Pane al Cioccolato – Italian Chocolate Bread
I grinned like an idiot as I lifted the dark brown loaves from the charred baking stone with bare hands. The soft crust smiled back with its wide open slashes, a sight that every bread maker hopes for upon opening the oven door. It didn’t matter that my calloused fingertips started to burn or that hot air threatened to singe my eyebrows into an unnatural curl; the scent of steaming mugs of hot chocolate made the pain strangely comforting.
Half melted chocolate morsels that clung perilously to the crust instead of being safely nestled inside the warm loaf tempted me to pick on it. I decided to wait until the following morning, a cup of freshly brewed coffee in hand.
More importantly, I decided to wait until after taking photos.
If you read this far, two things may seem obvious: the coffee I’m having as I write this is really strong and this semisweet chocolate bread is pure bliss.
Click! Crusts hosted by Jugalbandi
recipe adapted from Michel Suas’ Advanced Bread and Pastry
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog
Pane al Cioccolato
Italian Chocolate Bread
makes two 375 gram / 13.25 ounce loaves
Chocolate chips and pane al cioccolato dough.
Notes:
- Knead the dough and develop the gluten thoroughly before adding the chocolate chips. Add it towards the final minute of kneading.
For the Biga Naturale / Wild Yeast Starter:
Ingredients Volume Ounces Grams starter (50% hydration) 1 28 bread flour 1/4 cup 1.125 32 water, at room temperature .625 18
Mix the biga naturale ingredients until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Place the biga naturale in a bowl and cover. Let the wild yeast starter ferment at room temperature for about 8 hours before using in the final dough.
Final Dough Formula:
Ingredients Volume Ounces Grams all of the biga naturale, cut into small pieces bread flour 3 cups 13.875 393 water 1 1/8 cups 8.75 248 honey 4 tbsp 2.5 71 vanilla extract 1 tbsp cocoa powder 4 tbsp .875 25 instant yeast 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 tbsp .375 10 chocolate chips 2.75 78 (added towards the end of kneading)
Final Dough Instructions:
Mix Mix all of the ingredients (except the chocolate
chips) until evenly incorporated.
Knead 8 to 10 minutes
Rest 5 minutes
Knead Add the chocolate chips and knead for about a
minute or until the chocolate chips are thoroughly
incorporated
Kneaded pane al cioccolato dough.
Bulk Ferment 2 hours at room temperature in a lightly oiled bowl Divide 2 pieces, about 1 lb/454 grams each Preshape light ball
Divided and pre-shaped pane al cioccolato dough.
Rest 20 to 30 minutes Shape boule or batard Final Proof 3 hours at room temperature Preheat Oven 400ºF/204ºC Score 2 to 3 slashes Steam 1 cup of boiling water poured in a heavy steam pan (preferably cast iron) Bake Bake at 400ºF/204ºC for 20 minutes. Rotate the loaves if necessary and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool At least 1 hour
I wonder how much Whole Foods would charge for this?
Pane al cioccolato crumb.
To Serve:
Serve during breakfast with coffee or milk or serve as a dessert with fresh fruits.
Do you still have some chocolate sauce left over from making eclairs? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
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September 1st, 2008 at 11:56 pm
i’d pay good money for a loaf of that. beautiful pics as usual.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:16 am
Oh heck yeah. Chocolate bread is where it’s at. Heck yeah.
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September 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 am
Hello!
I came here through Food Gawker. I love homemade bread and your place has too many good bread recipes which I really want to try. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I will let you know mine when I baked using your recipes.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 am
Wonderful! Those loaves look gorgeous!
Cheers,
Rosa
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September 2nd, 2008 at 3:00 am
They would charge so much our eyes would bug out and our teeth drop.
It’s 3 am and I’d go make coffee if I had a loaf of that! Really gorgeous Jude.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:31 am
Unbelievable looking bread! I would certainly pay good money to have even just one slice of this!
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September 2nd, 2008 at 6:47 am
Your bread is beautiful and the tutorial is fabulous. I can’t help but think that with a little tweaking and fun photography you could so make these into fun food faces.
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September 2nd, 2008 at 7:05 am
The little breads look very pretty and professional!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:28 am
Okay, two things that I want right now – whatever coffee you’re drinking, and a slice of that bread. So unfair this early in the morning, but those loaves look amazing!
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September 2nd, 2008 at 8:54 am
They would charge an arm and a leg for these gorgeous loaves that’s for sure! They look fabulous and I’m sure taste just as good (or even better!) than they look
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September 2nd, 2008 at 9:12 am
what an amazing looking treat!
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September 2nd, 2008 at 9:50 am
That looks FABULOUS!!!!
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September 2nd, 2008 at 10:31 am
Wow. This looks fabulous. I wonder if I can get my husband to make this sometime?
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September 2nd, 2008 at 11:03 am
Your bread looks so delicious! I love chocolate and bread mixed together!
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Oh my goodness–that bread looks amazing! And as a matter of fact, I DO have a lot of chocolate sauce left over from the eclairs–chocolate on chocolate? Sounds divine!
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September 2nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
i wouldn’t even attempt to wait to dig into this bread. how is it that chocolate can magically improve one’s mood, no matter how bad it might be?
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Wow, these are so stunning. Just beautiful!
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
These are absolutely perfect!
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September 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Bee – Didn’t cost me more than a buck a loaf, according to my questionable calculations.
Rainbowbrown – Will throw in random dried fruits with the chocolate next time.
Van – Thanks for dropping by! Hope the recipes work well for you.
Rosa – Thanks! Gotta use the leftover chocolate from the eclairs.
Tanna, Y – I’m just happy it worked out well. 6 hours from kneading is a long time to wait.
Giz – I thought the visual of chocolate dough devouring chocolate chips would be kind of fun. Should’ve made chocolate faces.
Caitlin – I needed that coffee… Took a long time to rise this dough.
Joey – It’s so good with a glass of warm milk.
Linda, Kat, Rachel – Thanks!
Jessica – Hope your husband makes it for you (or just do it yourself)
MS & S – It’s good stuff. It might still be chocolatey even without the chips.
Elizabeth – The chocolate was great as a dipping sauce. Just in small amounts, though or it could get dangerous.
Grace – It was tough to wait but I just had to… The smell of hot chocolate while baking was so nice.
Zoe, Vera – Thanks!
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
YES! This is my next bread bake, definitely. I have a pear & buckwheat bread in the oven, that I was dying to make for your bake off but never got round to it. I’m going to have that with my coffee in a bit, but I’d rather have some chocolate bread TBH.
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September 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 am
Oh, I’ll be real popular if ever I pull this bread off.
Wow! Just looking at it is relaxing me, thinking of my cup of coffee with this bread.
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September 3rd, 2008 at 12:58 am
What an unusual and pretty looking bread!
(I loved your choc eclair pictures, too.)
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September 3rd, 2008 at 1:05 am
What a beautiful bread! It’s so unique.
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September 3rd, 2008 at 7:36 am
Hey Jude,
Absolutely beautiful and creative bread. You’re a genius! In regard to your comment on my blog, you should jump in there and braid dough, it’s so much fun. All it takes is a little practice, and if it doesn’t turn out the way you’d like, just eat it!!
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September 3rd, 2008 at 8:04 am
I think you showed incredible fortitude to wait until morning to tear into this gorgeous bread!
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September 3rd, 2008 at 9:59 am
Jude, What a loaf! It is so beautiful, original and scrumptious looking. I love bread but this one tops them all.
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September 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 am
These are just so beautiful! And the idea of having them for breakfast has got my jaw chewing away all on it’s own!
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September 3rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
All these bread recipes are being bookmarked for the upcoming cold season. If I gained 15 pounds last one I’ll be a whale after this one. LOL. Great recipes, all of them. And your eclairs look so amazing. I need to make them again.
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September 3rd, 2008 at 10:53 am
WOW! Beautiful pictures..that is one good looking load!
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September 3rd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I don’t know about Whole Foods, but I can tell you that Wegman’s makes something similar only three months of the year – Jan, Feb, and March – and they charge about $5 or $6 per loaf!
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September 3rd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
WOW!!!! That looks great! I should so make this to enjoy with my coffee!
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September 3rd, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I just want to let you know that I ENJOY reading your blog!! I would love to make most of the stuff here….
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September 3rd, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Your awesomeness is killing me sir.
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September 4th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Everything about those loaves look absolutely fantastic! And talk about a tasty way to start the day. I have to try this
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September 4th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Awesome!
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September 4th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Bread and chocolate are two of my favourite things ever! In fact I love to eat them together. Did you ever had a chocolate candy bar sandwich? So can you imagine how much I’m salivating with the idea of this bread, that combines the 2?
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September 5th, 2008 at 2:03 am
[...] Pane al Cioccolato – Italian Chocolate Bread ~ Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté [...]
September 5th, 2008 at 9:55 am
For a while now I’ve been wanting to make this at home, your wonderful photos and the beauty of the loaves helped me decide (quite instantly
this is the recipe I’m gonna use. Thanks for sharing, and it’s great to discover your beautiful blog!
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September 6th, 2008 at 4:48 am
Yummy, I want to go straight to the kitchen and bake these breads too.
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September 6th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
These are great Jude. I love bread and chocolate and this is a “complete” meal for me.:)
I’ve never baked with a starter before and I’m trying to work up the courage to do so. The chocolate is tempting me very strongly.
September 7th, 2008 at 1:38 am
The photos are gorgeous, Jude. Wish I could try this though, it’s not easy to find starters here.
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September 7th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Dee – Hope you like the bread recipe!
js – It’s good stuff. Always a hit with everyone now that I’ve made it a few times.
Argus – Thanks! Lots of chocolate posts lately
Noble Pig – I knew I had to try it when I first saw. Never seen it anywhere before.
Chavi – Will braid eventually. I’ll check out the recipes on your blog.
Susan – It was tough with the chocolate smell but I just had to click it first
Alexa – Thanks. Need. more. chocolate. chips.
Tom – I could use a slice right now.
Ben – I don’t know why I bake so much when it’s still pretty warm out. Can’t help it.
Meera – Thanks!
Chow – I think I can make 3 to 4 batches for that much.
Jenn – Goes great with coffee. Maybe I should put coffee in the dough itself.
Maya – Thanks! It’s fun to write, cook, and click.
Sweetbird – I still want some of that mead.
Mike – It’s good stuff. Triple batch proofing right now
Oggi – Thanks!
Clumbsy – Smells so great while baking. Bread AND Hot chocolate? Oh yeah.Never had a chocolate candy bar sandwich, though.
Miri – Thanks and I hope the recipe works for you!
Zorra – It’s so good.. Even without the chocolate chips I’ve found (but with chocolate sauce on the side).
Aparna – This has actually been the complete meal for me tha past few mornings.. With maybe a cup of milk.
Coco – A small pinch of yeast should do the trick instead of the starter. Try it out!
September 9th, 2008 at 5:42 am
I have heard that Polaine charges upwards of $40 a loaf for some of their breads.
Yours are so beautiful I would be reluctant to crack them open – but only for so long! They look amazing and I bet they were out of this world.
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November 17th, 2008 at 12:32 am
[...] The components for the starter were mixed, and added to the bread flour and water to form a biga naturale. I followed the rest of the directions for pane al cioccolato as posted by Jude here. [...]
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I must say this bread looks delicious! It’s been tempting me for the past few weeks whenever I visit your blog, and last night I decided to make it. The only change I made was that I had some left over whole-grain spelt flour (not much) that I added and I used pieces of a bitter 85% chocolate bar instead of semisweet chips.
Needless to say it turned out delicious! It was torture waiting an hour for the bread to cool off outside on the front porch. X3 I even had some hot milk to dip it in.
February 5th, 2009 at 4:31 am
WOW…….I can smell the aroma of the freshly baked chocolate bread.
Looks profetional as usual.
Great Job!
February 16th, 2009 at 3:22 am
[...] Castella @ No Special Effects Pane al Cioccolato – Italian Chocolate Bread @ Apple Pie, Patis, Pâté Vegan Quiche with Swiss Chard and Corn @ Bee – Jugalbandi (Host) Here I am! Said the croquette. @ [...]
June 4th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
[...] Adapted from Jude’s post here [...]
June 17th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
dear Jude,
I’d like to let you know how pleased I am with the result of this recipe of yours. I’ve made it successfully and I didn’t change anything for your recipe. Thank you for posting it, and I am totally addicted to Pane Al Cioccolato!
Cheers,
elra
November 4th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Oh my goodness! I cannot wait to make this bread! We go to this great little bakery in San Diego when we’re there and they make this every Saturday morning…it is the most amazing thing. And your recipe looks exactly like it, when I googled ‘chocolate bread recipe’ I never really thought I would find a Pane al Cioccolato recipe. Thank you!!
March 23rd, 2010 at 8:54 pm
What is the recipe for the starter? Thank you.. i dont even know what that is
April 19th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Made this twice already. Love it! With coffee or chai tea…delisioso! Thank you for sharing.
June 17th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
[...] wollte ich was Eigenes entwerfen, dann bin ich aber über Judes italienisches Schokobrot gestolpert. Da kann man gar nicht anders, als es nachzubacken… Ich habe die [...]
June 18th, 2010 at 1:31 am
“It didn’t matter that my calloused fingertips started to burn or that hot air threatened to singe my eyebrows into an unnatural curl; ” Who wrote this?
I must say I chuckled
OMG if you put it that way, I think I want that chocolate bread!!! and I need to curl my eyelashes
Oh lord I can almost taste it
June 19th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Oh my goodness! That looks sensational. I can’t wait to make it. Gorgeous pictures! Thanx for the easy to follow recipe!
August 11th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Hi i just thought I should leave a bit of feedback as i very much likeyour site its so interesting, keep it up!
November 21st, 2010 at 12:49 am
[...] wollte ich was Eigenes entwerfen, dann bin ich aber über Judes italienisches Schokobrot gestolpert. Da kann man gar nicht anders, als es nachzubacken… Ich habe die [...]
February 15th, 2011 at 6:15 am
[...] the bread right away. The dough size and feel seemed not ready. I adopted the recipe from this site which was originally from Michel Suas’s bread book. Taste of bread was more mellow and better [...]
May 10th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
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September 28th, 2011 at 11:27 am
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