Lastly again from a stunning trip.  I did a Locum for the previous week and at last had an opportunity to bake.  I haven’t baked a chocolate bread in ages, I really like chocolate and tart cherries, so this chocolate sourdough focaccia with tart cherries and sugared rosemary was born.  This can be a variant of my latest focaccia, nonetheless, it has unsweetened cocoa powder, semi sweetened darkish chocolate chunks, dried tart cherries and a small quantity of sugar within the dough.  Surprisingly the sugared rosemary is definitely fairly yummy and goes effectively with this focaccia.  I took photographs of the focaccia with sugared cranberries I made, nonetheless, they weren’t served with the focaccia.  They have been made for a cake I will probably be baking later,.

Dried Tart Cherries 82 g

70% cacao semi candy darkish chocolate baking bars, roughly chopped, divided 114 g

Use about 98 g of the chocolate within the dough and the remaining to prime the focaccia

6 sprigs of rosemary, leaves pulled off in small clusters

1.5 tablespoons turbinado sugar

¾  teaspoon flaky sea salt

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Levain construct in a single day

Combine starter, water after which flour and ferment at room temperature 74°F the night time earlier than.

Methodology

Combine

To the bowl of your stand mixer add water, sugar and salt, combine to mix.

Add the levain and break into small items.  Add the flour and cocoa and blend till the gluten is effectively developed. (maintain again the olive oil till later in mixing). 

Subsequent, flip the mixer on to a low velocity and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl whereas mixing till the olive oil is effectively absorbed.

Add the dried tart cherries and 98 g of the chopped chocolate to the bowl and blend till effectively integrated.

Switch your dough to a bulk fermentation container and canopy.  Ideally, use an oblong pan for bulk.

Bulk Fermentation

Enable the dough to rise, you might do just a few coil folds if the dough wasn’t very robust after kneading.  In any other case permit to rise till about 25-40%

Proof

Utilizing oiled fingers switch the dough to a 9×13” pan or divide it in half and into two 9” rounds which have been evenly greased with olive oil. In the event you don’t have a pan with a silicone liner, be sure to reasonably oil the pan’s inside so the focaccia doesn’t stick throughout baking.  Don’t go too heavy with the olive oil in any other case you might find yourself shallow frying the dough.  Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. if the dough contracts permit the dough to relaxation 10-15 minutes and repeat

The dough will naturally unfold out throughout this proofing interval, so it’s pointless to unfold the dough aggressively. As soon as the dough is usually unfold to the sides, cowl the pan and proof till the dough has had a complete rise of 185% or so.  It ought to be very bubbly on the time of baking.

About half-hour earlier than you anticipate the sourdough focaccia dough being prepared, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) with a rack positioned within the backside third. Goal to bake when the dough has reached 170% rise.

High & Bake

First, dimple the unadorned dough with moist fingers. Be certain that the dimples are evenly spaced and go all the best way all the way down to the underside of the pan being positive to press down any cherries on floor. Go over the dough twice. Organize rosemary sprigs on prime, if utilizing. Sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar and flaky sea salt.  Then, drizzle on 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with chopped darkish chocolate and coarse sea salt. If utilizing different toppings, add them now as effectively, press them into the dough gently.

Bake the focaccia within the oven at 450°F (232°C) about half-hour. Rotate the pan front-to-back midway by way of this time. Keep watch over it over the last 5-10 minutes and pull it out if it’s coloring too rapidly, or go away it in longer in case you’d prefer it a bit of darker.

Let the focaccia cool a couple of minutes within the pan, then switch to a cooling rack. It’s incredible heat from the oven, and greatest on the day of baking, however it’ll maintain effectively for a pair days loosely wrapped in foil (reheat underneath the broiler earlier than serving).

Whereas it’s nonetheless sizzling, you’ll be able to beautify it with sugared cranberries and rosemary putting them within the nonetheless heat melted chocolate.

That is fairly a yummy bread that isn’t too candy, the sweetness actually simply comes from the semi-sweet darkish chocolate chunks.  If you wish to scale back the sugar simply use unsweetened darkish chocolate as a substitute.  Nonetheless, I believe it’s extra balanced with the sweetness of the sweetened darkish chocolate.

Joyful Holidays.

Benny