hour) before cutting into it.

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Notes

To speed this recipe up, you can add 1 teaspoon of instant yeast and reduce the rise time to 6 hours total.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 6gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 343mgPotassium: 176mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 7IUCalcium: 20mgIron: 3mg
Did you make this?Let me know how it went!

Love,

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