Chocolate & Sour Cherry Bread

Yield = 2 round loaves

Ingredients

4 cups                480 grams                Bread Flour

2 tsp.                     12 grams               Salt

5 tsp.                     15 grams               Instant Yeast

1½ cups            336 grams                Water between 90 & 95 degrees

2 Tbsp.                 21 grams                Olive Oil

6 ounces         170 grams                Canned Black Cherries – drained

7 ounces         200 grams                Chocolate Chips

To make the dough

1.   Add the flour and salt to the bowl of your mixer.  Use a hand-held whisk to mix those ingredients.  Add the yeast and whisk again.

2.   Add the water and the olive oil to the bowl of the mixer.  Using the paddle attachment on speed 1, mix the ingredients for 2 minutes.

3.   Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough on speed 4 for 6 minutes.

4.   Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl.  Turn the dough over to expose the top with oil on it.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to double in size.  This should take about 1 hour.

5.   While the dough is rising, cut the cherries into two or three pieces and set aside to drain.

6.   Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces.

7.   Now hand-knead ½ of the chocolate chips into each half of the dough.  This may be slightly difficult so take your time and you will eventually get it done.

8.   Carefully hand-knead ½ of the cherries into each half of the dough.  This is going to make the dough very wet so it too will be a slightly difficult task, just take your time and do the best you can to get the cherries into the dough.

9.   Place each half of the dough onto a cookie sheet that is covered with parchment paper.  Now shape each half of the dough into balls and then flatten the balls so they are about 2 inches high.

10.               Dust the balls heavily with flour and cut diagonal lines in the tops of the balls forming diamond shapes.  Cover the balls with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for one hour.

11.               While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

12.               After the one hour rise, place the cookie sheet with the dough on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.  The internal temperature will be 190+ degrees when done.

13.               Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before cutting the bread.