While you wait for your sourdough starter to be ready, you can satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt! Inspired by Rogue Ale’s Cherry Choctabulous, with a hint of cardomon and coffee, this bread is as good with a cold glass of milk as it is with a glass of red wine. Recipe makes one loaf, and there’s also instruction for individual Chocolate-Cherry Bombes.

Step 1: Make dough and ferment overnight

• 475g bread flour (or all purpose will do)
• 3g yeast (1 tsp)
• 30g Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 13g salt (2-1/2 tsp)
• 1 Tbsp cardomon powder

1. Measure the dry ingredients into a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and whisk by hand to combine.

• 200g dried tart cherries (separate the ones that are stuck together)
• 150g semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Add the cherries and chocolate chips and mix

• 350g cups water

1. Place the bowl in the mixer, if using, and with the paddle attachment, mix until well combined. Or, mix by hand: stir until the dry ingredients are well-moistened and a wet dough has formed. Make sure to scrape up any wet dough around the sides and bottom.
2. Lightly coat a bowl with oil.
3. Add dough, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours.

Step 2 (Next day): Shape and Proof

1. TIp the bowl, and gently remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface in one piece, scrapping sides as it starts to fall out.
2. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little flour and do two rounds of stretch and fold kneading, for a total of eight stretch and folds. (see video below; you can use wet fingertips instead of the spatula)
3. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes, as is – seam side up.
4. Line a colander with a floured tea towel, or flour a banneton.
5. Place dough inside, seam side down.
6. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 – 2 hours.
7. While you’re wiating, preheat the oven to 500°F and put your baking container inside.

Step 3: Bake

1. Remove cover from dough, and place a sheet of parchment over the top, and a cutting board over that.
2. Flip, then remove bowl and carefully peel off cloth.
3. With potholders, remove pot from oven, remove the top, and then lift the dough with the parchment paper and gently place into the pot and put lid back on.
4. Put in oven, turn heat down to 450, and bake 20 minutes.
5. Turn oven down to 400 degrees
6. With oven mitts, remove lid, bake 20 more minutes, or until bread has reached an internal temperature of 200-210 degrees.
7. When baked, remove loaf from pot and put it back in the turned off oven, leaving the door ajar to cool. This helps to ensure the crusts stays crispy (see Tips page for why).

CHERRY CHOCTABULOUS BOMBES

Step 1: Make dough

1. Make dough as above, but divide the ingredients in half.
2. Let fermenant at room temperature overnight.

Step 2 (Next day): Shape and Proof

1. Tip the bowl, and gently remove the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop in one piece, scrapping sides as it starts to fall out.
2. Do two rounds of stretch and fold kneading, for a total of eight stretch and folds. See video above.
3. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes, as is – seam side up.
4. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces, using a scale to be as accurate as possible.
5. Roll each piece into a ball with lightly oiled hands, then create tight surface by scarping the sides under with a dough scraper. See video below.
6. Place rolls on a parchment lined 9 x 13 baking dish.
7. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour
8. While you’re waiting, preheat the oven to 400

Step 3: Bake

1. Turn oven down to 350 and bake for about 30 minutes, until internal temperature is about 190-200 degrees.
2. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flakey salt.
3. Cool on wire rack.