Rich Chocolate Soft European Bread

Flavor: Original; Technique: Baking; Time: Several hours; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Steps for Cooking Rich Chocolate Soft European Bread

Prepare all ingredients and weigh them.

Place all ingredients except cranberries, chocolate chips, and butter into a stand mixer, knead until smooth and elastic.

Cut the kneaded dough into small pieces, add butter and knead until a thin, stretchy film can be pulled out.

Pat dry the wine-soaked cranberries with kitchen paper and set aside.

Then add chocolate chips and wine-soaked cranberries to the stand mixer, knead briefly and shape into a ball.

Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it ferment once.

Remove the fermentation basket, dust with a thin layer of high-gluten flour and set aside.

Ferment the dough until it doubles in size, poke holes with fingers dusted with flour, and it should not shrink or bounce back.

Press down the fermented dough to release air, divide into 2 portions, shape into rounds, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 minutes.

After resting, shape the dough again, then place with the sealed side up in the fermentation basket.

Place in the oven for the second fermentation, with a bowl of hot water in the oven, until it rises to 1.5 to 2 times its size.

Remove the fermentation basket, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (top heat) and 190 degrees Celsius (bottom heat), place the bread dough back on the baking tray, dust with a thin layer of high-gluten flour, and shape as desired with a bread shaping knife.

After preheating for ten minutes, place the bread dough in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Once baked, let the bread cool, brush off any excess flour on the surface, dust with a thin layer of cocoa powder, and your Rich Chocolate Soft European Bread is ready.