Chocolate Cherry Buckwheat Bread
A sweet and chewy chocolate yeast bread.
Servings 8
Cost 5
Ingredients
- 150 grams buckwheat flour
- 24 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 120 grams tapioca starch
- 60 grams brown rice flour
- 135 grams light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon salt plus a pinch
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
- 1 ½ teaspoons molasses (6 grams)
- 2 teaspoon quick rising yeast (I use SAF gold label)
- ¼ cup psyllium husks (not powder, but whole husks) (24 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 14 oz water (130 F)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, slightly generous
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips or chunks (use more or less to taste)
- ⅓ cup dried cherries or cranberries
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the buckwheat flour,cocoa powder, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, sugar, salt, espresso powder and yeast. Stir until very well mixed, then put the molasses on top of the dry mixture.
- Put the psyllium in a second medium size bowl.
- Heat water to 130 degrees F. Pour exactly 1 cup ( oz/228 grams) of warm water into the bowl with the psyllium and stir to make a gel. Add the vinegar to the gel.
- Add the psyllium gel to the flour mixture along with the olive oil. Give the mixture a stir. It should be dry and crumbly. Add remaining 4 oz more water gradually, stirring by hand until it's cohesive, but still dry and crumbly.
- Put the mixer on the stand and use the paddle to mix. It should come together to make a soft dough that may break apart. If it feels too dry and doesn't hold together, add a little more warm water.
- Turn the dough onto a pastry mat lightly slicked with oil. Press into a rectangle and scatter in the chocolate, fruits and nuts. Roll up so that the add-ins are enveloped in the dough.
- Divide dough in half and shape into two balls. Try to make sure no chocolate chips or chunks are poking out, as they will dry out from the heat.
- Set the two dough pieces on a large tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise for about 40 minutes. Loaves will not double in size.
- While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- When ready to bake, bake at 400 degrees F. for one hour. Turn off heat and let the loaves sit in the off oven for another hour. This helps to dry the interior and prevent gumminess.
- Let cool completely before slicing. This is very important.
- The bread is best served toasted, in my opinion.