1

Scalded grain: Boil the water, then pour the boiling water into the flour while stirring constantly; continue to stir until the mixture is smooth and compact. Allow the mixture to cool, cover, and place in the refrigerator overnight.

2

Dough: Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and sugar and make a well in the middle. Mix the yeast and milk together and pour into the well. Knead the scalded grain in lightly. Add the butter and knead lightly to make a smooth dough. Place one half of the dough (the light-coloured dough) in a bowl. Knead the rest of the dough briefly with the cocoa powder and some milk. Cover both doughs and let rise at room temperature for 4-5 hours or until doubled in size, rising and folding several times during the first hour. Alternatively, prepare the dough with only 2-5 g yeast, cover and let rise overnight in the fridge.

3

Forming: Cut each dough into 4 pieces. Roll the 8 strands to approx. 40 cm long. Using one light and one dark strand, braid the dough. Place the breads on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover and let rise.

4

Bake the chocolate Zopf in the lower half of an oven preheated to 180 °C, for 30-35 minutes. They are done if you tap the bottom and it sounds hollow, or if they have a core temperature of 96-98 °C. If not, extend the baking time by 5-10 minutes. Leave the Zopf to cool on a cooling rack.

Tips

If desired, knead 100 g chocolate chips into the light-coloured dough.

Source:

IG Dinkel, Judith Gmür-Stalder