Coffee Infused Chocolate Chunk Sourdough Bread Recipe

Last Updated on May 22, 2024 by TheFarmChicken

the finished loaf on a cutting board with beans and chocolate chips

I wish I had combined sourdough and coffee a long time ago. The flavor profiles of coffee and sourdough separately are so good…put them together and it is an experience all its own. If you love coffee and sourdough, you’ll love this Coffee Infused Chocolate Chunk Sourdough Bread Recipe. It’s like having a mocha in bread form.

So, grab a cup of coffee and let’s make some bread…no really you are going to need that coffee for the bread. Don’t drink it! As for the chocolate I used a dark chocolate chip, but a chocolate bar chopped, or chunks would also be a great way to get chocolate flavor in the loaf. I had the dark chocolate chips so that is what I used. The dark chocolate gives the bread such a rich chocolate flavor. I love eating it and coming across chocolatey spots. Yum, such a delicious bread! Perfect for the coffee AND chocolate lover!

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Ingredients Needed for Coffee Infused Chocolate Chunk Sourdough Bread Recipe:

Active Sourdough Starter

You need an active, 100% hydration starter for this recipe. Active is defined by a sourdough starter, that when fed, at least doubles in size and is bubbly throughout.

Don’t have a sourdough starter? You can easily learn to make one with Agnes. Check out Learning Sourdough with Agnes to get started on your sourdough journey. You are going to love working with wild yeast!

Bread Flour

When making sourdough bread you want to use a good quality flour. I like to use bread flour but a good quality all purpose should work for this bread as well.

Strong Brewed Coffee

The amount of brewed coffee that you need is about 2 cups, and you want to brew it strong. Having it strongly brewed gives it that extra flavor so that it comes through in the bread.

Distilled Water

Just a little bit of water to add to the hydration level of the bread. I like using distilled, but any non-chlorinated water should work well.

Brown Sugar

This brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness and helps out the sourdough starter by feeding the active wild yeasts. You may be surprised but this sourdough loaf is not overly sweet but is more flavorful and decadent.

Salt

I like using kosher salt and it just takes a little in this sourdough bread recipe.

Dark Chocolate Chunks or Chips

Really you could use any chocolate in this bread, but we enjoy dark chocolate the most, so I went for a dark chocolate chip. The Hershey’s Special Dark are rich chocolate chips. I would like to coarsely chop a chocolate bar and add that to the loaf too sometime.

Some other chocolates to try:

White Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Mint Chocolate

Let’s talk coffee:

You may be wondering what coffee you should use in the recipe. Honestly, I think you can use about anything. We use our favorite American Restaurant Blend from the Roasterie, but you could do whatever your favorite coffee is or to try something fun you could do a flavored coffee like a Highlander Grog. There are so many kinds you could add and try. You could use espresso, instant or decaf also! Let me know what your favorite is in the comments below!

coffee beans ready to grind and make coffee

Ways to Enjoy Coffee Infused Chocolate Chunk Sourdough:

Toasted or not with a fruit jam and butter. Think raspberry or blackberry jam.
Made into French toast with a dollop of fresh whipped topping, raspberries, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Plain, fresh, and slathered with some butter. Yum!
If you are feeling adventurous, I think it could also make a delicious grilled cheese with mozzarella. Have you ever had chocolate and cheese? It’s good!

How to Store this Coffee Infused Chocolate Chunk Sourdough Loaf:

Once the bread is cooled you will want to store it in a bread bag or a loosely closed plastic bag. After it is a couple days old it is best toasted or made into something like French toast.

Freeze it or part of it in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. You will want to leave the bread in the bag until it is completely defrosted. This helps the bread stay moist. Opening it when it is defrosting lets the moisture leave the bag and will leave you with a dryer loaf.

The Coffee Infused Chocolate Chunk Bread Recipe in Pictures:

sourdough starter being added to brewed coffee

the slurry of coffee, sugar and sourdough starter

first inclusion round with chocolate chips

green grass on the farm and a sourdough coffee loaf

coffee infused chocolate chunk sourdough bread loaf recipe

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pin image for coffee chocolate sourdough bread

Coffee Infused Chocolate Chunk Sourdough Bread Recipe

140 g active bubbly starter
230 g strongly brewed coffee, cooled
45 g distilled water, room temperature
10g brown sugar
450g bread flour
6g kosher salt
100g chocolate chips, chunks or chopped chocolate bars

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer take and measure out the coffee, water, brown sugar, and active starter. Mix this by hand, dough whisk, or a spoon to form a slurry.
Next, add the flour and mix until a shaggy dough forms about a minute on low with a dough hook.
Let this rest/autolyse for 20 minutes covered with a tea towel. After the rest knead by hand or with the dough hook on low speed for 6 minutes.
Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes you will complete your first set of coil folds. Place half of the chocolate on top of the loaf before the first coil fold.

How to do a coil fold:

First take both of your hands and put them under the center of the dough. (If the dough is sticky, you can wet hands with some water. This helps with the stickiness.) After you have your hands under the dough take and pull up until it no longer stretches. You don’t want to rip the dough so stop before you do that. Fold the dough over itself and let go. Then turn your bowl a quarter turn and repeat continuing this for four times.
This is one complete coil fold.

NOTE: You will notice that as you do the coil folds the dough will come together better and become smooth. The first time will be the stickiest. Also, when you start a coil fold the dough is quite relaxed but as you do the folds it will start to be tight. This is supposed to happen and is the gluten at work.

After you have finished the first set of coil folds let rest for 30 minutes. Then complete another round of coil folds, add the rest of the chocolate, followed by a 30-minute rest. Continue this until 4 coil folds have been completed.
Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes and then do the first shaping.

Shaping the loaf:

Take the dough from the bowl and place on a clean work surface. Flatten the loaf slightly and pull it gently into a rectangle. Take and fold the rectangle up in thirds. Then starting at one end roll the loaf up so that it forms a ball shape. Carefully (so it doesn’t rip) take the dough ball in both of your hands. Cupping it stretch the loaf in a circular motion to create a nice tension on the outside.
Let the loaf rest for 15 minutes and then shape again. This time place the loaf seam side up in a floured banneton. Place the banneton in a plastic bag or wrap completely in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to complete the bulk fermentation, 8-10 hours depending on how warm your house/kitchen is. I do 8 hours and our house is about 69 degrees.

The Next Day – Bake Day:

An hour before you are ready to bake your loaf preheat your Dutch oven and oven to 500 degrees.
When you are ready to bake your loaf take it out of the fridge and flip it out onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a bread lame or razor blade, complete your scoring design on top of the dough and your large expansion score. Make sure to do the large expansion score at a 45-degree angle about an inch deep.
Place the loaf, using the parchment paper as a lifter, into the preheated Dutch oven. Decrease the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on and 15 minutes with the lid off or until a nice golden brown.
Place on wire rack to cool and enjoy!

Ingredients

140 g active bubbly starter
230 g strongly brewed coffee cooled
45 g distilled water room temperature
10 g brown sugar
450 g bread flour
6 g kosher salt
100 g chocolate chips chunks or chopped chocolate bars

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer take and measure out the coffee, water, brown sugar, and active starter. Mix this by hand, dough whisk, or a spoon to form a slurry.
Next, add the flour and mix until a shaggy dough forms about a minute on low with a dough hook.
Let this rest/autolyse for 20 minutes covered with a tea towel. After the rest knead by hand or with the dough hook on low speed for 6 minutes.
Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes you will complete your first set of coil folds. Place half of the chocolate on top of the loaf before the first coil fold.

How to do a coil fold:

First take both of your hands and put them under the center of the dough. (If the dough is sticky, you can wet hands with some water. This helps with the stickiness.) After you have your hands under the dough take and pull up until it no longer stretches. You don’t want to rip the dough so stop before you do that. Fold the dough over itself and let go. Then turn your bowl a quarter turn and repeat continuing this for four times.
This is one complete coil fold.
NOTE: You will notice that as you do the coil folds the dough will come together better and become smooth. The first time will be the stickiest. Also, when you start a coil fold the dough is quite relaxed but as you do the folds it will start to be tight. This is supposed to happen and is the gluten at work.
After you have finished the first set of coil folds let rest for 30 minutes. Then complete another round of coil folds, add the rest of the chocolate, followed by a 30-minute rest. Continue this until 4 coil folds have been completed.
Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes and then do the first shaping.

Shaping the Loaf:

Take the dough from the bowl and place on a clean work surface. Flatten the loaf slightly and pull it gently into a rectangle. Take and fold the rectangle up in thirds. Then starting at one end roll the loaf up so that it forms a ball shape. Carefully (so it doesn’t rip) take the dough ball in both of your hands. Cupping it stretch the loaf in a circular motion to create a nice tension on the outside.
Let the loaf rest for 15 minutes and then shape again. This time place the loaf seam side up in a floured banneton. Place the banneton in a plastic bag or wrap completely in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to complete the bulk fermentation, 8-10 hours depending on how warm your house/kitchen is. I do 8 hours and our house is about 69 degrees.

The Next Day – Bake Day:

An hour before you are ready to bake your loaf preheat your Dutch oven and oven to 500 degrees.
When you are ready to bake your loaf take it out of the fridge and flip it out onto a piece of parchment paper.
Using a bread lame or razor blade, complete your scoring design on top of the dough and your large expansion score. Make sure to do the large expansion score at a 45-degree angle about an inch deep.
Place the loaf, using the parchment paper as a lifter, into the preheated Dutch oven. Decrease the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes with the lid on and 15 minutes with the lid off or until a nice golden brown.
Place on wire rack to cool and enjoy!

Notes

To Store: Place in a bread bag or a plastic bag loosely shut or freeze for up to 3 months.

Servings: 1 loaf

This recipe is such a fun pairing and indulgent bread. I love how it combines 3 of my favorite flavors and creates a loaf bursting with flavor. My favorite part of the bread is the crusty crust. It’s like it has a caramel flavor from the browning. So good! Make sure to leave a comment below with any questions or thoughts on this sourdough bread recipe! Thank you for stopping by TheFarmChicken.

Mariah | TheFarmChicken.com

More Recipes to check out on TheFarmChicken:

A Step-by-Step Beginner Sourdough Bread Recipe
Jalapeno-Cheddar Sourdough Bread – (One of my favorite inclusions.)
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
Cranberry Wild Rice Sourdough Bread Recipe

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you make sourdough with coffee?

Yes! It actually works surprisingly well. Simply replace the amount of water with strongly brewed coffee for an elevated and delicious sourdough loaf.

How to add coffee to bread?

It’s actually quite simple to do. In this recipe the coffee is brewed dark and then substituted for most of the water in the bread. This gives a rich flavor to the bread that is hard to match. Add chocolate chunks and it’s the perfect pairing!

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Micah 6:8