Chocolate Swirl Sourdough Bread

Swirled to perfection, this sourdough bread features a blend of vanilla, cocoa, and black cocoa flavored doughs, each bringing its own unique charm to the loaf. The marbled slices of this bread are not only attractive, but also packed with flavor, thanks to the fermentation process.

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 45

Fermentation Time 18

Total Time 19 10

Ingredients

Vanilla Dough

110 g water room temperature
30 g sourdough starter active
6 g vanilla paste
160 g bread flour
4 g sea salt coarse

Cocoa Dough

115 g water room temperature
30 g sourdough starter active
140 g bread flour
15 g dutch process cocoa powder
4 g salt

Black Cocoa Dough

65 g water room temperature
50 g fresh brewed espresso cooled
30 g sourdough starter active
140 g bread flour
15 g black cocoa powder
4 g salt

Instructions

Make The Dough:

In a medium bowl, combine 110g water with 30g sourdough starter and 6g vanilla paste. Whisk together with a dough whisk or spoon until combined. Then add 160g unbleached bread flour, and 4g sea salt. Mix until completely combined and no dry bits remain.
In a second bowl, whisk 115g water with 30g sourdough starter until combined. Add 140g unbleached bread flour, 15g dutch process cocoa powder, and 4g sea salt. Mix until fully combined and no dry bits remain. Cover and set aside for 60 minutes.
In a third bowl, whisk 50g cooled espresso, 65g water, and 30g sourdough starter until combined. Then add 140g unbleached bread flour, 15g black cocoa powder, and 4g salt. Mix until fully combined and no dry bits remain.
Cover all three bowls and set aside for 60 minutes.

Stretch And Fold:

Work from lightest to darkest dough: using damp hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you’ve completed four folds, this is one set of stretch and folds.
Recover the bowl, and set it aside for 60 minutes.
Repeat the stretch and fold process 2 times over the next 2 hours, for a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds. Rest the dough for 60 more minutes after the final stretch and fold.

Laminate + Bulk Ferment:

Lightly flour a working surface, then starting with vanilla, then cocoa, then black cocoa dough, turn the dough out of the bowl and carefully press and stretch into a rectangle. If the dough wants to tear, allow it to rest for a few minutes before trying again. Repeat with the other doughs. The vanilla flavored dough is a bit higher hydration purposely, as it forms the base of the dough pile and needs to be stretched slightly larger.
Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of the vanilla dough with water. Then carefully pick up the cocoa dough and place it on the vanilla dough. Press firmly around the surface of the dough to adhere them together. Then brush the surface of the cocoa dough with water and lift the black cocoa dough and place it on the cocoa dough, again pressing firmly to ensure the doughs adhere to each other. This can help prevent large bubbles forming between the layers.
Brush the black cocoa dough with water, then fold up the bottom third of the dough, then fold the bottom right corner one third of the way across, fold the left corner across, then roll the dough into a log.Use a bench scraper to pick up the dough and place it into a large bowl.
Cover the dough and bulk ferment for 2-3 hours.

Pre-Shape and Shape:

Observe your marbled dough, at this point, the dough should have risen in the bowl, and have a smooth surface with visible bubbles. If the dough is domed in the bowl it is ready to work with, if the dough is flat it may need more time in the bulk ferment.
Uncover the dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface or countertop. Gently press and spread the dough into a rectangle.
Fold up the bottom third of the dough as though you were folding a letter then fold the bottom right corner one third of the way across, fold the left corner across. Rotate the dough 90 degrees then roll into a log. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and rest for 30 minutes.
The final shape for this recipe is just about building more surface tension, so you’ll just place your pinkies underneath the far side of the dough roll and gently pull it towards yourself. The dough will tighten after a couple of pulls.
Dust the dough with rice flour then tuck seam side up into a banneton.

Prove + Cold Retard:

Prove the double chocolate vanilla swirl sourdough loaf in the banneton for 2-3 hours in a warm place before covering and placing in fridge to cold retard for up to 3 days. If you want to bake it right after proving, you’re welcome to, but I believe the flavor is better after resting in the fridge.

Bake:

When ready to bake, place one oven rack on the oven floor, and place a cast-iron skillet on that rack. Add 4 cups of water to the skillet.
Then place a second oven rack in the lower third of your oven, usually you’ll need to place it in the second from bottom slot in order to clear the skillet. Place your baking stone or baking steel on the rack.
Preheat the oven to 450f, with the baking stone in the oven for at least 45 minutes. Once the oven is fully preheated, turn your proofed dough out of the banneton onto a sheet of parchment paper.
Quickly, but carefully, open the oven and using a pizza peel or the parchment paper as a sling, place the sourdough onto the heated baking stone and bake uncovered with the water-filled skillet for as 5 minutes before opening the oven and scoring the dough deeply down the center of the loaf.
Continue baking another 30 - 35 minutes, until the crust has reached your desired color. You can check the internal temperature – it should be between 205 and 210 Fahrenheit.

Cool:

Remove baked bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire mesh cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. I like to leave it for at least 2 hours before slicing, as slicing too soon can affect the crumb and texture of your loaf.

Notes

Expert Tips

In order to get the intense contrasting swirls, this recipe requires you to make 3 separate batches of dough and combine them before completing the bulk ferment. This is the extra effort I mentioned earlier, but without this process, that spectacular three-toned bread isn’t possible.
Black cocoa powder is black. It’s worth being cautious when you’re using it, as the powder flies and can definitely stain your clothing and linens.
When working with your doughs, work from lightest to darkest, and you won’t have color bleed through the batches.