Chocolate Raspberry Soda Bread (without Buttermilk) is a tender and sweet bread bursting with chocolatey chunks.
My husband's food weakness is bread. Mine? Chocolate. {And cheese. And wine. And French fries, if I'm being honest.} Since he doesn't care for chocolate at all, I almost never make anything using chocolate as an ingredient because I'll be the only one who eats it.
But, in honor of Valentine's Day, I decided to try out a recipe that's a representation of both of our food loves coming together. A food baby of sorts. {No, that's not weird or anything.}
Bread and chocolate lovers, rejoice! Dark Chocolate Raspberry Soda Bread.
Similar in preparation to Irish Soda Bread {but not at all falling into that category since traditional ISB fans get quite offended when you call un-authentic ISB by that name}, this quick bread comes together without the inconvenience of rise time that's necessary in making a yeast bread. I guess that's why they call it "quick."
When I was trying out Whole Foods' version of this recipe, I accidentally misread the directions and doubled {!!!} the amount of butter it called for. Whoops!
Luckily, the result was still a tender, biscuit-like bread that is ready in under an hour. The addition of Stonyfield whole milk yogurt gives the bread a similar tang to buttermilk, and the Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries? -- well, that just brings it home for those of us who are chocolate lovers.
{P.S. I originally purchased two Divine Chocolate Bars since I wasn't entirely certain which flavor I'd use. When I devoured the Milk Chocolate Hazelnut within the first 48 hours of buying the bars, my decision was made for me. If you prefer a different flavor of chocolate, by all means, use that instead! But I thought the Dark Chocolate Raspberry worked perfectly to keep this bread on the cusp of breakfast and dessert appropriate.}
So there you have it. Our food love child. Too bad Steve won't accept it since there's chocolate involved.
Darn... guess I'll have to finish this off all by myself!
Chocolate Raspberry Soda Bread (without Buttermilk)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ sticks cold butter diced into pieces
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 oz dark chocolate raspberry chocolate bar roughly chopped
- 1 cup whole milk yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with a piece of parchment paper and dusting lightly with flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add cold butter and mix until the butter is somewhat blended into the flour {there should still be small pieces of butter and the flour should resemble wet sand when squeezed together between your fingers.}
- Add in chocolate chunks and then mix in yogurt until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix. There may be a little bit of dry mixture left at the bottom of the bowl; it will get incorporated when you knead the bread.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With floured hands {the dough will be slighly sticky}, lightly knead the dough to ensure all the flour is incoroprated and divide it into two equal pieces.
- Shape the dough into two round loaves and place on prepared baking sheet. Lightly dust the top of the breads with flour, then cut a deep cross in the top of both loaves.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until the tops are browned and the loaves are baked through. {You can insert a skewer in the middle to check and make sure the dough is not wet and sticky.
- Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Katie's Cucina says
Yum Yum Yum!!!Our husbands must be related because mine also is not fond of chocolate! Good thing Ryder likes it, too! 😉