No-Knead Chocolate Cherry Bread

The alluring combination of chocolate and cherries — sweet, tart and earthy, all at once — might bring to mind a box of chocolates or a decadent bakery cookie. But in this recipe, the two ingredients meet to create a beautiful loaf of homemade bread that’s just a touch sweet. A thick slice, slathered with honey butter or chocolate-hazelnut spread, is the grown-up equivalent of eating dessert for breakfast. If there ever happens to be leftovers, it makes incredible French toast, too.

1 cup dried sour cherries

1/2 cup boiling water

1 tablespoon brandy (optional)

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

2 cups bread flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Place cherries in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir in the brandy if using and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain the cherries and reserve the liquid. Add enough room temperature water to the reserved cherry liquid to make 2 cups liquid in total and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cherries, brown sugar, cocoa powder, bread flour, white whole wheat flour, yeast, black pepper and salt. Add the cherry water mixture and stir until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest on the counter at least 12 hours at room temperature.

The dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough onto the surface. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour and fold it over on itself twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Gently shape the dough into a ball, working quickly, and using flour to keep the dough from sticking to fingers. Coat a cotton towel generously with flour, and place the dough seam-side-down onto the towel. Dust the dough generously with flour. Lift the dough in the towel and place into a clean bowl, cover with another towel and let rise until more than doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Thirty minutes before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450°F.

Lift the dough out of the bowl and turn it over into the base of a Bread Oven, seam-side-up, note that it might look messy. Carefully shift the dough to help distribute it evenly in the base. Make a shallow half-moon slice into the top of the dough. Cover with the lid and place in preheated oven. Bake 30 minutes covered, then remove the lid and continue baking until the loaf is browned, about 15-30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool on a rack.

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