Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bread

My most recent venture into the kitchen in support of my final examination taking friends was to create something chocolately-- I can't think of anyone who doesn't appreciate something intensely dark, rich, and, for lack of a better word, chocolatey, at any given time of day. The recipe I had in mind was one that I've been thinking about for a long time now. It comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible and I'm glad I had the opportunity to give it a try. The technique used was quite unique: it requires you to first make a chocolate paste and add it to the dry ingredients along with the butter (I used margarine) as opposed to creaming the sugar with the margarine. The resulting batter was nothing short of silky. I added the recommended chocolate chips and into the oven it went. It rose nicely and developed a crack in the middle but I would have liked for it to rise a bit more. Oh well, it wasn't a yeast bread, so I can't complain. In any case, the flavor made up for it, as did the texture. It was so moist! This would do well as an indulgent breakfast and could even pass as dessert with a nice fruit sauce and dollop of whipped cream...maybe even a dusting of cocoa powder for looks. All I can say is that this one got rave reviews... Although I'm beginning to think that anything I bake for my friends will meet with rave reviews... I'll take it!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bread

from the Bread Bible

 

3 tbsp plus 1/2 tbsp dutched cocoa

3 tbsp boiling water

1/2 tbsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups cake flour

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

13 tbsp butter or margarine

3 tbsp chocolate chips

 

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.

Pour the boiling water over the cocoa and stir to form a paste. Set aside to cool. Gently whisk in the vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. To this add half of the cocoa paste and margarine and mix until the ingredients are moistened. Add the remaining cocoa mixture in two batches, beating thoroughly after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on for ten minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.