This Italian Chocolate Bread is lovely bread to make - with a slight sourdough tang, a subtle chocolate flavor and a beautiful, open crumb. It is perfect for snacking, making french toast, or sweet sandwiches.
Mix the ingredients for the biga naturale together in a bowl until everything is evenly distributed.
Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow to sit at room temperature for 8 hours.
Mix the dough
In the bowl of your electric mixer, mix together all the ingredients for the final dough, except for the chocolate chips!
Knead by machine for 8-10 minutes until you reach a medium level of gluten development. The dough should be smooth, stretchy, and silky.
Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead in the chocolate chips by hand, until well incorporated.
Bulk Proof
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to sit at room temperature until doubled, anywhere from 2 to 12 hours. (Note that the timing here depends on how active and mature your starter is and the temperature of your house. This could take longer in the winter or shorter in the summer, so watch the dough, not your clock).
When done proofing, your dough will look lighter, puffier, have some bubbles, and be almost doubled in size.
Shaping
Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a lightly floured surface. Be gentle to not deflate the air from the dough.
Gather the dough, one side at a time, and fold it into the center. Flip the dough over and place it seam side down.
Gently cup the sides of the dough and rotate it using quarter turns in a circular motion. Repeat until you are happy with its appearance.
Place the dough in a cloth lined 8” bowl or floured/lined proofing basket.
Allow to rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. It is ready when the dough is slightly puffy.
Baking
Preheat your oven and dutch oven to 400 F.
Sprinkle some cornmeal in the center of a piece of parchment paper.
Gently turn your bread out onto a piece of parchment paper.
Score your bread with a few slashes in whatever pattern you like. Use a bread lame, sharp pairing knife or serrated knife.
Carefully transfer the parchment paper to the preheated dutch oven.
Bake the bread for 20 minutes with the lid on, rotate the loaf, and bake another 20 - 30 minutes uncovered. The bread is done when it has an internal temperature of 205 F.
Optional: During the last 10 minutes of baking, crack the oven door to allow any excess moisture to escape and help create a crisp crust. Or skip this step for a softer crust.
When done, remove bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour.
Notes
How to change 100% starter to 50% starter Take 25 grams of your 100% hydration starter. To it, add 50 grams of flour and 25 grams of water. Mix until combined. This is a stiff starter, so it will take some work to get all the flour mixed in. Do not add extra water. You might need to do a little kneading to get it to all mix in. If all the flour won’t mix in, it's ok, just get as much as you can. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and allow it to sit on the counter overnight 8-12 hours. Divide in half (discard) and feed again, the same proportions. You will want to give it 2-4 good feedings before baking with it.