Chocolate Peanut Butter Sourdough Bread Recipe
This Chocolate Peanut Butter Sourdough Bread is a decadent twist on traditional sourdough, combining rich cocoa and peanut butter powder layers with luscious frozen peanut butter cup pieces. The bread is naturally leavened, slow-fermented, and baked in a Dutch oven for a perfect crust and tender crumb, creating a unique sweet and nutty artisan loaf that is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes (active), plus 6–12 hours sourdough starter feeding and 12–16 hours cold proofing
- Cook Time: 45–50 minutes
- Total Time: Approximately 33 hours 45 minutes including fermentation and proofing times
- Yield: 12 servings (one large loaf)
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Liquid Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (210 grams) water for chocolate dough
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (210 grams) water for peanut butter dough
Leavening
- ¼ cup (50 grams) active sourdough starter for chocolate dough
- ¼ cup (50 grams) active sourdough starter for peanut butter dough
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) bread flour for chocolate dough
- ⅓ cup (30 grams) cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ teaspoons (5 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for chocolate dough
- 2 cups (240 grams) bread flour for peanut butter dough
- ⅓ cup (30 grams) peanut butter powder
- 1 ¾ teaspoons (5 grams) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for peanut butter dough
Mix-ins and Finish
- 6 regular-sized (126 grams) peanut butter cups, cut into 8 pieces each and frozen
- Rice flour for dusting proofing basket
- 2 ice cubes for steam in Dutch oven
Instructions
- Feed sourdough starter: Feed your sourdough starter 6–12 hours before starting the dough to ensure it is bubbly and active, ready for use in the bread making process.
- Freeze peanut butter cups: Cut each peanut butter cup into 8 pieces, arrange on parchment paper, and freeze solid to prevent melting during mixing.
- Make chocolate dough: In a medium bowl, whisk water with active sourdough starter, then add bread flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until no dry flour remains forming a shaggy dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Make peanut butter dough: In another bowl, whisk water and sourdough starter, then add bread flour, peanut butter powder, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Stretch and fold: For each dough separately, wet hands lightly, lift one side and fold it over the dough, rotate the bowl quarter turn and repeat a total of four folds per round. Gather into a ball, cover and rest 15 minutes. Repeat stretch and fold 4 times in total for each dough.
- Bulk fermentation: Transfer both doughs into a large straight-sided container stacked one on top of the other without mixing. Cover and ferment until puffy and doubled in size, 4–12 hours depending on temperature and starter strength.
- Shape: Lightly flour work surface and turn out dough. Stretch into a rectangle, scatter one-third of frozen peanut butter pieces, fold one short side to center, add another third of pieces, fold opposite side over and add remaining pieces. Fold long sides over filling, turn seam-side down and shape into a round loaf.
- Cold proof: Dust proofing basket with rice flour, place shaped loaf inside seam-side up, pinch seam closed if needed, cover and refrigerate for 12–16 hours.
- Preheat Dutch oven: Place Dutch oven with lid inside oven and preheat to 450°F. Maintain this temperature for another 30–60 minutes after oven reaches heat for ideal baking conditions.
- Bake: Turn dough seam-side down onto parchment or sling, score the top, place 2 ice cubes inside hot Dutch oven for steam, carefully put dough inside, cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove lid and bake additional 5–10 minutes until crust is deeply colored.
- Cool: Transfer baked bread to wire rack and allow to cool for 2–4 hours before slicing to set crumb and flavor.
Notes
- Use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for most accurate salt measurements.
- Freezing peanut butter cups prevents them melting into the dough during mixing and baking.
- Rice flour prevents sticking during proofing and helps maintain dough shape.
- Bulk fermentation times vary widely based on kitchen temperature and starter activity; patience is key.
- Allow bread to cool completely before slicing to avoid gummy texture.
- Steam from ice cubes in the Dutch oven helps create a crisp crust.
