Cinnamon Cocoa Bread



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This is one of those “just for fun” kind of recipes. I saw something like this somewhere and I thought it would be fun to make it. After a lot of thought this is what I came up with.

Chocolate cinnamon cocoa bread with a leopard print pattern.Cinnamon Cocoa Bread

How To Make Chocolate Cinnamon Cocoa Bread

Bread dough on a pastry board.

Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Add the water and stir together with a large spoon, rest for 10 minutes. Add the butter, knead the dough, on low for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead it into a smooth satiny boule. Let this rest for a few minutes.

Bread dough on a pastry board, divided.

I marked the center of the dough on the right at its approximate middle, before I removed the small piece. Divide the dough into 2 halves. Cut about a sixth of one half and add it to the other.

Bread dough on a pastry board, divided.

You should have one larger and one smaller portion. Form the larger portion, on the left in the picture, into a boule and place in a clean bowl. Set aside to rise.

Bread dough on a pastry board, divided.

Divide the remaining dough in half again, at the point that would have been half had you not removed any dough. You should again have a larger and smaller portion.

Adding cinnamon to the small piece of dough.

Combine the smaller portion of dough with the cinnamon. Knead the dough until the cinnamon is incorporated and you have a smooth elastic dough. Place the dough into a clean bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Lightly coat the dough with the non-stick spray and cover the bowl with film. Set aside to rise.

Repeat the above with the remaining piece of dough and the cocoa.

Plain dough, cinnamon dough, and cocoa dough rising in glass bowls.

At this point you should have three bowls of dough rising.

Cocoa dough divided into five pieces.

Once the dough has risen, start with the cocoa dough. Separate it into equal size pieces. 

Measuring the dough length against the bread pan.

Roll each piece into a log approximately the length of the bread pan. Set aside.

Cinnamon dough rectangle.

Next, repeat with the cinnamon dough separating it into the same number of pieces as the cocoa dough. Roll into a log and flatten the log out. Using a rolling pin, roll the cinnamon dough out into a rectangle.

Place one of the coca logs on top of the cinnamon rectangles.

Place one of the coca logs on top of the cinnamon rectangles.

Wrap the cocoa log with the cinnamon dough.

Wrap the cocoa log with the cinnamon dough, sealing the edges. Set aside and repeat until all the pieces are wrapped up.

Cinnamon cocoa dough ropes or logs.

When you finish you should have several logs or rolls of dough.

Dough layered into a bread pan.

Layer the cinnamon cocoa dough with the plain dough.

A beautiful loaf of cinnamon cocoa bread.

A beautiful loaf of cinnamon cocoa bread.

Sweet soft chocolate cinnamon cocoa bread with a leopard print pattern.

Sweet soft chocolate cinnamon cocoa bread with a leopard print pattern.

Cinnamon Cocoa Bread With A Leopard Print Pattern

  • Yield: one loaf
  • Prep Time: 11/2 hours
  • Rise: Varies but about 2 to 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Oven: 350º F / 175º C

Ingredients

  • 750 grams AP flour
  • 127 grams sugar
  • 12 grams active dry yeast
  • 18 grams kosher salt
  • 487 grams water
  • 75 grams butter, melted
  • Spray oil
  • 10 grams cinnamon
  • 10 grams cocoa powder

Method

  1. Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Add the water and stir together with a large spoon. Set aside and rest for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the melted butter and using the dough hook, knead the dough on low for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead it into a smooth satiny boule. Let this rest for a few minutes.
  3. Divide the dough in half. Take about a sixth of one half and add it to the other, so that you have one larger and one smaller portion. Form the larger portion into a boule and place in a clean bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Lightly coat the dough with the non-stick spray and cover the bowl with film. Set aside to rise.
  4. Divide the remaining dough in half again, at the point that would have been half had you not removed any dough. You should again have a larger and smaller portion.
  5. In a clean bowl combine the smaller portion of dough with the cinnamon. Knead the dough until the cinnamon is incorporated and you have a smooth elastic dough. This is going to take work. Place the dough into a clean bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Lightly coat the dough with the non-stick spray and cover the bowl with film. Set aside to rise.
  6. In a clean bowl combine the larger portion of dough with the cocoa powder. Knead the dough until the cocoa powder is incorporated and you have a smooth elastic dough. Place the dough into a clean bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Lightly coat the dough with the non-stick spray and cover the bowl with film. Set aside to rise.
  7. At this point you should have three bowls of dough rising.
  8. Once the dough has risen, start with the cocoa dough. Separate it into equal size pieces. Here there is some discretion, the bigger the pieces the fewer the prints, and conversely the smaller the pieces the more prints you’re going to have. I chose five pieces. Roll each piece into a log approximately the length of the bread pan. Set aside.
  9. Next, repeat with the cinnamon dough separating it into the same number of pieces as the cocoa dough. Roll into a log and flatten the log out. Using a rolling pin roll the cinnamon dough out into a rectangle. Place one of the coca logs on top of the cinnamon rectangles and wrap the cocoa log with the cinnamon dough, sealing the edges. Set aside and repeat until all the pieces are wrapped up.
  10. Take the remaining dough and divide it into several pieces. Roll out into rough logs and layer the bottom of the bread pan. Randomly layer the cinnamon cocoa dough in with the plain dough. 
  11. When you are finished spray the dough with spray oil and lightly cover with film. Allow to proof until almost doubled in volume. Preheat the oven to 350º F / 175º C.
  12. When the dough is ready place in the preheated oven. Start checking the bread at 30 minutes, using a probe thermometer. Bake until a probe thermometer registers 195º in the center of the bread, about an hour. If the top of the loaf begins to brown too much place a piece of aluminum foil over the top and reduce the temperature to 325º F / 160º C.

Notes

  1. If you search for leopard print bread you'll see the results show a bread with a distinctive black ring around the brown spots. You can certainly do that. You will need food grade charcoal powder to create the black dough. Just substitute it for the cinnamon dough. I haven't worked with it and do not know the ratio, you'll need to sort that out for yourself.

Tags: cocoa bread, artisan bread recipes, chocolate cinnamon bread, leopard print bread