No matter how crazy life has been lately, and how poorly I’ve been staying on top of making regular posts, there is nothing that could make me miss out on celebrating World Bread Day. What could be more glorious than a whole event created simply to celebrate all that is baked and doughy? This occasion calls for something special, and I have just the thing…
Chocolate brioche, anyone? Inspired by my initial success with basic brioche some time ago now, I couldn’t help but push the envelope just a little bit further, and delve deeper into this decadent bread that tastes like cake. There’s no mistaking this loaf for a hearty breakfast bread, much in contrast to my most recent offering, but the lure of that voluptuous ribbon of pure chocolate swirled within is almost too much to resist; it may very well end up on the breakfast table all the same!
Even if you don’t drop everything and bake this beauty today, take some time to celebrate your “daily bread.” Happy World Bread Day, everyone!
Chocolate Brioche
If you're craving bread that tastes like cake, this could be the loaf of your life. You get a ribbon of pure chocolate swirled through every tender cocoa-infused slice for double chocolate bliss.
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 1/4 Cup Chocolate Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 (1/4-Ounce) Packet Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 Cup Bread Flour
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
Dough:
- 3 Cups Bread Flour
- 2/3 Cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Pound Silken Tofu
- 1/4 Cup Vegan Butter, at Room Temperature
Chocolate Swirl:
- 6 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
Instructions
- To begin the sponge, briefly warm the non-dairy milk for just 30 – 60 seconds in the microwave, and then sprinkle in the yeast. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, and then mix in the sugar and flour. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow the sponge to rest for 30 – 45 minutes until it appears bubbly.
- When the sponge is ready, move it into the bowl of your stand mixer, and add the flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for a minute, and add in the chocolate silken creations. Continue to stir slowly until the dry goods seem to be mostly incorporated, and then increase to medium speed, beating the dough for 5 minutes.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment, and continue mixing on a low speed. Slowly begin to incorporate the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until no pieces are visible throughout the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and dough hook as needed to make sure that the dough is completely homogeneous.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before turning the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Kneed by hand for approximately 10 minutes, adding flour as needed, until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place for 2 – 3 hours, until doubled in volume.
- Once risen, punch the dough down, scrape it out of the bowl and onto a lightly floured surface. Press it out gently but firmly with your knuckles into a rectangle, about 15 x 7 inches.
- For the chocolate swirl, place the chocolate and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until you achieve a coarse but fine meal. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the rectangle of dough, leaving an inch of one of the short sides clear. Press the chocolate in lightly, and roll the dough up, ending at the clear strip to seal the roll. Pinch the edge together, and place the loaf, seam-side down, in a lightly greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Place in a warm area, and let rise once more for 45 – 60 minutes.
- As the loaf nears the end of its second rise, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until well-browned and has an internal temperature of 200 degrees.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 410Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 339mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 4gSugar: 21gProtein: 12g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.
AMAZING! Absolutely over the top amazing. I’ll take a slice right now, please!
CHOCOLATE bread??? Yes, please.
Happy World Bread Day! Love the swirl in the middle! :-)
What a beautiful loaf! This bread probably isn’t very sweet, is it? I imagine it must be great with some strawberry jam on top.
This sounds divine. I had no idea it was World Bread Day! About to go make some toast…although I’m wishing I had some of that chocolate brioche!
What a great recipe and a gorgeous photo! looks delicious!
You certainly know how to celebrate. Thanks for enlightening me about World Bread Day; I’m off to observe the holiday!
Ooh, that looks incredible! Thanks for sharing!
Oooh thanks for the reminder–I somehow missed World Bread Day last year, despite being such a bread lover. :( The Chocolate Brioche looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing, and happy World Bread Day to you, too!
While I may not make this today, you can bet it will be made ASAP. Or as soon as I don’t have an anatomy test to study for. Whenever that may be.
It looks glorious!
I can’t believe I forgot about World Bread Day again! Ah, well, next year. :) Your brioche is crave-tastic, I could go for a slice or three right now!
Thats a very interesting ingredient! tofu! nevertheless the bread looks faboush. happy world bread day !!
mm chocolate bread?! yum! im always down for making bread to go with my late night cup of tea. haven’t made chocolate yet but is something i would love to try. love the little swirl in your bread too!
Ohlalalala Hannah, it’s just toooooo appetising ♥
Wonderful picture !
OH MY GOSH. Chocolate swirly bread? I have seen everything now. Gorgeous picture, as always!
VEGirl
You know, Hannah, you could completely have gotten away with taking a slice of bakery bread and just saying it was tasty ;) – we all know how under pressure you are at the moment! That said, I’m kinda glad you did pull out another of your showstoppers… because now I just get to sit here looking at the picture and sighing like a tweenager dreaming of Edward Cullen.
That just looks absolutely delicious. I keep seeing gorgeous breads pop up around the net!
Chocolate bread?? Awesome. This reminds me of a chocolate cherry bread I once saw in a store that I thought would be wonderfully amazing, but had never tried. Looks gorgeous and delicious!!
The chocolate brioche bread to me is also a desert. I would have a piece with tea.
I feel bad for not knowing abt this day :)
Beautiful brioche. You have one of the best vegan blogs out there! You are always on top with the photography and everything.
I’d happily eat this for breakfast every day and just eat super healthy the rest of the day. What an indulgent start to the day :).
Yum yum yum! How did I not know about World Bread Day! Carbs are my favorite next to chocolate, so this is absolutely perfect!
What could be more decadent than chocolate and brioche? A great way to celebrate bread!
i love this post, i miss brioche so badly! theres an italian bakery here that makes amazing brioche, but ive never seen chocolate ones before, this would be insanely rich and YUMMY!!! happy bread-loving <3
Beautiful! I am down for some bread celebration any time! I bake bread a couple of times a week and we split it with my mother in law who is always in the mood for fresh bread. World Bread Day might be my favorite holiday ever! :)
I’m not vegan but your recipes and photgraphy are great. Loving the swirly chocolate bread
oh how delicious that looks :D
How oh how did I miss world bread day!!?? This looks delicious as usual :)
I shall be trying your vegan brioche!
Last week (well here in the UK) was Chocolate week. This week is National Baking week and yesterday was chocolate cupcake day. The last one is slightly too niche for me to take it seriously!
OMG CHOCOLATE BRIOCHE THATS VEGAN? IMPOSSIBLE
YOU ARE AMAZING!
it looks so delicious!
for worldbread day i made wholemeal oat bread :( it was nice but i sooo wish i ade this!
Love the photo! Looks delish!
I’m so glad you didn’t miss it! And of course I love your loaf. It looks just fantastic, yummy! Thank you for participating also in this year’s World Bread Day.
Love the idea of a brioche without eggs in it. And this looks lovely. Does this bread have the same texture as a “regualr” brioche or is it denser?
I made this bread this weekend — it turned out awesome! I didn’t have Dutch process cocoa, but regular worked fine. Also, there was no way it was going to fit in the pan after I rolled it up, but no matter; I just placed it on a cookie sheet and it baked up fine. A bit torpedo-shaped, but still fantastic. Thank you for posting this!
[…] Chocolate Briochefrom Hannah of BitterSweet […]
I loooove brioche and can’t believe I never thought to make a chocolate version!! What a treat. I love the chocolate swirl you put in there too.
[…] Feb Brioche is probably one of my favorite foods EVER. Top 5, for sure. And Hannah, over at BitterSweet, has created a chocolate, vegan version. I literally think I almost died when I read that. She […]
Is it like a chocolate bread? I want a piece now….
Thanks for sharing.
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