Making this Sourdough Chocolate milk bread, is equal parts fascinating and adrenaline inducing. This is all to say, that slicing a loaf and taking a look at that beautiful swirl that came from your own hands?? Priceless.
Just So You Know
Developing the right texture
The texture of your Sourdough Chocolate Milk Bread dough is important, we want to make sure that the dough has developed enough gluten! Also if you find the science fascinating, check this out. Here is what you can do if it is going wrong:
- 10 minutes into kneading: The dough is still sticking heavily to the sides of the bowl – one tbs at a time, add flour until it only slightly sticks to the bottom of the bowl.
- 12 minutes into kneading: The dough tears easily after a little stretch – continue mixing.
- 15 minutes into kneading: The dough tears easily after a little stretch – rest for 10 minutes and try stretching again.
- If the dough continues to tear, do not continue kneading past 15 minutes. Over kneading could make the dough tough! At this point, it could be a flour issue but we won’t know for sure until the oven spring. So, let the worry go, the bread could surprise you!
What is milk bread made of
Why is this recipe in grams? Well, bread is a type A phenomenon. Measurements must be exact for science to do it’s thing! I debated adding cup measurements but I don’t want to set anyone up for a failure. I highly recommend getting a scale for your baking if you do not already have one -it will blow your mind with how easy it will be to make this sourdough chocolate milk bread. Promise!
Making the swirl
The sourdough chocolate milk bread is visually fascinating -I mean the swirl! But I don’t want you to think it is too complicated to make. Nonsense! However, if you’re a visual person then below I have embedded a clip of how the swirl should be done, enjoy my hands!
Making buns hun
After you have formed the logs and sliced the ends, you are left with eight cinnamon roll type buns. DO NOT LET THEM GO TO WASTE.
Allow them to rise for 30-1hr and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
How to tell if your sourdough milk bread is done rising
Proofing is a tricky thing. You could stare down your dough while its proofing to see if it’s really tripled, or you could do the poke test. Yes, that is right, you will know when your sourdough chocolate milk bread is ready just by giving it a poke!
With a damp finger, give the dough an assertive poke. If the dough springs back right away, it is telling you to go away and let it keep resting! However, if the dough springs back slowly and your poke left a small dimple, then it’s ready to go!
Remember, it’s better to poke early then late! If the dough doesn’t spring back at all – you’ve likely over-proofed the dough.
Sourdough Chocolate Milk Bread
Equipment
- Bread pan 8 1/2" x 4 1/2"
Ingredients
Levain "off-shoot of your sourdough starter"
- 58g 100% hydrated active sourdough starter
- 94g milk at room temperature (any milk will do)
- 170g bread flour (ap flour ok)
Milk Dough
- ½ levain
- 210g bread flour (ap flour ok)
- 210g ap flour
- 60g granulated sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 215g milk at room temperature (any milk will do)
Chocolate Milk Dough
- ½ levain
- 315g ap flour
- 138g cocoa powder (any kind but dark or black makes a more intense dough)
- 70g granulated sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 215g milk room temperature (any milk will do)
After Autolyze " resting period"
- 7g sea salt (for one dough)
- 52g unsalted butter melted (for one dough)
Instructions
Day One, Evening: "making the levain"
- Mix your starter, milk, and flour together - it will appear like you have too much flour but this is ok! You will end with a firm ball, transfer to a bowl and cover well.
- Place in a draft-free spot overnight.
Day Two, Evening
- Your levain will have gloriously puffed up! Use your scale to split the levain in half, or take two large bowls and a tablespoon at a time, split between the two bowls.
Milk Bread Dough
- Add all the ingredients except the salt and butter to your levain. You can choose to use a whole egg if you’d like to avoid the hassle but it will be more of a brioche. I’ve found that egg white allows for a fluffier bread!
- Mix well and set aside to autolyze/rest for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the wet dough to your stand mixer, add the melted butter and salt.
- Set the mixer on medium speed and mix for about 14 minutes. Check the dough every 4 to 5 minutes to make sure the motor doesn’t overheat but relax -take a seat!
- At 14 minutes the dough should be gathering around the hook and be very pliable. Pinch the dough and stretch it out, it should not tear. *See notes above if you see something different.
- Put back in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise at room temperature for two hours.
- *** Repeat steps 1- 6 for the Chocolate Milk Bread Dough
Folding
- At the end of two hours, take each dough and pat down on a lightly floured surface, getting rid of any bubble pockets.
- Once you have a sort of oblong shape, pick up one of the long sides (left or right) and fold it ⅓ over the dough.
- The second fold, take the opposite end (left or right) and fold it ⅓ over the dough as you did above!
- Third fold, take the short side (top or bottom) and fold it down ⅓ of the way.
- Final fold, take the other short side (top or bottom) and fold it over the other folds. You would have made a square!
- Place the dough back in the greased bowl, cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
Day Three, Morning
- Remove from the refrigerator and divide each dough into 4 pieces, leaving you with 8 pieces total. Use your scale to equally divide if you can!
- Use a clean floured surface and roll each piece into a long rectangle.
- Spray or use your fingers to *lightly* dab water on the top sides of the plain milk dough rectangles and place the chocolate dough evenly on top. Dampen the tops of the chocolate rectangles as well, and flatten once more with the rolling pin to elongate the rectangle. Then starting from the short end, roll it up tightly until a log is formed. ** See video above in notes.
- With a serrated knife, saw the ends off. * See notes above about scraps.
- Place two logs in your buttered or lined loaf pans, and let rise for 4-6 hours or until the dough has tripled. * See notes above about proofing test.
- Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
- Brush tops with butter while warm.
- Remove pan and let cool completely before slicing! Heckin' voila!
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Looking for a different sourdough recipe? These are nothing short of incredible!
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