Chocolate bread

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 g flour
• 15 g yeast, fresh
• 5 g salt
• 75 g sugar
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 30 g butter
• 50 g chocolate shavings
• 200 ml milk, lukewarm
• 100 ml water
• 5 drops of rum flavoring, as needed

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 15 minutes

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and add the salt. Set the jar aside for about 30 minutes. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a bowl, add the yeast, salt, and water, and mix everything thoroughly. Knead the dough vigorously for at least 5 minutes; 7-10 minutes is best; it’s okay if the chocolate shavings melt. However, if you want them completely incorporated into the bread, knead them in last. Now let the dough rest, covered, in a warm place for at least 60 minutes. The dough will be relatively “liquid,” which is why it will be difficult to knead. This is completely normal; it will be very sticky, but that’s how it should be, so don’t add any more flour. After resting, knead the dough as thoroughly as possible. Then pour it into a loaf pan or a special bread pan and let it rise, covered, for another 45 minutes. After rising, place the pan in a preheated oven at 220°C (425°F) with conventional heat. After about 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for about another 40 minutes. The chocolate bread tastes wonderfully chocolatey and is very light and fluffy. I used both sweetened and unsweetened cocoa powder. If you don’t like it too sweet, you can reduce the sugar content.