For centuries chocolate was a savory treat. The ancient Mesoamericans combined it with ingredients like cornmeal, chiles, and even achiote. This recipe from bread baker Rhonda Crosson (Epicerie Boulud, formerly Bouchon) honors that tradition, similar to how Taza honors the drinking-chocolate tradition with its new take on Mexican-style chocolate. The recipe uses historical elements in a new form: a hearty bread with plenty of chew that marries a Sicilian dough with the complexity of a mole and a deep yellow color from the durum flour. This one is more complicated than most recipes on Chocolate Noise, but the result is worth the effort!
THE DAY BEFORE
Corn-Cacao-Seed Mash
50 g stone-ground cornmeal
2 cups water
25 g cocoa nibs, cracked
40 g pumpkin seeds, toasted and cracked
25 g sesame seeds, toasted
50 g hot water
1. Mix cornmeal and water, raise to boil.
2. Cook 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Drain and refrigerate overnight. Should yield 150 to 200 g cooked mash.
4. Meanwhile mix cocoa nibs, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and water and leave at room temperature overnight.
5. In the morning, incorporate the cocoa and seed mixture into the cooked mash.
Poolish(yeasted pre-ferment)
150 g cool water
1 g instant yeast
150 g all-purpose flour
1. Dissolve the yeast in the water.
2. Incorporate flour into the water-yeast mix until smooth.
3. Cover loosely and allow to ferment at room temperature overnight.
THE DAY OF
Soaked Raisins
130 g raisins
hot water
1. Cover the raisins with hot water for 10 minutes.
2. Drain and gently squeeze out excess water.
3. Reserve.
Bread Dough
420 g durum flour
250 g water
16 g salt
3 g instant yeast
300 g Poolish (see recipe above)
Corn-cacao-seed mash (see recipe above)
Soaked raisins (see recipe above)
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Add the durum flour, water, salt, instant yeast, and Poolish to the bowl of a stand mixer. Incorporate ingredients on slow speed until homogenous. Increase speed to medium and mix until a moderately strong dough is formed. You should be able to “pull a window.”
3. Return mixer to slow speed and incorporate the corn-cacao-seed mixture and the soaked raisins until evenly incorporated.
4. Put into a bowl, cover, and allow to ferment for 45 minutes.
5. After 45 minutes, turn the mixture. Do not aggressively punch or degas. Allow to ferment 45 minutes longer.
6. Shape into two batards and place on a greased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the sheet 180 degrees in the oven.
8. Bake for 15 more minutes or until the loaves are rich and brown.
9. Cool for at least 45 minutes, then enjoy!