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A loaf of cherry chocolate sourdough bread is cut in half in the background while two slices of the bread sit in the foreground.

Cherry Chocolate Sourdough Bread

This cherry chocolate sourdough bread recipe combines rich cocoa, juicy fresh cherries, and melty chocolate chips to create a decadent artisan sourdough loaf. With step-by-step instructions, you’ll learn how to make a soft and airy sourdough bread with a crisp crust and pockets of sweet-tart cherries and chocolate in every bite.
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Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Overnight Fermentation: 12 hours
Total Time: 16 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Author: Jamie

Equipment

  • Dutch oven
  • dough whisk
  • Mixing Bowl
  • kitchen scale
  • bread sling or parchment paper
  • banneton

Ingredients

  • 125 g sourdough starter about ½ cup, active and bubbly
  • 350 g water 1 ½ cups
  • 450 g bread flour 3 ¾ cups
  • 25 g cocoa powder ¼ cup
  • 10 g salt 1 ½ tsp
  • 115 g chopped cherries about ¾ cup
  • 70 g semi-sweet chocolate chips about ½ cup

Instructions

Mix the dough

  • In a large bowl, use a dough whisk to mix the starter and water. Add the bread flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
  • Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
  • Cover and let rest for 30–60 minutes (autolyse).

Stretch and folds

  • Perform your first set of stretch and folds (about 10 pulls for the first round, then 4 for the following rounds).
  • Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Repeat 3 more sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes.

Bulk fermentation

  • After the final set, cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest until bulk fermentation is complete (4–6 hours, or until dough rises by 50–75%).

Add inclusions

  • Gently stretch dough into a rectangle.
  • Sprinkle half the cherries and chocolate over the dough.
  • Fold one-third of the dough over, sprinkle on half the remaining inclusions.
  • Fold the final third over and add the rest of the inclusions.
  • Shape into a loaf, keeping cherries and chocolate tucked inside.

Preshape & shape

  • Preshape the dough by gently pushing it away and pulling it back to create surface tension.
  • Rest for 30 minutes.
  • Repeat the shaping action again for final tension.
  • Place seam-side up into a floured banneton, stitching seam closed with your fingers.

Cold ferment

  • Cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.

Bake

  • Preheat oven with Dutch oven inside at 450°F (232°C) for 30–60 minutes.
  • Flip dough seam-side down onto parchment or a bread sling, score as desired.
  • Bake 30 minutes covered, then 20–25 minutes uncovered, until internal temp reaches 205°F (96°C).
  • Cool & enjoy
  • Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

Storage:
Bread is always best the day it is baked. Store any leftovers in an airtight container or bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.4mg | Sodium: 326mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Calories: 189kcal
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