Chocolate Bread

Ingredients

• Salt
• Butter
• Sugar
• Water
• Milk
• Egg
• Sea salt
• Flour
• Cocoa powder
• Vanilla
• Half
• Melted butter

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a roomy mixing bowl if you’re working by hand, scatter the yeast over the milk. Stir in one tablespoon (11g) sugar, then leave it somewhere warm for 10 to 15 minutes, until the top looks bubbly.
2. While the yeast gets going, set a small saucepan with the butter and 3 ounces (85g) chocolate over a pan of water that is just barely simmering. Stir now and then, and once the chocolate has melted into a smooth mixture, take it off the heat.
3. When the yeast mixture is foamy, add the rest of the sugar, the instant coffee, if you’re using it, plus the egg, vanilla, and sea salt, and mix to combine.
4. Add half the flour and cocoa powder and stir them in, followed by the melted butter and chocolate, then the rest of the flour mixture. Keep stirring until everything is fully mixed. With a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and let it run for 5 minutes, until the dough smooths out. By hand, use a flexible spatula and give it a good, energetic mix for 5 minutes. It will be very wet, more like tacky brownie batter than a typical bread dough.
5. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm spot for 2 hours.
6. Butter a 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan.
7. Mix in the chopped chocolate and the nuts, if you’re adding them. Use a spatula to fold the dough over itself right in the bowl for about thirty seconds, then move it into the buttered pan. Press it gently so it reaches the corners, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
8. When you’re 10 minutes from baking, heat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the loaf feels set and gives a hollow sound when tapped. If you want to check with an instant-read thermometer, insert it into the bottom; it is ready at 180ºF (82ºC).