- 2
Ingredients
- DOUGH
- 227 to 283 g lukewarm water*
- 2 large eggs
- 751 g King Arthur Unbleached all-Purpose Flour
- 32 g Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 99 g sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 142 g unsalted butter, at room temperature**
- 14 g vanilla extract
- Use the greater amount in winter or in a dry climate; the lesser amount in summer or a humid climate.
- Reduce the salt to 2 1/4 teaspoons if you use salted butter.
- FILLING
- 99 g sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 28 g Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 57 g melted butter
- 170 g semisweet chocolate chips
- 113 g diced pecans or walnuts, toasted if desired
- GLAZE
- 1 large egg beaten with a pinch of salt until well-combined
- TOPPING
- 57 g melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 74 g confectioners' sugar
- 57 g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Preparation
Step 1
Combine all of the dough ingredients, just till everything is moistened. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Then mix/knead it till it's soft and smooth.
Let the dough rise till doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough, and divide it in half. Set the pieces aside, covered, while you make the filling.
To make the filling: Combine the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, and espresso. Stir in the melted butter. The mixture will look grainy and slick; that's OK.
Shape each half of the dough into a 9" x 18", 1/4"-thick rectangle. Don't be fussy about this; 19" or 20" is as good as 18".
Smear each piece of the dough with half the filling, coming to within an inch of the edges.
Scatter half the chips and nuts over each piece. If desired, process the chips in a food processor first, to create smaller bits of chocolate and a less chunky filling.
Starting with a short end, roll each piece gently into a log, sealing the seam and ends. Working with one log at a time, use a pair of scissors or a sharp knife to cut the log in half lengthwise (not crosswise) to make two pieces of dough about 10" long each; cut carefully, to prevent too much filling from spilling out. With the exposed filling side up, twist the two pieces into a braid, tucking the ends underneath. Repeat with the other log. Place each log into a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan.
Tent each pan with plastic wrap, and let the loaves rise until they're very puffy and have crowned a good inch over the rim of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 300°F.
Just before baking, brush each loaf with the egg glaze. Mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly, and sprinkle half the topping over each loaf.
Bake the bread for 35 minutes. Tent lightly with foil, and bake for an additional 15 to 25 minutes (for a total of 50 to 60 minutes); the loaves should be a deep-golden brown.
To ensure the loaves are baked through, insert a digital thermometer into the center of one loaf. It should register at least 190°F.
Remove the loaves from the oven, and immediately loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Let the loaves cool for 10 minutes, then turn them out of the pans onto a rack to cool completely.
Yield: 2 loaves.