Double Chocolate Sourdough (Brownie Bread)
[Vegan]

Prepare the Levain:

1. Feed your starter using 1:2:2 (starter:flour:water) ratio. Cover loosely and let it rise until it tripled in size, around 5-6 hours. Autolyse.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder and water until everything in incorporated into a dough. Cover and let it rest for 2 hours.

Preparing the butter Caramelized Hazelnuts:

1. Preheat oven to 320°F.
2. Preheat a small pan to medium-low heat, combine butter with sugar and salt. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted.
3. Bring the caramel mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the heat, add stir in the hazelnuts.
4. Spread the hazelnuts onto a lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, give it a good stir. Bake for 5 more minutes or until golden brown.

Mixing the Dough & Bulk Fermentation:

1. Once your levain has peaked, add 2.11 ounces of levain to the dough. Mix until you feel the dough has strengthened. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Add .211 ounces sea salt to the dough and mix until the salt is incorporated.
3. Cover and let the dough rest for 30-45 minutes, or until the dough has relaxed.
4. Perform one set of light bench fold.
5. Rest for another 45 minutes. Perform lamination on your dough and add in the filling ingredients.
6. Rest for 45 minutes or until the dough has relaxed. Perform one set of coil fold.
7. Perform one more set of coil fold after 45 minutes. Then leave the dough to rest until the dough has increased by roughly 50% in volume.
8. Shape the dough and transfer to a banneton dusted with rice flour. Rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. Then retard the dough in the fridge overnight or 16 hours.
9. In the morning, preheat the oven to 482°F for 1 hour with a dutch oven inside.
10. After 1 hour, take the dough out from the fridge and transfer it to the challenger pan using parchment paper. Place 2-4 ice cubes beside the bread, cover the pan immediately and bake for 20 minutes covered.
11. Remove the cover after 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 428°F and bake for another 10 minutes.
12. For the last 10 minutes, further, lower the temperature to 410°F.
13. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door a crack open for 15 minutes.
14. Remove the loaf from the oven and place it on the cooling rack until it’s completely cooled.