Save it
Let me share my beloved Chocolate Sourdough Focaccia recipe that happened by pure delicious accident one day while experimenting with my starter. This beautiful fusion of rich chocolate and traditional focaccia creates something truly magical crispy edges a soft chocolatey center and if you're feeling extra indulgent a drizzle of melted chocolate on top. I've seen even non sourdough lovers fall head over heels for this one.
A Recipe That Changed My Baking Game
This recipe takes everything we love about classic focaccia and transforms it into something wonderfully unique. Every time I make it the house fills with the most incredible chocolate aroma. It's become my go to when I want to surprise friends at brunch or treat my family to something special. The way it walks the line between bread and dessert makes it perfect for any time of day.
What You'll Need
- Your Starter: Make sure it's nice and active with plenty of bubbles it's the heart of our bread.
- Cocoa Powder: I use Dutch process for that deep rich flavor.
- Coconut Oil: This creates the most incredible tender crumb.
- Sugar: Just enough to balance those chocolate notes.
- Bread Flour: The high protein content gives us that perfect chewy texture.
- Chocolate Chips: Because more chocolate is always better.
- The Fats: Both olive oil and butter play their parts in creating that perfect crust.
- For Extra Decadence: A simple chocolate drizzle takes it over the top.
Save it
Let's Bake Together
- Getting Started
- First we'll wake up our starter creating that magical levain. I love watching those bubbles form it means our bread is coming to life. Mix in the flour and warm water then let it do its thing.
- The Chocolate Magic
- Here's where we make that cocoa powder sing. Warming it with coconut oil releases flavors you didn't even know were there. Just be patient and let it cool completely we don't want to hurt our yeast friends.
- Building Our Dough
- Now comes my favorite part bringing everything together into this gorgeous chocolate dough. It starts off sticky but don't worry that's exactly what we want.
- The Waiting Game
- Every half hour we'll give it some love with gentle stretches and folds. When we add those chocolate chips during the second fold they marble through the dough beautifully.
- Time to Rest
- After stretching the dough into our pan it takes a nice long nap in the fridge. This is where all those amazing flavors develop.
- The Final Touch
- When it's time to bake we'll create those signature dimples add our butter and extra chocolate then watch it transform in the oven.
Save it
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Do I need to make a separate levain?
- While recommended for consistent results, you can substitute the same amount of active, bubbly sourdough starter for the levain if preferred.
- → Why bloom the cocoa powder?
- Blooming cocoa powder in warm coconut oil enhances its rich chocolate flavor. Dutch-processed or dark cocoa powder works best.
- → Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
- If using flour with lower protein content than bread flour, reduce the water amount as this is a high hydration recipe.
- → Why use light olive oil?
- Light-flavored olive oil won't compete with the chocolate flavor. Extra virgin olive oil can be too strong and affect the taste.
- → Can this be made in one day?
- Yes, for same-day baking, let the focaccia rise in the pan at room temperature for a few hours until puffy instead of overnight refrigeration.