Chocolate Orange Sourdough | A Delicious and Nostalgic Recipe (2024)

Chocolate Orange Sourdough: A Delicious and Nostalgic Recipe

Imagine waking up to the sweet, citrusy aroma of a freshly baked loaf of sourdough bread dotted with dark chocolate chips, their bittersweetness perfectly balanced by the delicate tang of orange zest. This, my friends, is the magic of my Chocolate Orange Sourdough!

Levain (Start the night before)

• 30 grams of Lievito Madre (or other sourdough starter)
• 50 grams of filtered water (100°F)
• 100 grams of Bread Flour

The Main Dough (the next day)

• All of the Levain
• 600 grams of Bread Flour
• 400 grams of Filtered Water (100°F)
• 40 grams of Maple Syrup
• 8 grams of Salt
• 3 Organic Naval Oranges, Zested
• 130 grams of Mini Vegan Chocolate Chips

Levain

1. The evening before you make your bread is when you will prep your levain. This thicker, more play dough-like levain creates an incredible bread.
2. Add 30 grams of your Lievito Madre or other sourdough starter, like a 100% hydration starter. The difference in hydration will not make any significant difference to the recipe.
3. Mix 50 grams of warmed filtered water to the sourdough starter until dissolved.
4. Add 100 grams of bread flour and mix initially with a fork before kneading by hand. If sticky, dust it with more flour and knead until a smooth ball forms. You can watch my Instagram video here to see the consistency. It is the same consistency as my sourdough starter.
5. Place it into a cleaned mason jar with a tight lid and let it rise somewhere cozy overnight. The lid needs to be tight with this type of levain!

The Main Dough

1. Mix your levain with all the remaining ingredients sans the chocolate chips and orange zest in the bowl of your stand mixer. I always use a stand mixer now instead of initially mixing by hand, but both methods will work!
2. Once mixed, place your dough into a straight-sided container. I like to use the Rubbermaid 9.5 cup food container with a lid and let your dough rest for 30 minutes, ideally in a warm spot or a dough more generous set to 85°F.
3. Do your first coil fold, then let your dough rest for 30 minutes. Repeat the coil or stretch and fold two more times.
4. After your 3rd coil fold, laminate the dough out as thinly as possible into a rectangle without tearing it, spread it over the orange zest, and then sprinkle it all over the mini chocolate chips. You can use less chocolate chips if you want, but this works best with mini ones!
5. Fold the dough like a letter and then roll it up from one end into a nice ball.
6. Place the dough back into the container and let it sit for 30 minutes.
7. Perform one or two more coil folds until the orange zest and chocolate chips are evenly spread out and the dough is no longer tearing from the inclusions. It should look smooth without too many chocolate chips pocking through.
8. Leave the dough in the same container to bulk ferment until doubled. The timing will vary greatly depending on your home environment. Visual cues are the best way to judge the rise, so take a before photo!
9. Once doubled, lightly flour the dough before dumping it onto a countertop.
10. Fold the dough your preferred way and then place it on your button.
11. Let it rest in the Benetton for 10 minutes before doing a few stitches to tighten up the surface of the dough. You can watch my video here.
12. Let the dough rest again in a warm spot or back in the dough warmer if using for one hour before baking or cold ferment overnight. I prefer to bake on the same day. My crumb is usually better when I do!
13. Preheat your oven to 480°F with a sheet pan on the lower rack, and as the oven comes to temperature, flip your shaped dough out onto a room-temperature sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
14. Score your dough and place it into the oven on the middle rack.
15. Immediately throw a few handfuls of ice onto the lower sheet pan and close the oven door.
16. Bake the bread for 20 minutes before lowering the temperature to 395°F and bake for 30 minutes.
17. Let cool overnight (if you can wait!) before slicing and enjoying.

Did you make this recipe?