BRAIDED CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAD

I’ve fallen in love with braided bread: There is something about the lines of color in the dough, all twisted and wrapped around each other, that is absolutely beautiful to me. This particular loaf uses sweet dough, which can be made ahead of time, dividing kitchen duty into manageable segments. The bread bakes up tall, and I like to eat it plain the day it’s made or toasted and soaked in butter later in the week. I’m also betting it would make an excellent French toast. serves 6 to 8

1 recipe Sweet Dough

4 ounces (113 g) bittersweet chocolate

6 tablespoons (86 g) unsalted butter

½ cup (99 g) packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Flour a work surface and knead the Sweet Dough 10 to 12 times. Shape the dough into a ball, cover the top lightly with flour, and if the dough is cold, cover with a tea towel and let it come to room temperature.

Line a 9-inch loaf pan or a Pullman pan with a parchment sling .

In a small saucepan, heat the bittersweet chocolate and butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until a smooth paste forms. Set aside to cool. Roll the dough into a 18 by 14-inch rectangle. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate mixture over the rectangle, leaving an inch border on all the sides. Starting with a long side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam gently to seal it. Trim about ¾ inch off each end of the roll and discard. Using scissors or a sharp knife, gently cut the roll in half lengthwise, so the layers of dough and filling are visible. With the cut sides facing up, gently press together one end of each half, and then lift the right half over the left half, and continue until you have twisted the entire roll (see here ). Press the ends together. Carefully transfer the dough into the prepared pan. It will seem too big for the pan, but twist and turn it to fit (see here ). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, until the dough has risen about an inch over the lip of the pan (if using a Pullman pan, the dough will have risen just below the top of the pan).

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the plastic and bake 40 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or the bread registers 200°F on an instant read thermometer.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and onto the rack to finish cooling. Wait until the bread has cooled completely before slicing.

NOTE: If the top of the bread is turning dark too quickly, cover loosely with a piece of foil.

Because the bread uses so much dough, an 8-inch pan will be too small.