Studded with sweet, dried cherries and rich pockets of chocolate, this delicious chocolate cherry sourdough bakes with a crispy, chewy exterior, a soft crumb, and a long-fermented sourdough tang.
Chocolate and cherry go hand in hand – the rich, smooth, sweet flavor of chocolate providing balance for the chewy, tart sweetness of cherries. Wrapping these two up in a simple but delicious homemade sourdough results in a bakery-worthy boule.
This recipe builds upon my beginner’s sourdough bread, a recipe aimed at simplicity and success for the home baker. Its simplicity offers attainability for the beginner without sacrificing the soft, creamy, tangy flavors of long-fermented sourdough.
Adding chopped chocolate and dried cherries into the folds of the dough adds flavor and texture. The cherries maintain their chewiness and a pop of pleasant tartness, while the chocolate melts into little pops of deliciousness.
This no-knead recipe employs the stretch and fold method to develop the gluten. This method focuses on timing while reducing the hands-on involvement that kneading requires. The fermentation time develops the sourdough flavor and fully ferments the dough for better digestion and incredible flavor.
Shaping and baking turn out a show-stopping, cherry-studded masterpiece. Serve this artisan sourdough loaf sliced and buttered with a cup of coffee, toasted and spread with cream cheese, sliced for French toast, or even a French toast casserole, or diced and prepared as a decadent bread pudding.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple ingredients – This sourdough loaf comes together with four pantry staples and the addition of chocolate and dried cherries.
Bakery-style presentation – With a golden, crusty shell and scoring that reveals a chocolate and cherry-filled crumb, this loaf is a beauty.
Delicious balance of sweet and tart – This delicious bread offers a tender, soft crumb with tart cherries and sweet chocolate in each bite. The long-fermentation time and high oven temperature produce the perfect balance of fermented tang and satisfying chew.
Ingredients
Sourdough starter – Use a bubbly, active starter, as this is your leavening agent and gives the dough rise. The float test can be a good indicator that your starter is ready.
Chocolate – High-quality, semi-sweet chocolate will give the best results. You can use chips, chunks, or a bar, chopped into pieces.
Cherries – Dried cherries work best in this recipe to maintain the proper hydration of the dough. Frozen or fresh cherries add too much moisture, but are perfect in homemade cherry cheesecake or a sourdough cherry cobbler.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chocolate Cherry Sourdough
Step 1: Feed the sourdough starter 4 to 12 hours before starting the bread. When the starter is at its peak, begin the dough by combining flour, sourdough starter, water, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with a dough whisk or your hands, cover the bowl, and rest the dough for 30 minutes at room temperature. This is an autolyse, giving the water time to hydrate the flour.
Step 2: After the autolyse, begin a series of stretch and folds. Take one edge of the dough in the bowl and pull up, stretching outward and upward. Fold the dough back into the center of the bowl and press. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the pulling, stretching upward, and folding inward. Repeat this action two more times to complete your first of three sets of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Chop the chocolate into small pieces, if needed. Add both the chocolate and cherries to the dough, then complete a second round of stretch and folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Perform a final round of stretch and folds, then cover the bowl and begin the bulk fermentation. This first fermentation should be at room temperature for 4-12 hours or until nearly doubled (your kitchen temperature will affect the rise). Monitor the rise so it doesn’t overproof. Overproofing is when the gluten structure collapses, and the dough becomes sloppy and difficult to work with. At this point, your rise will be compromised, and the loaf can become very gummy and dense.
Step 5: After the bulk fermentation, shape the dough by pulling it across a lightly floured work surface to create surface tension and form a snug, round boule. Place the boule seam-side up into a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured tea towel. Cover and refrigerate for 12-15 hours.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the Dutch oven inside the preheating oven for one hour. Transfer the dough from the refrigerator onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the top of the dough with a lame or razor.
Step 7: Place the parchment paper and boule into the hot Dutch oven and bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature should be around 205-210 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 8: Transfer the finished boule onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Tips
- You will need a very active sourdough starter that passes the float test.
- The most accurate way to create consistent results is by using a kitchen scale. I’ve included both gram measurements and cup measurements in the recipe.
- This recipe starts as a rough dough, and though it appears dry, resist adding more water. The autolyse and stretch and folds will help it become more workable. Wet hands during the stretching and folding are helpful if the dough is too sticky. If you find the dough difficult to pull during the stretch and folds, be patient and give it time to stretch, giving gentle tugs to help.
- The temperature of your home and the maturity of your starter will determine how quickly your dough will double during the bulk fermentation. Keep an eye on the rise so that it doesn’t over-ferment and fall apart.
- Swap the chocolate and cherries for white chocolate chips or other dried fruits, if you’d like.
- For a double chocolate cherry loaf, swap out this bread dough recipe for chocolate sourdough bread and continue the same steps to prepare the boule.
Recipe FAQs
This loaf may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, refrigerated for up to one week, or wrapped well and frozen for several months.
No, this recipe is intended for dried cherries. The hydration in this recipe doesn’t leave room for the added moisture of fresh or frozen cherries.
Sourdough bread rises only because of an active starter. If your starter is weak, your bread will not rise well. If you under-proof or over-proof your dough, you may end up with a dense, gummy loaf.
While kneading is common and effective in developing gluten, this recipe replaces kneading with the stretch and fold method. This method also develops the gluten effectively, but is less interactive.
While you can use any chocolate you like, I find that semi-sweet chocolate suits the tartness of the cherries and savory flavor of the sourdough. Milk chocolate may be overly sweet. And while chocolate chips or chocolate chunks are great (and what I often use), chopping a bar of chocolate also gives a nice, melty, layered effect because they tend to be free of stabilizers that sometimes prevent melting.
Baker’s Timeline:
This can be started or made at any time. I like to feed my starter the night before, so it is ready to go in the morning.
Feed sourdough starter with flour and water.
Combine ingredients. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Perform three sets of stretch and folds, adding the chocolate and cherries in the second round. Cover the dough and bulk ferment 8-12 hours.
Shape dough. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 12-15 hours.
Preheat the Dutch oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour.
Take the dough out of the fridge, place it on parchment, and score. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes, then with the lid off for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Savory Sourdough Cheese Star
- Sourdough Croissant Bread
- Seeded Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Garlic Sourdough Bread with Rosemary
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Chocolate Cherry Sourdough Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour, 475 grams
- ½ cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly, 100 grams
- 1⅓ cups water, 325 grams
- 2 teaspoons salt, 10 grams
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks, 65 grams
- ⅓ cup dried cherries, 60 grams
Instructions
- Feed the sourdough starter 4 to 12 hours before starting the bread. When the starter is at its peak, begin the dough by combining flour, sourdough starter, water, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well, cover the bowl, and rest the dough for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- After the autolyse, begin a series of stretch and folds. Take the edge of the dough in the bowl, pull up, stretching out and up. Fold the dough in your hands back into the center of the bowl and press. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat the pulling, stretching, and folding inward. Repeat two more times for your first set of stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Chop the chocolate, if needed. Add the chocolate and cherries to the dough, then complete another round of stretch and folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Do one last round of stretch and folds, then cover the bowl and begin the bulk fermentation. Keep at room temperature for 4-12 hours or until almost doubled.
- After the bulk fermentation, shape the dough into a round boule. Place the boule seam-side up into a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured tea towel. Cover and refrigerate for 12-15 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the Dutch oven inside the oven to preheat for one hour. Transfer the dough from the refrigerator onto a piece of parchment paper. Score the dough with a lame or sharp knife.
- Place the parchment paper and boule into the hot Dutch oven and bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature should be around 205-210 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Transfer the finished boule onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
