Chocolate Toast Made with Bread Machine
I can feel everyone’s love for bread machine recipes, which shows that in a busy life, it’s a great choice to balance deliciousness and convenience. Apparently, everyone is as wise as I am! Maybe the previous two recipes were not enough for you to switch it up, so here’s another angel in the kitchen 👼— the third bread machine recipe: Chocolate Toast. My first recipe was for chocolate bread—something I wrote five years ago. At that time, my only intention was to experiment with how to create a recipe, and it didn’t have photo instructions. However, the first thing that jumped to my mind was surely my one true love—chocolate. This time, I’ve seriously taken some photos, motivated by everyone’s encouragement. I hope you like it. This recipe is just as good as the previous two bread machine recipes. The result is very soft and fluffy, with a rich chocolate flavor that makes the bread taste chocolatey but not greasy. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about gaining weight—it doesn’t get better than this! This recipe has a relatively high hydration level, and the success depends greatly on the type of flour used. I used King Arthur’s bread flour; if you use others, please reserve some milk as per Tip 3 below. Note: Regardless of the bread recipe you use, always reserve some liquid (water or milk) and avoid pouring it all in at once. Adjust it based on the flour’s water absorption, the bread machine’s performance, and room temperature. Basic knowledge is to reduce milk by 10g when the room temperature exceeds 25°C, and move to an air-conditioned room when it exceeds 30°C.
Ingredients
Steps
Place the yeast in the yeast compartment. Add all other ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, into the bread pan. (If your bread machine lacks a yeast box, put the yeast directly into the bread pan. If it has a dedicated nut dispenser, put the chocolate chips there. Mine requires manual addition.)
For Panasonic bread machines, select Menu 2: Soft Bread, light crust color, and press the raisin button (used as chocolate chip reminder) before starting. For other brands, just select the standard bread program and let it run.
The dough will undergo processes like kneading, resting, and yeast mixing in the bread machine. Observe the dough as shown in the picture. If it isn’t forming a ball or is too loose, it’s too wet. That’s why controlling liquid amounts from the start is vital due to bread machines’ limited adjustment capabilities.
When the bread machine signals the raisin alert, add the chocolate chips. If you have an automatic nut dispenser, you don’t need to worry. If there’s no signal, add them during the second kneading. (Skip this step if not using chocolate chips.)
The dough is in its final fermentation, ready for baking. It already looks tempting—like a huge block of chocolate.
Due to the higher sugar content in the recipe compared to standard ones, don’t follow the program completely. Check the crust color 5–10 minutes before baking ends; turn it off early if it looks done to avoid a hard crust. Of course, if you don’t mind a crispy crust or prefer convenience, wait until the program ends. (For this chocolate recipe, color judgment is tricky. Panasonic machines usually finish perfectly 5 minutes early.)
Remove the bread and let it cool. Once cooled, the crust may wrinkle a little.
Once cooled, slice the bread to reveal its texture—soft and enticing! Chocolate fans will find it irresistible. My chocolate chips melted during baking as they weren’t heat-resistant. Use heat-resistant chips if you want visible bits.
For storage, I often use airtight bags—simple and effective. A well-made bread will retain its texture at room temperature for 2-3 days. Avoid refrigeration as it accelerates staling. If there are leftovers, freeze them. But my bread never makes it to the freezer—yours probably won’t either! 😄