Chocolate swirl bread with caramel jam and fresh raspberries

So it seems my gustatory assault on all things hedonistic and chocolate for Easter continues. Enter the chocolate swirl bread with caramel jam and fresh raspberries. I'm not sure this dish is going to have the crazy 3000 shares on Facebook like last week's Cadbury Creme Egg Chocolate Pudding - Wowzers I had no idea there were so many like minded addicts walking among us. 

I promise next week to include something other than dessert - all things going to plan I hope to put up a nice Good Friday lunch spread or at least something that covers all the key food groups to take you into the Easter break.

The loaf recipe is based on a crumpet recipe. So much so that you could opt for making crumpets should you feel the desire come Easter Sunday morning. The addition of bicarbonate soda means no kneading and it ensures a light and lovely texture – basically it’s a low maintenance loaf and that’s how I like it. It also means the bread isn’t overly sweet, despite the addition of chocolate, allowing the tastes of the caramel jam and beautiful raspberries to really shine through. You can make the loaf the day before and toast lightly before serving.

It’s Easter brunch perfection.

Ingredients

800ml milk

40g butter

10g caster sugar

7g dried yeast ( 1 sachet)

500g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

175g dark chocolate (70%) cut into small chunks

To serve

6- 8 tablespoons good quality caramel con leche

125g punnet fresh raspberries

Method

Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over a low heat until the butter melts, remove from heat and set aside until lukewarm. Combine the sugar and yeast in a small bowl, add 200ml milk mixture, stir to dissolve then stand in a warm place until foamy (4-5 minutes).

Combine the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add yeast mixture, stirring to incorporate a little flour. Add the remaining milk mixture and the chocolate chips and stir until smooth and combined, the chocolate may melt a little, don’t worry this just adds to the marbled effect of the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place until very foamy (1-2 hours). Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 50ml warm water, add to batter and beat gently to combine. Cover and set aside until bubbles appear on the surface. (25-30 minutes). Grease and line a loaf tin and preheat the oven to 175C.

Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes or until lightly golden on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning out to slice.

To serve, slice the loaf and gently toast the slices until the exterior is just crisp. Smear the base of one piece with caramel. Top with raspberries and drizzle over caramel to taste. Sandwich with another piece of chocolate bread and drizzle over additional caramel if desired. Repeat with remaining bread, caramel and raspberries.