This recipe is a response to a special request from a friend. I hope you enjoy it!

This recipe is a modified version of chocolate bread that came from a wonderful cookbook titled, Rustic European Breads from Your Bread Machine, by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts. It’s a great cookbook, containing many wonderful bread recipes. (Many can be modified to be corn free.)

Chocolate Bread
1 Tablespoon butter
1 1/8 cup + 1 Tablespoon water (hint: 1/8 cup is 2 Tablespoons – just easier to measure!)
1 large egg
1/3 cup sugar

3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt (I make this a “scant” measure as I use a “safe” salted butter)
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 ¼ cup chocolate chips (I buy mine at Passover, I stock up for the entire year)
- ¾ cup chips, to mix in with the dough and,
- ½ cup chips, reserved for topping
2 ½ teaspoons yeast

General instruction:
Hint: If you have had trouble getting the paddle to release after baking, place some of the butter around the stem of the paddle then put the paddle in place. I then often butter the paddle too. Make sure to use the 1 tablespoon of butter for this. Or, place 1 Tablespoon of butter in bottom of bread machine bucket/pan, make sure paddle is in place before adding additional ingredients.

Now that the paddle is in place, add the water, the egg, the sugar and the salt. Place all these ingredients on the bottom of the bread machine pan/bucket.

Measure out flour and place on top of the above ingredients. (I now take the time to sort of gently, level out the top, it’s a personal choice) See note below regarding the measuring of flour

Next, measure the cocoa and place off to one side of the bucket (on top of the flour).

Place the yeast on the other side of the bucket, on top of the flour.

Measuring flour: Using a "tablespoon" (the sort you might use for eating soup), stir the flour a bit. Now, carefully spoon flour into the measuring cup and without tapping the measure cup, level the top of the measuring cup with a straight edge of some sort, a knife, a chop stick, whatever. You really do need a set "dry measure" measuring cups for successful bread machine baking. (http://tinyurl.com/5p6eyr) A 1/8 cup measure is often sold as a coffee measure, I find them incredibly handy for measuring bread machine ingredients, both dry and wet.

Set your machine to the regular Bake Cycle and/or, if available, use a light crust setting.

Chocolate Chips: I place the ¾ cup of chocolate chips into the machine when it beeps for “additions”, this is a built in feature on my machine, I’m not sure that all machines have this feature (mine is at least 10 years old). Most will give instructions in the owner’s manual as to when to add things like dried fruits, nuts, etc. I think it is best to add the chocolate chips then. However, I don’t think it will hurt the bread to add them sooner if you do not have the instructions or if you have to be away from the house. I have set this bread up, placing the chocolate chips in with the first ingredients in the pan and left the house to return to a wonderful loaf of chocolate bread on my return.

After the bread is finished baking, while it is still piping hot, top the loaf with the reserved ½ cup chocolate chips.

Wait a few minutes for it to melt then, swirl to cover.

If using the timer, be careful to time it just right, so you can be there to melt the chocolate chips on top of the loaf, using the heat of the fresh baked bread!

Enjoy!