We stopped at the St. Louis Bread Co. this weekend and also saw a loaf of Choc. Cherry bread....looked oh so good. Didnt get a sample though. lowspark hoping someone has a recipe!

How about this one. Carol posted this recipe years ago.

Ann

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Chocolate Cherry Bread
======================

Chocolate-Cherry Bread
Recipe from: Chocolate! Good Housekeeping Favorite Recipes
By The Editors of Good Housekeeping
Cookbook Heaven
A not-too-sweet bread studded with bits of bittersweet chocolate and (tried tart cherries. We use Dutch-process cocoa instead of the more usual natural cocoa to give the bread a richer brown color.

Prep: 20 minutes plus rising
Bake: 20 minutes
Makes 2 loaves, 12 slices each

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)

1 package active dry yeast

1 tablespoons granulated sugar

About 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1-3/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled until warm (105 to 115 degrees F)

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 large egg, separated

3/4 cup dried tart cherries

3 squares (3 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon water

In cup, combine warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, cocoa, brown sugar, and salt.

With wooden spoon, stir warm coffee, butter, egg yolk (cover egg white and set aside in refrigerator), and yeast mixture into flour mixture. In bowl, with floured hands, knead several times to combine well.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour just to keep dough from sticking. Knead in cherries and chocolate.

Shape dough into ball; place in greased large bowl, turning dough to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees F) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Punch down dough.Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and cut in half; cover dough and let rest 15 minutes for easier shaping.

Shape each dough half into 5-inch ball. Using the sides of your hands, tuck sides of dough under to meet in center. Rotate and repeat to form taut ball. Place balls, 3-inches apart, in opposite corners of ungreased large cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In cup, beat reserved egg white with water; use to brush tops of loaves. Sprinkle loaves with remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. With serrated knife or single-edge razor blade, cut shallow X in top of each loaf.

Bake until loaves are crusty, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Oh yeah!! Man that looks just exactly like it! Thank you Ann!!!

One question, can I make it with regular cocoa instead of dutch process?

Make that two questions. Both the bread at CM and the bread in your picture are in round loaves. Can I do a different shape? I was thinking a baguette type of shape so that the slices would be small rounds.

May, you can take any bread dough and shape it any way you want. You just have to watch the time. Depending on size you will have to decrease or increase baking times.

According to David Lebovitz, natural cocoa interfered with the yeast in a bread he was making and didn't rise as much as the same bread made with Dutch Processed.

But that said, maybe unless you were testing them side by side you might not notice the difference.

Ann

May, here is another recipe that Lori posted. Check out Lori's blog All That Splatters for pictures. Looks sooo good.

Decadent Chocolate Cherry Bread
Yield: 2 loaves

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup very warm water (105° - 115°F)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup warm brewed coffee (90°F or less)
1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup dried sour cherries

Place yeast and water in a large bowl. Stir with a fork to dissolve yeast and allow to stand for 3 minutes.

Whisk sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Stir coffee, egg yolk and butter into yeast mixture. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring until a shaggy mass forms and flour is moistened. If dough feels stiff, add 2 tablespoons of water. It should be moist and sticky. Move dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 7 to 8 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Shape into a loose ball, cover with plastic wrap and let rest about 10 minutes.

Flatten dough and stretch gently with your fingers to form a rectangle about an inch thick. Spread chopped chocolate and dried cherries evenly over dough. Fold into thirds like a business letter, then knead 2 to 3 minutes until the pieces of chocolate and cherries are well distributed. Shape dough into a loose ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, along with any loose chocolate and cherries. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.

Line 12" x 17" baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently pour dough onto lightly floured work surface, pressing any loose chocolate or cherries into dough. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Pull corners towards the center and press down in the middle to gather dough, turn dough over and seal shut by rotating closure against the counter to tighten the ball and form a seal. Be careful not to tear it as you are shaping it. Place one loaf on each end of prepared baking sheet allowing several inches between them. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in volume.

About 15 minutes before baking, place one oven rack in top third of oven and another in bottom third. Preheat to 400°F.

When loaves have doubled, mix egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush each loaf gently with egg wash being sure to coat entire surface. Gently cut a small cross shape on top of each loaf but be careful not to deflate loaf. Place pan on top oven rack. Using a plant sprayer, mist top and sides of oven 6 to 8 times, and quickly close oven door.

Bake for 12 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and rotate pan from top to bottom and front to back to ensure even baking. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes, or until tops of loaves feel firm but not hard when you press them slightly, and the bottoms are lightly browned. Loaves should have a thin, soft coating, not a hard, crunchy crust. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Dutch process cocoa is much more chocolatey than regular ole Hershey's. And darker in color too.

It's a different type, but it's delicious - The Chocolate Cherry Brioche recipe from King Arthur's website. They advise making it with a bread machine for kneading because the dough is so wet & sticky. Wish I had some now....

Think I'll try Ann T's!

Thanks for posting the recipe, Ann. It's actually Dishesdone's recipe. It's really delicious!

Lori

I always thought dutch process was NOT as chocolatey flavored as regular cocoa which is why I never wanted to use it.

Here's what JoyofBaking.com says. Am I misunderstanding that?

Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. Because it is neutral and does not react with baking soda, it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder, unless there are other acidic ingredients in sufficient quantities used. It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and is easy to dissolve in liquids. Its delicate flavor makes it ideal in baked goods like European cakes and pastries where its subtle flavor complements other ingredients.

Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder tastes very bitter and gives a deep chocolate flavor to baked goods. Its intense flavor makes it well suited for use in brownies, cookies and some chocolate cakes. When natural cocoa (an acid) is used in recipes calling for baking soda (an alkali), it creates a leavening action that causes the batter to rise when placed in the oven.

I'm going to try to make one of these recipes this weekend. Since they make two loaves, I'll make one round and one baguette style to see how they come out.

Thanks again, Ann, for posting both of those recipes.

I made the Decadent Chocolate Cherry Bread years ago when someone posted it here and it was wonderful!

Tracey

Well, they're DONE! Turned out great. It says "ccool completely before servingcool completely before serving, uh, yeah, like THAT'S going to happen. I ate some hot right out of the oven. Here's the pix:

OOOOOh turned out perfect. Look at the melted chocolate. Very decadent.

Ann