Chocolate Coffee Cardamom Bread! (CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED)
Thanksgiving has come and gone too quickly yet again. We have finished eating our Thanksgiving Leftovers Torta, but we’ll continue to hold on to our reasons to stop and give thanks, especially as the holiday madness begins in earnest. We’ve come up with a great way to celebrate the season with you–and they don’t involve turkey or long lines of shoppers–a decadent chocolate bread, laced with coffee, cardamom, and more chocolate!
Let’s start with the bread. The recipe is our Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread recipe, which comes from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day, but tweaked just a bit, with a swirl of cardamom sugar and chocolate chunks. The combination of chocolate, cardamom, and coffee is quite a treat; the flavors compliment each other beautifully. This bread is rich and dreamy, but the dough is still made with whole wheat flour and honey, adding lots of flavor with less fat than our regular brioche, for example. There is, of course, the coffee icing that covers the top, an added little indulgence for the Holidays.
Chocolate Coffee Cardamom Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or two packets)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1 cup strong brewed coffee, lukewarm
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
4 large eggs
1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil
3/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
Whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5 quart bowl, or other lidded food container. Combine the liquid ingredients and mix with the dry ingredients without kneading.
The dough will be loose, but will firm up when chilled. Don’t try to use it without chilling at least 2 hours.
Cover the dough, and allow to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses, about 2 hours. Refrigerate and use over the next 5 days.
On baking day, grease a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch nonstick loaf pan. Cut off a 2-pound piece of dough and shape into a ball. Generously flour your work surface, and roll the dough into a 1/4 inch rectangle, dusting with flour as needed. Brush the surface of the dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter, and sprinkle the cardamom sugar mixture evenly over the butter. Then sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the sugar mixture. Roll the dough into a cylinder, and pinch the seams shut. Place in the prepared loaf pan, and allow to rest for about an hour and 45 minutes, covered loosely with plastic wrap. (For detailed instructions on rolling out, sprinkling, and rolling up, see Zoe’s post here).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 45-50 minutes, until firm. Remove the bread from the pan and drizzle with the coffee icing (recipe follows). Allow to cool before slicing and eating.
Coffee Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons strong coffee
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt together. Add coffee one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
That chocolate bread is making my mouth water! I’ve got your Artisan Bread book, but I’d love to add the others to my shelf.
The bread looks yummy. I wish I had some now. Can’t wait to try it.
That recipe looks like a keeper. Love the books, have 2 of my own and love to give them as gifts
I love your approach to bread-baking — you’ve made me the hit of my family, and the best part is that it is so easy!
Yummy!
I’ve been wanting the one book of Pizza and Flatbreads for some time now. Winning all 3 would be even better.
Oh my gosh this bread looks SO incredibly moist! I love it. And what a fantastic giveaway.
i would love your books as well as that cake..i mean bread. looks great and can’t wait to try it. i have been making pita for my family from the ABin5 it is a big hit.
This looks delicious. I love chocolate and cardamom and haven’t tried them together before!
Continuing to admire how you magically combine whole grain and decadence! I love everything about yours books–and would love a copy of all of them.
That looks amazing. I am so tempted to order one of your books on the Kindle.
That looks delicious! I’ve been in a cake baking mood lately, but I think it’s time to get back to bread.
Wow that bread looks fabulous!
This bread looks decadent. Can’t wait to try it.
Just started doing the Artisan Bread and my teenage boys are LOVING having homemade bread with dinners.
Oh. my. goodness! This looks delicious! Looking forward to making it to bring for Christmas. I wonder if those who don’t like coffee (that’s not me! 🙂 could sub orange juice in place of the coffee. Thanks for the great recipe. And the contest. Would LOVE to win the books!
Can’t wait to try this one, sounds yummy!
Chocolate Bread! What’s not to love. I really enjoy your books. They make bread making easy! and yummy.
Yay for book giveaways!
I am brand new to bread making. The five minute bread recipe has me inspired to make it tonight for the first time. I am tired of going to the grocery and looking at the loaves of bread that are too big for one or two people to eat at a time and have decided to make my own. Fresh bread without all the preservatives is my goal. Thanks so much for doing this for others.
Your books are filled with tempting recipes; I’d love to have my own set of books so I can try them all!
I love cardamom and am always looking for new ways to use it!
I’d love to make some mini loaves for gifts, but wonder how long to bake the smaller size?
As usual, another amazing recipe! Your method is brilliant. Thanks for sharing it!
I have HBi5 and use it sooo much. I love the buttermilk bread, cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, cheddar bread I could go on.
What a beautiful bread, will have to try the recipe soon!
I really need to get my own copies of the books. I’ve checked the Healthy Bread book out from the library, and I use the master recipe from that book continuously, but I’d like to make more recipes from all of the books! I think I’ll add them to my Christmas list if I don’t win the giveaway. 🙂
My friend introduced me to your books. I would love to own them!
I love the added toach of Cardamon. Can’t wait to make this for my husband.
Oh, I wish I wasn’t ill. I’d go make that bread right now, then get cozy with a piece and pile of cookbooks:)
This recipe sounds delish! We love cardamom bread here (deep Swede roots) the addition of chocolate and coffee would make a divine Swedish appetizer! Thanks for an awesome giveaway, I have the first two books on my kindle but am a book lover (hoarder) and would love to have all three of these in my hands!
Made my first loaf of bread the other day..looking for more recipes.
would love to have these books!
What a great Christmas present this would be….for me!
I am going to try this recipe, as soon as I get my hands on some vital wheat gluten.
thank you!
The bread looks yummy. I’ve been wanting to try a dark bread. I’d love to have a set of all the books. I am always giving away my copies to friends and family when they show an interest in making bread.
I am so happy you posted this! I saw the recipe for chocolate espresso bread in your book when I rented it from the library but had to return the book before I had a chance to make the bread. I am excited to try it!
Thank you, thank you for writing these books. I use your recipe(s) every week and always have dough in my refrigerator!! I will gift the books and spread the love 🙂
Love the idea of a recipe that combines choclate and cardamom. Looking forward to trying it. Have one of your books, would love to have a complete set.
That bread looks fantastic. I love anything with chocolate & anything with cardamom, but I’ve never thought to put them together!
I moved and haven’t gotten in the habit yet of doing 5 min/day bread in my new home. This would certainly be good inspiration!
MMmmm – oh that looks tasty good. Oh and warm with a cup o’ jo – oh yeah!
I just got into cardamon recently and love it. This bread sounds super good, full of my favorite things (pure chocolate and coffee)! wow
I love the combination of coffee and cardamom together. I will definitely try this recipe over the Christmas Holidays. Thank you and Happy Holidays
This bread looks incredible! Just borrowed your books from the library, but now would like to own them. We already tried your refrigerator pizza dough with great success. Tasted wonderful!
I have your first book, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes and love it. I’d love to try this recipe and would definitely want to add your other two books to my shelf.
Looks delicious!
It’s looks amazingly good! I love all the recipes in the one book I have but I have to try this one. Mmmmmm!
Though I consider a chocolate bread in the dessert category, this is a nice, healthier option than most cakes. It does not count for my 108 Breads project because I already officially eschewed dessert breads. (I do need a chocolate dessert recipe as that chocolate cake I made 10 years ago took oh so many hours and looked like a sorry creature. The butter practically attacked.)
Mmmmm….have to add this to my queue of goodies to make! Thanks Jeff and Zoë!
More yummy breads. I would love to have all your books.
Books!