Cocoa Cranberry Soft Bread ~ Natural Yeast (Polish Starter)
A super delicious and soft chocolate bread. Tried one fresh out of the oven, and the taste was absolutely delightful! It's incredibly soft and so tasty, fully meeting my chocoholic standards. Many fellow bakers have even mentioned this bread looks a bit like blueberries—how adorable is that? If you don’t have natural yeast, use 40g of flour and 40g of water in a 1:1 ratio, adding 1g of yeast and fermenting until it collapses to make a Polish starter. Read the tips before making!
Ingredients
Steps
Mix all ingredients (except cranberries and butter) into a dough. Add butter and knead until the dough stretches. Incorporate the cranberries in the final two minutes until evenly mixed. Ps: Melt the chocolate over low heat in a water bath and allow it to cool before adding to the dough. Cranberries can be replaced with other dried fruits. I added dried blueberries, red dates, and raisins. For a stronger flavor, soak the dried fruits in rum in advance. Be sure to dry them before incorporating into the dough.
Ferment at room temperature until doubled in size. A poke test should leave an indentation that doesn't bounce back or collapse.
Divide the dough into 9 equal portions, shape into balls, and let them rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Perform two folds to build surface tension and increase the dough's upward expansion capability: Take one dough portion, place the smooth side up, and press it flat gently. Flip to have the underside face up.
Fold the end nearest to you upwards, folding the dough in half.
Use the side of your palm to tuck the upper seam of the dough into the bottom and seal tightly. Turn the dough 90 degrees and place it lengthwise.
Flip the dough over to have the bottom side facing up.
Again, fold the end closest to you upwards, folding the dough in half.
Next, tuck and seal the top surface of the dough into the bottom tightly and form a round ball-like shape. Repeat for all portions and place them on a baking tray. Move to a warm and humid area (around 38°C) for final proofing.
During the final proofing, allow the dough to double in size. At around 25–30 minutes, sift some flour on the surface and cut a cross pattern with scissors.
Preheat the oven to 220°C, but bake at 200°C on the middle rack for about 18 minutes. Adjust the temperature and time according to your oven.
Once baked, remove immediately and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container once cool to the touch and consume soon.
Absolutely delicious.