If you have a lot of starter/discard to use, try this easy, nutritious, and tasty No-Knead Sourdough Chocolate-Walnut Bread. It really is easy. If you mix up the bread in the morning, it should be ready to bake in the late afternoon/evening. The bread isn't too sweet and is perfect for dinner or breakfast. If you want a sweeter bread for dessert or to munch alongside your coffee or tea, you can certainly add more sugar to the batter (yes, you can add chocolate chips, too). As it is, the bread has a complex, interesting flavor. The tang of the sourdough melds with the slight bitterness from the cocoa and walnuts. Dried cranberries add just a bit of sweetness. The loaves bake up dense and moist and slice well. The bread is great toasted, either plain or dressed up with a little strawberry jam. Enjoy!
No-Knead Sourdough Chocolate-Walnut Bread -- Makes 2 Loaves
2 - 2 1/2 cups of sourdough starter/discard
1 cup of almond milk (or low-fat milk)
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of cocoa
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup of broken walnuts
Coat two 5 x 8 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray (or line the pans with aluminum foil and spray the foil). In a large bowl, combine the starter/discard, the almond milk, oil, and sugar and mix them well. Stir in the white whole-wheat flour, then the all-purpose flour, cocoa, and salt. The batter will be thick. Beat in the dried cranberries and walnuts until everything is well distributed. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and spray the top of each loaf with a little non-stick cooking spray. Cover the loaves lightly with plastic wrap and let the batter rise until it has almost/not quite doubled in volume. In my kitchen (65-75 degrees) this takes 10-12 hours (okay, I'm starting with a starter/discard that comes straight from the refrigerator). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the loaves for 30-35 minutes or until done (or about 190 degrees on a food thermometer). Let the loaves cool in their pans for 10 minutes before removing them to cool completely.
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