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.
I just made cinnamon rolls with the brioche dough! So delicious. I can’t wait to try this chocolate recipe 🙂
Can anyone tell me which book is the newest? Saw a comment about using a dough that could be used for something close to croissants. Jeff said it was in the new book. I have Artisan bread in 5 a day, but not the others. Thanks
Hi Tanya,
None of our doughs are laminated (layered with butter), so I am not sure which dough he may have been suggesting? Are you looking for a dough to then layer with butter to make croissants?
Thanks, Zoë
I have ABin5 and I love it! I have adapted one of the recipes in it to make some extra yummy pizza dough, but I would love to have your pizza book. Pizza nights are a fun tradition in our family!
Hi Your Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is one of my most favorite recipes! My family loves the pizza I make with it. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
This looks awesome (though I’m unsure about the cardamom- dont know if I really like cardamom??) I’m going to try it anyway because it looks so good, and I haven’t tried one of your recipes that wasn’t a success.
i’m going to make the Mini-Doughnuts four Hanukkah.
I can’t wait to try this!
Love your pizza book. Would love to have the others.
Chocolate Coffee Cardamom Bread looks wonderful. My two favs – chocolate and coffee together. I love the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day book.
This looks scrumptious! My husband loves both cardamom and coffee, so I think this one will be a winner. Healthy Bread in 5 is my favorite cookbook!
New to your website & definitely interested in trying the crockpot breads. Wonderful site !
This bread looks INSANELY decadent! I am beginning to play with Romertopf bread baking and I would love a complete set.
Who knew making bread could be so easy! Thank you for introducing me to Artisan Breadmaking.
Oh this would be a delightful set to own!
This looks delicious! Is it ok to replace cardamom with cinnamon? Thanks!
Thanks for another great recipe guys!
Can’t wait to try it! Anything with cardamom!
Pick Me Pick Me
If by some inconceivable course of events I don’t win are the three book signed sets a available anywhere?
Dave
This chocolate coffee bread looks yummy! I’ve been looking at your Healthy Bread in 5 cookbooks for a while but don’t have one yet. This would be a treat if I was picked!
This sounds decadent. I’m going to try it out with the family over Christmas. Thanks for sharing!
Your recipes have reignited my love of baking! Can’t wait to try this recipe (chocolate AND coffee? Can’t go wrong!)
Artisan bread and imagination creates good things!
Your Gluten Free Artisan Bread is my go to bread recipe especially when there is room in our fridge for the extra dough. Yay 😀 Fresh (NOT frozen) GF bread for days! 😀
I brought your pizza book for a yankee swap and it was a big hit!
This chocolate bread looks so good! I’ll have to try it over the holidays!
This sounds delicious.
I had a request to make the blush tart with pears.
I will be making it with marscapone instead of the cream again.
Angela
I love ABin5 and have been dying to get your Artisan Pizza book!
Cardamom is one of my favorites! Brings back memories of Grandmas Cardamom braided coffee bread. I can’t wait to try this. I recently got introduced to your methods and am in LOVE, my family thanks you too!
I love cardamon too! I most often use your master recipe from Healthy Bread in Five but I’ll also be using your whole wheat brioche to make some healthy pastries this holiday season!
oh Please let me win the books. Pretty please!
Love your books – I’ve given away so many copies of ABin5, and would love to give away some more . . . have lots of friends!
Great changes, can’t wait to try it.
Just made this loaf last night – it was fantastic! I will be keeping this chocolate recipe for a long time to come.
A loaf in the oven right now for a potluck Christmas breakfast tomorrow. Smells divine.
This looks FANTASTIC! I’ve been a big fan of the original Artisan Bread in 5 book for years – my friends and family particularly clamor for the Vermont Cheddar Bread. I have noticed that frequently the loaves sort of tear/stretch along one side as they bake – they are still extremely tasty, but not quite as pretty as those in the book. Any suggestions for correcting that are welcome! Many thanks for all the inspiration.
Since I learned of your ABin5 book and bought a copy, I’ve never made bread any other way! Love, love, love the method! My family now regularly feasts on home baked bread.
For Thanksgiving I used pumpkin pie brioche dough for several different shapes at different events. Haven’t decided which dough I will have on hand for the Christmas/New Years holidays but I’m sure I will enjoy making a variety of shapes with whatever dough I pick.
In this vid you mentioned you frzeee your bread but didn’t fininsh that info, would you please let me know how I can make large amounts and frzeee until needed or how long can it be frozen. Thanks in advance.
Hi Hikmet,
Which dough recipe are you using, the different recipes freeze differently. Or, do you want to freeze the baked bread?
Thanks, Zoë
My mother (yes, she’s in a comment above mine) introduced me to your breads and successfully made the high-altitude one when she came out to visit me in Colorado. Can’t wait to see what she makes for Christmas. The books would be great to try all the different recipe flavors.
Coffee cardamom bread looks delicious!
Don’t let anyone tell you that old bread bakers can’t learn new tricks.
I am 85 and loving your Artisian Bread in 5
baking method.
My 30 year old granddaughter introduced me to this method by accident and I loved it.
Your method is not only great for young homemakers, but also perfect for us oldsters.
Thank you a million times.
My wife has made bread for years. But since she discovered Artisan Bread in Five, she has not gone back and made any the traditional way. And we love sharing the idea with others, as they all think they are too busy to make homemade bread!
Hmmmm, looks delicious!
Made it, shared it, loved it!
can this dough be frozen?
Hi Saufay,
Yes, all of our doughs can be frozen. Depending on your freezer it can last a few weeks in there. I find after that the rising power is diminished.
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you! do I defrost the dough in the fridge and then let it rise in or out of the fridge? And how long does the dough rise in fridge?
Thanks again for answering my questions!
Hi Saufay,
Let the dough defrost in the refrigerator, then you can use it as if it just came out of the bucket. Follow all the resting and baking times, once you form the loaf.
Thanks, Zoë
I can’t wait to try this bread for hubs. These are all flavors he loves!! Thank you.
This looks really good, I will definitely try this recipe for the holidays.
i live in Madagascar and cant find vital wheat gluten in the shops here. Is there an alternative i can use, or is it possible to just leave it out? Would love to try this as it sound divine! Please help!
Hi Jocelyne,
If you can find high protein bread flour, that can act as a substitute. The dough may not store as well for the two weeks, losing some of its strength and rising power a little sooner.
Thanks and happy baking!
Zoë
ok. thanks, i’ll take a look for that.
I have to try this with your gluten-free brioche dough! YUM!
Do you think I can substitute the coffee for instant espresso powder?
Yes, but use water to replace the liquid you omitted.
I just made this bread dough (a gluten-free version) and it made the best doughnuts!! I simply exchanged my gluten-free flour blend for the wheat flours and psyllium for the vital wheat gluten. Thank you for this recipe!! It will be one of our family favorites!
Pam: What gluten-free flour blend are you using? Is it a commercial product?
Hi Jeff, I use a blend I make myself. I use 1 cup sweet rice (glutenous rice), 1 cup sorghum flour, 1-1/2 cups tapioca starch, 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup corn starch, 1/2 cup potato starch, and 1 cup resistant starch. The resistant starch can be omitted, but it adds healthy fiber. The psyllium is the magic ingredient, it holds moisture and gives gluten free dough characteristics of wheat based dough. My gluten free baking has greatly improved since I discovered this ingredient 🙂
Thanks Pam!
I’m a bit confused. Is the quantity of the sugar mixture/chocolate filling per loaf, or should it be divided between the multiple loaves?
Hi Christopher,
The quantity listed for the filling is per loaf.
Thanks! Zoë