It started off as a dare. Chocolate Peanut Butter Icecream bread. What a hoot that would be.
A dare that made me think, ponder a little…. hmmm, I wonder…
What if?….
…and then…
no…maybe… yes?
First incarnation. Not so great. Dense, and lacking flavour. Ditch the milk powder, and chestnut flour. Far too dry as well….
More thought time spent on the next incarnation than should rightfully have been done so. An addition of a biga, add a little honey. Longer prove. I wanted a chewier texture, just a hint of the honey and cocoa, and didn’t want to be banged over the head with the sweetness. I wanted a bread, not a cake.
Second incarnation. Much better. More complex flavours, but still… not right. In the mixing it smells wonderful. Subtle in the flavours, not overly sweet, yep, it all sounds right. I have high hopes for the rising dough… and then it just sort of gives up.
Was it simply something that just doesn’t work. The flavours not holding hands together? Was it something I said?
One more crack. If it didn’t work this time, I would lay it to bready rest.
Third go in. It has the lovely combination of vanilla, honey, butter, sugar, peanut butter, cocoa. All flavours that would normally be working so well, (in a cake). The addition of the biga to give it a bit more oomph and…
It still doesn’t work. It’s dry, lacking in flavour, annoyingly slow to prove and does nothing for me what so ever.
BREADY rest… Let it rest.
Instead I make up a batch of normal sourdough, pop some dark malt flour in it, roll it in some cocoa just before the final prove. Once baked and cut, slap some crunchy peanut butter on it.
Ta dahhh!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread.
This post submitted to the wonderful Yeastspotting
cityhippyfarmgirl 
“Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.”
-W.C. Fields
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You could throw some bacon (and possibly a chicken)on it and call it Elvis bread. It looks delicious!!!
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Elvis bread, now there’s a thought….
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I can’t remember if you have the HandMade Loaf but there is a very interesting formula in there for walnut bread which describes how to layer flavours into a bread dough, I don’t know if it would work for choc peanut butter bread.. You could email Dan Lepard and ask him for advice? dan@danlepard.com
I like the solution you came up with and enjoyed reading about your experiments. Good to read your posts 😀
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I do have the lovely book. A friend gave it to me just a few weeks ago, (actually same friend who challenged me with the bread.) I had a look at the walnut bread and like the idea of layering the flavours.
I’ll give it a rest until I have more time up my sleeve and then maybe try the layering….or maybe it just doesn’t work! 🙂
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Tah-dah! It looks great. I’m sorry the recipe has been difficult, but it sounds like you’ve found a great alternative.
As a slight variation, you might want to try Dan’s peanut chilli bread – it uses PB as well:
http://www.danlepard.com/front-carousel/2010/08/2876/peanut-chilli-bread/
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His recipe does look good. I’d love to quiz him on the peanut butter. My first two incarnations of the bread used crunchy peanut butter and the chunks of peanut I thought, tasted slightly rancid or stale when incorporated into the bread. Even though before cooking it’s fine. I used smooth peanut butter the last time though which did work a bit better.
…and I’m loving rolling in cocoa for the visual effect. (the bread not me that is.)
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gawd! two months of wheat now and that just looks and sounds bery . very wonderful.
Best to your wee one- little mite is a doing it tough, you too.
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Thanks for the kind words Kel.
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Oooh, exciting… I like the look of the second one!
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See it looks ok, but the taste is too dense and dry.
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Sometimes you need to endure a few hiccups along the way, till you finally get to the desired result. Sounds like it was worth it in the end! Great shot that last pic.
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Thanks Mariana. It’s hard to take a bad picture of slapped on peanut butter 😉
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Experimentation is so much fun- when you have the time and flour to spare. I’m so glad you thought to take us along on your journey- and happy to see the final product! I’d almost rather slaver my own peanut butter on top of each slice. You get more and can choose how much pb your palate can take!
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That’s the thing with my experimenting, regardless of what it tastes like, I have to be prepared to eat it and not waste ingredients. Calculated risks!
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Holy Hubcaps, this looks amazing. And what a delightful cheffy you are, all that experimenting, Im impressed lovely. 🙂 Brilliant photos too.
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Aww, thanks Chef.
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Haha, you did it! Just not in the way you first expected. Nice work. This bread makes me think of those chocolates from the USA – Mr Goodbar? Goodbye? Peanuty, fudgy gooeyness encased in smooth chocolate..delish! 🙂
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Don’t know the bar, but it’s probably best that I don’t Christine 😉
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Glad to see you haven’ lost your cooking mojo with all the recent drama’s. This looks great.
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Luckily had a few in the draft box Amanda. Cooking mojo is zip at the moment.
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love it – just my sort of chocolate peanut butter berad
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Oh wow, now you have me so curious, this looks AND sounds amazing!
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Great stuff – we’d never get anywhere if we didn’t try new ways of doing things. I liked your final solution though, sometimes the old ways work best 😉
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Oh wowee – looks amazing. And just what I need right now!
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Hi. I’m convinced that cocoa powder’s going to work just fine for darkening the colour of my rye loaf. Nifty. Thanks! 😀
Now I just need to find a recipe or some guidance for adding a bit of finely grated raw carrot to the dough…
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