Chocolate and Sour Cherry Bread
Unless you're Italian and having 20 people over for lunch is the norm, I would recommend halving the recipe though because the loaf came out huge! Adapted from a Coles Easter baking brochure. Time required: 20 minutes prep, 1 hours for rising, 1 hour for proving, 25 minutes for baking. Makes 1 loaf
Prep Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Servings: 4 -8
For the Chocolate and Sour Cherry Bread:
- 4 cups plain flour sifted
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa sifted
- 3/4 cup dried sour cherries
- 1/4 cup real dark chocolate chips
- 300 ml milk at room temperature
- 2 x 7 g sachets of dried yeast
- 2 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 egg yolk lightly beaten
To make the Chocolate and Sour Cherry Bread:
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, caster sugar, cocoa, dried cherries and chocolate chips.
Place milk in a large jug. Add yeast and eggs to the milk and whisk together.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk egg and yeast mixture.
Mix with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough, the knead for a few minutes using your hands.
The dough should becomes smooth and elastic.
Proving the dough:
Line a tray with baking paper.
Punch down dough and knead until smooth.
Roll out the dough into a 50cm log and arrange into a ring on your baking sheet, press the ends together to join.
Set aside for another 1 hour to prove.
To bake the Chocolate and Sour Cherry Bread:
Brush egg yolk all over the bread.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped.