Chocolate Bread Two Ways: Chocolate Loaf Bread and Chocolate Monkey Bread

Chocolate Bread Two Ways: Chocolate Loaf Bread and Chocolate Monkey Bread

Hi everybody :)

I want to talk about cookbooks for a little bit. My family thinks I have too many, can you imagine too many cookbooks? NEVER!!  I promised them that I would do at least one recipe form each cookbook I have. The thing is I LOVE cookbooks. They are my muse, my hobby, my treasures..I can go on and on. But I digress. This recipe is from my cookbook collection. A tiny little book called Cookshelf Baking, whoever said "good things comes in small packages" never lied.  :)

I doubled the recipe, making one regular chocolate loaf and one monkey bread recipe. The chocolate loaf was great: lightly toasted with nutella smeared on it. The monkey bread was equally delicious. Both are made with the same recipe (but monkey bread has a few more added ingredients). Two great recipes in one, go figure. Both are delicious for breakfast/brunches or snacks.

Chocolate Loaf Bread

Chocolate Bread from Cookshelf Baking
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
4 cups white bread flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
l packet active dry yeast
2 Tbsp light brown Sugar
1 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1. Lightly grease a 2-pound loaf pan.
2. Sift the flour and the unsweetened cocoa into a large mixing bowl.

Sifting flour and cocoa

3. Stir in the salt, yeast, and brown sugar.
4. Pour in the oil along with the water and mix the ingredients together to make a dough.
5. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes

Dough before rising

6. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Punch down the dough and shape it into a loaf.  Place the dough into the prepared pan, cover, and then let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes more.

Dough has doubled

8. Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 400 F for 30 minutes, or until a hollow sound can be heard when the base of the bread is tapped. (Make sure to listen for a sound, just because dough is browned doesn't means it's done)
9. Transfer the chocolate bread to a wire rack and cool. Cut into slices to serve.
TIP: This bread can be sliced and spread with butter or it can be lightly toasted.

Chocolate Monkey Bread

For Chocolate Monkey Bread:
Makes 1 1 loaf

1/4 cup cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Nutella for drizzling

1. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl until well blended.
2. Follow as directed, until step 7,  use a 12 cups bundt pan in step 1. Omit step 7 and shape dough into 1" balls, roll in melted butter and then in the sugar/cinnamon blend. Sprinkle some of the sliced almond in the bottom of the pan.  Place some of the balls on top of the almonds. Sprinkle with more almonds and half of chips. Add remaining dough balls  and top with remaining almonds and chips.

layering balls, almonds, and chips

3.Cover, and let rise warm place for 30 minutes more.
4.  Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 400 F for 30 minutes, or until done.
5. Transfer bread to a wire rack and cool. Drizzle with nutella and serve.

From Cookshelf Baking  p. 86 

ENJOY! Come again...

Linking  to:
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Chocolate Loaf to Yeast Spotting
BYOB @ girlichef: BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread