The Ultimate, Unbelievably Easy Chocolate Swirl Bread Recipe
This is a dessert that you can make without any fuss. I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s easy, delicious, and impressive looking!
4 1/2 cups all, purpose flour
Flour is a staple in most kitchens, and it’s used to make delicious baked goods like breads and cookies. Flour can also be used as a thickener for sauces, soups, stews, gravies, and casseroles.
Flour is made from wheat or other grains such as barley, corn or rice. The grain is ground into a fine powder using big grinding machines called mills; the flour that results has been milled into different grades depending on how finely ground it is. Some types of flour are more ideal for making certain things than others: cake flour (finely milled soft wheat) works best in cakes but not so well when making something like pasta dough; whole wheat pastry flour (harder wheat) makes wonderful pancakes because it contains more protein than all, purpose flour does but can also be used successfully in some baking recipes if you don’t mind getting out your sifter first!
1/4 Cocoa powder
For the chocolate swirl, you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
Salt can be used to preserve food, but it also enhances the flavor of whatever you’re cooking. It’s a little bit like seasoning your food before you eat it: You don’t add salt to the entire meal at once, but rather sprinkle it on in small amounts throughout. If you’re not sure how much salt your recipe will need, start with less than what is called for and then add more later if needed.
1 package active dry yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
The next ingredient you’ll need is active dry yeast. Active dry yeast is a dry form of yeast that can be found in the baking section of your grocery store or at most specialty cooking stores. It’s typically the kind of yeast used in baking because it’s less perishable than other types of yeast, making it ideal for long, term storage and use.
If you’re not sure what type of yeast to purchase, chances are good that active dry will be the best option for whatever recipe you’re using. If you do come across another type (such as instant), contact us so we can help troubleshoot!
1 3/4 cups milk, lukewarm
- Place milk in a microwave, safe bowl and heat for 45 seconds to 1 minute. (If you have a very large microwave, it may take more time.)
- Let stand for 5 minutes before using.
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more for brushing the pan and loaf
- Melt 5 tablespoons butter in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Brush melted and cooled butter on the bottom and sides of a 9, by, 5, inch bread pan, then line it with parchment paper cut to fit the inside of the pan. (If you’re using a loaf pan instead, grease it thoroughly.)
3 eggs
You’ll need 3 eggs for this recipe.
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and melted butter until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to this mixture and stir until well combined (the batter will be thick).
- Cover with plastic wrap or place in a sealed container and refrigerate overnight (12 hours).
Sweet Chocolate Glaze, recipe follows
For the glaze, you can use any chocolate you like. You can also use any sweetener you prefer: honey, agave nectar, brown sugar or even stevia (though I wouldn’t recommend it). Likewise, feel free to use any liquid, milk or cream would work well here since they’re both neutral in flavor and won’t interfere with the chocolate. If using heavy cream instead of milk, reduce the amount by half as it will thicken slightly when cooled.
Finally, choose your butter! We like unsalted butter for its purer taste but have also tested this recipe with salted butter and found that there was no noticeable difference in outcome between the two options so feel free to use whichever type suits your tastes best!
Try this easy dessert recipe!
The best thing about this recipe is that it’s very flexible. You can make it with any type of flour and any type of milk (though I recommend using whole milk because the more fat in your bread, the better). You can use salted butter, unsalted butter, margarine or even lard if you want to go for something less traditional. The same goes for chocolate: dark chocolate melts easier than semi, sweet or white so keep that in mind when melting your chips. Another fun twist would be adding chopped nuts like pecans into the batter before putting it in the pan—or even sprinkling them on top after baking! This is a wonderful dessert bread that can be prepared without too much effort. It’s best served warm with ice cream or whipped cream on top!