Do you ever have a craving for something chocolate but maybe not overly rich? This quick bread offers a bittersweet chocolate taste that is hearty and not overly sweet. And it creates a great platform for other toppings. Its simple to put together.
Ingredients
- Flour
- Bittersweet cocoa powder
- Sugar in the raw
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Egg
- Greek Yogurt
- Melted Unsalted Butter
- Buttermilk
Let’s talk buttermilk
I love baking with buttermilk but I don’t drink buttermilk. Generally, my recipes don’t call for a large amount, maybe a cup or more at the most. So what do you with the leftover buttermilk? I freeze it! I also have made my own by using vinegar or lemon. And I have used the powdered buttermilk. However, I prefer the fresh buttermilk and its thickness, so I have taken to freezing it in ice cube trays. I find that one standard ice cube tray will hold 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. If I need 1 cup, I just thaw 10 cubes and save the rest. And wait for it, I thaw it in the microwave. I find that it helps to get that thick quality back. So just some tidbits of information that you might find helpful. Now on to the recipe.
Preparing the wet ingredients
Prepare your liquid ingredients first. This will make sense as the recipe progresses but in short, it allows your liquids time to come to room temperature.
Begin by melting 1/4 cup of unsalted butter. Set this aside and let that cool while you prepare the rest of the liquid ingredients.
Measure out 1 cup of buttermilk and 1/2 cup Greek yogurt. Let this mixture come to room temperature.
Once the liquids have come to room temperature, mix them all together. Why is it so important to let the liquids come to room temperature? Well adding warm melted butter to cold liquids causes it to become solid again and your batter and ultimately your bread will be full of holes and not smooth.
Assembling the dry ingredients
You will need 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup bittersweet cocoa powder, and 3/4 cup sugar in the raw. The sugar in the raw has a molasses undertone that accents the chocolate taste.
Get ready to add your leavening ingredients. Like most quick breads – baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Mix all the dry ingredients together. I use a whisk to make sure that everything is fully mixed.
Combining to make the batter
Once you have the dry ingredients completely mixed and your liquid ingredients are at room temperature, combine the two. I like to fold the liquids into the dry ingredients. This is a stiff batter.
Your oven should be preheated to 350 degrees. You will need a 9×5 prepared loaf pan. I like to spray with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Spread the batter in the pan. An off-set spatula is very helpful here.
The loaf will bake for 40 – 45 minutes. I start checking at 40 minutes. Your loaf should be well rounded. Mmmm you can smell this bittersweet chocolate quick bread.
Allow the bread to cool for 20 minutes, remove from the pan and continue cooling before you slice. This bread freezes well.
How to serve your Bittersweet Chocolate Quick Bread
There are many ways you can serve this bread. One favorite of mine is to serve a nice hearty slice with some flavored whipped cream. Since this is not an overly sweet bread, I like to add some liquor to the whipped cream. Scotch or Brandy are nice and pair well with the heartiness of this bread. If you do not imbibe in alcohol, a rum flavoring will work well also or just plain whipped cream.
A nice tea to serve is Lapsong Souchong, a smokey black tea. If that is too strong, Sweet Souchong is a black tea that has a slight smokiness with an hint of sweetness and again pairs well with this combination. But a nice cup of coffee would do just fine as well.
Though elegant in presentation, this hearty bittersweet chocolate quick bread is a nice dessert for any occasion. Enjoy!
with Scotch Infused Whipped Cream
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Bittersweet Chocolate Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup bittersweet cocoa powder
- ¾ cup sugar in the raw This sugar has a molasses undertone that accents the chocolate taste.
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°. Prepare 9×5 baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the buttermilk, yogurt and melted butter and stir to combine. NOTE: Make sure your buttermilk is at room temperature. If cold, it will start to firm up the butter and it causes lumps in the batter.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together. Set aside.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix together until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Leave for 20 minutes to cool. Then remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.
2 Comments
BarBara Simoneau
Sounds delicious and not hard at all!
Beth
Thanks Barb. Its not hard at all.