Certain cravings must be fulfilled. Sleep is a good example. We all need it, our bodies crave it. If we don’t give in, the body protests and decreases our energy level until it gets what it wants anyways. You simply have no choice in that matter. Peanut butter is a similar craving for me, one which resembles the need for sleep in that I eat or think about it approximately 8 hours per day.
The past two weeks I’ve been busy with approaching finals but I can’t help thinking about bread. Homemade bread. Crispy, chewy, doughy, satisfying bread. After much searching, I found several bread-machine-less recipes for 100% whole grain bread. It’s not as easy as it sounds, especially if you’re looking for a good white-bread replica. I wasn’t sure which recipe to use, each looked promising for different reasons. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. One night I woke from a dream where I was about to start baking bread. I said, outloud, “I think we use whole wheat flour”. I realized I was talking to nobody although it made sense at the time and the statement clearly reflected my dilemma.
Then I stumbled upon an unique recipe for Chocolate Bread at the Village Vegan. It sounded too good to be true, but the recipe seemed to call for regular flour. At this point I really didn’t care: I wanted bread and now I wanted chocolate too. But then I remembered a 5lb bag of whole wheat pastry flour I had just bought at the store that needed using.
I ran to Whole Foods and picked up some wheat gluten, a 70-80% protein flour to help in rising. Wheat gluten is often called vital wheat gluten and I believe high gluten flour in some stores, but the product itself has about 6g carbs and 23g protein per serving. The end result isn’t quite a muffin and certainly isn’t regular bread. It has a slight wheat/nutty flavor but a distinct taste of cocoa with bursts of melted chocolate. I recommend it toasted and spread with peanut butter, what else?
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Starter:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2t wheat gluten
1/8t instant yeast
Dough:
2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2T wheat gluten
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6T sugar
1 1/2t yeast
1 1/4t salt
1 cup (scant) warm water
2T margerine, in small chunks (Smart Balance Light)
3oz dark chocolate, chopped (70% or higher percent cocoa)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries, diced
Skim or soymilk
Raw sugar
Instructions:
1. Mix the starter ingredients together in a small bowl and let sit at room temperature for 6 hours.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Put the starter and the first six dough ingredients in a large bowl. Add the yeast water and knead in the bowl or on a floured surface. Knead the margerine into the bread and knead for about 15 minutes. Knead the chocolate chunks and any dried fruit into the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise for about 3 hours, or until double in size.
3. Shape the bread, either put in a loaf pan or on a baking sheet to make a loaf. I cut it into small pieces, rolled into balls and placed on a baking sheet. Let the dough rise for another 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight. If refrigerating, let the bread sit out at room temperature while the oven is heating.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Brush the dough with milk or soymilk and sprinkle raw sugar on top. Place bread in the oven and reduce temperature to 350. Bake for 40-45 minutes for a loaf, I only baked it about 30 minutes for rolls. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. Store for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
4. To eat, toast until warm and slightly toasted. Spread on peanut butter or better yet, use Dark Chocolate or Honey Roasted (my new fav) peanut butter.
Additional Info:
They came out a tiny bit dry, but the melted chocolate really adds a nice creaminess and burst of sweetness. I recommend trying 4t canola oil instead of the margerine.
Like I always say, 2 balls are better than 1:
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Sounds yummy! I love chocolate!
wait, you mean i can have my PB&J on CHOCOLATE BREAD? truly, the world is a wonderful place.
oh how i love peanut butter, boy.
and chocolate even moreso!
it’s midnight here and i just wolfed down two handful’s of reese’s pieces candy… dangerous!
nice dessert!
Chocolate bread? Wow. That looks positively heavenly. What a great idea.
I must say that my 3 hour car ride leaving your house this morning was made much more exciting because of the dark chocolate roll you gave me. I loved it and i love you!
Sleep, chocolate and peanut butter. Those are some ingredients to living a perfect life!
Hey, PBB! It’s fun to see you getting into the experimental side of cooking. I think that in time, you are going to be whipping up incredible baked goods like nobody’s business.
Not to be a nitpicky copyeditor, but 1/2 cup of what for the starter?
I am deeply flattered to be included on your list of favorite blogs! It’s such a high compliment. I will be returning the compliment to you, Mr. Peanut Butter Boy.
Haha thanks Rosiecat, that’s not nitpicky at all, that’s downright absentmindedness on my my part. Should be fixed now, thanks!
Yes, I am somewhat hooked on this baking thing. I tried making flourless brownies again today but they didn’t turn out very well (but a little better than last time) so I won’t even bother posting the results, but I’m still working on it!
I’m excited to try this recipe, but please excuse me an amateurish question. What does it mean to put the starter and the dry ingredients through salt? Does that simply mean to sift in the salt, or is this some special, pastry chef type technique a lay-baker like me is unfamiliar with?
Thanks! Rebekah
Rebekah Wolfe, Haha, sorry for the confusion. What I meant is to add all the ingredients listed up to salt in the list – so basically the flour, gluten, cocoa, sugar, yeast and salt =).
Thanks for clearing that up. Do I ever feel silly! (blush) Rebekah