Today is all about dough. Sweet dough. In particular, today is all about this Malted Chocolate Blueberry Couronne. This loaf is rich and sweet. From the savory hit of the malted milk powder and the bittersweet chocolate that lines it’s swirls to the subtly-sweet bite of the blueberry jam and the kick of actual sweetness from the glaze on top, this loaf pretty much has it all. You get a crust to bite into, a little bit of cinnamon flavor, the soft, buttery interior of an enriched loaf, and swirls of chocolate and blueberry to accompany every bite.
This Malted Chocolate Blueberry Couronne is essentially something you can enjoy at any time of the day. One slice of this makes for a great breakfast pastry or for a post-dinner coffee treat. And trust me: malt, blueberries, and bittersweet chocolate marry together seamlessly in this. You get sweet, savory, a bit of bitterness, and it’s all rounded out by the sweet malt cinnamon dough that wraps it all together. The blueberry jam has no sugar added into it, can we just reflect on that for a moment? All that berry sweetness that comes out in this is just the natural flavor of the blueberry!
Now that that is out of the way, can I just say that making bread is ridiculously fun? I always get the impression that people who make bread often really love it. Sure, it requires a lot of patience, but it also allows you plenty of time to leave the dough alone to rest and rise while you can go do other things. Plus, the time it takes makes the overall experience all the more satisfying.
I get it. I really do. Bread is one of those things that I wish I made more often. The process of kneading is basically cathartic and there’s something so incredibly exciting about checking on your dough after an hour or two to see that it’s rising as it should be. It may sound weird, but I often think about starting out a sourdough starter, but I know that I am not often capable of taking care of myself, let alone living things, and I fear that at this stage of my life, I would end up tossing it out and starting over repeatedly until I could finally remember to feed it often enough. So for now, I need to stick to what I can do, and this enriched loaf is something I am definitely responsible enough to manage!
I have a deep admiration for people who can whip up batches of sourdough on a regular basis and keep a starter alive. Along with that, I just have a deep admiration for other bloggers out there. I read a lot of posts, and every time I do, I’m impressed with how much others can put themselves out there. Sharing tidbits about myself or my life is not something that I am fully capable of. I am an immensely private person, which is why my posts are always focused on the bakes or small tidbits of the past that play into why I chose to come up with a certain recipe. There’s not always a history to a certain flavor though, which makes it difficult to share about anything more than just the bake.
Take this loaf for example: I started off with the intention of making a hazelnut, honey, and date babka–which may still happen one of these days– but, somewhere along the process, I got to thinking about malted milk powder and the container of blueberries I had sitting in the refrigerator and all of a sudden, my hazelnut/honey/date babka turned into this Malted Chocolate Blueberry Couronne. I can’t explain how it changed or why I was so focused on throwing these flavors together, but the thought of the combination would not leave my mind, and I’m glad that they didn’t because this loaf was was meant to be exactly what it is.
But that’s it really, there’s nothing more to share. No funny stories about this week or life lessons learned. Just following a gut feeling on flavors and having way too much fun kneading dough.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35-40 minutes |
| Passive Time | 3 hours |
| Servings |
loaf
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- 1/2 + 1/8 cup whole milk (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp malted milk powder
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 275 grams bread flour plus extra for sprinkling
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg large
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 Tbsp black chia seeds
- 1 1/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 Tbsp malted milk powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
- toasted walnuts chopped into small pieces
Ingredients
Cinnamon and Malt Dough
Blueberry Chia Jam
Malted Chocolate Spread
To Top
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- In a small saucepan, whisk together the 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp whole milk and the 2 Tbsp of malted milk powder. Warm over a low heat until the milk reaches a temperature between 105°F and 110°F. Transfer the milk to a measuring cup and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Allow to sit for about 30 seconds before stirring the yeast into the milk mixture. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. The yeast should bubble up and the mixture will thicken on the surface.
- Measure out the bread flour into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom to one side of the bowl. On the opposite side, add the salt and the egg. Once the yeast has bloomed, add in the yeast/milk mixture, and using either your hands or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, turn the mixture around until all of the flour has been picked up from the sides of the bowl.* The dough will be a bit dry at this point.
- Slowly mix in the softened butter a little at a time, waiting until the butter is fully mixed in to the dough before adding more to the bowl. This usually takes me about 10 minutes with the mixer on low and may take a bit longer if you are doing it by hand. Once the dough has come together (it will be very soft and sticky), sprinkle with a tiny bit of flour and allow to rest for about two minutes.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead with your hands. Knead for about 10-12 minutes until the dough is no longer wet and sticky and is instead smooth and holds its shape. Form into a ball and poke the dough with your finger. If the indentation fills back quickly, you're ready to rest it for its first rise; if not, keep kneading and test again after a couple of minutes.
- When the dough is smooth and ready to rest, form it into a ball and place into a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the dough is doubled in size. While the dough is rising, make your fillings.
- In a medium saucepan, warm frozen blueberries or fresh blueberries over a medium heat. When the blueberries are soft enough, use a fork to mash them down (this should only take a few minutes). Stir in the chia seeds and allow the jam to bubble for about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl or a dish and allow to cool.
- Place the bittersweet chocolate chips and 3 Tbsp unsalted butter into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Using the microwave, heat on high for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir. Continue to heat for 15-30 second intervals until fully melted. Stir in the 1 1/2 Tbsp malted milk powder, vanilla extract, and 1/2 tsp salt until fully combined. Set aside to cool.
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Turn out the dough onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured surface. Without knocking it back, roll out the dough into an 8" by 18" rectangle. The long side should be facing you. Spread a thin layer of the malted chocolate spread over the dough (you may have some leftover) and top with a thin, even layer of the blueberry chia jam. Starting at the long end closest to you, roll the dough tightly. When you get to the end, lightly pinch the edge of the dough to the roll to seal it. Place this seam down on the counter and, using both of your hands, lightly roll the dough until you have a log about 24" long.
- This next bit can get a bit messy: Transfer the log to the lined baking sheet, seam side down. Using a sharp knife, cut all the way through the dough lengthwise; you want to slice all the way through one end, but leave stop about an inch or two from the other end to hold the dough together while you shape it.
- Shaping the Couronne: Starting at the end that isn't fully cut through, cross the strands over one another, making sure to keep the cut sides facing upwards at all times. Repeat this process until the two strands are twisted together for the entire length. Curve into a circle. Now, you're going to slice through the final inch or two of the log that you kept together. Join those two strands with the other end of the circle, pressing gently to secure the dough together into one circle. Cover gently with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap (being careful not to actually stretch it over the dough) and a clean towel. Allow to rest for about 45-60 minutes until about 1.5 times in size.
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. While the oven is heating up, whisk together 1 egg with 1 Tbsp water. Once the dough has risen for the second time and the crown is about 1.5 times its original size, brush the egg wash over the surface of the bread. Bake about 35-40 minutes until risen and a rich golden brown. With the egg wash, the dough may brown a bit quicker in the oven than it cooks--I usually tent the couronne with a piece of foil after the first 25 minutes of baking. The outer edges of the bread will be firm and crusty; depending on the amount of wet filling inside, the inside of the circle will be a bit softer to the touch once it reaches a golden brown, this will firm up as it cools. If you have an instant read thermometer, you can insert it into the bread to test for doneness--if the bread reads 200°F, it's ready to come out of the oven. If ever in doubt, allow to bake for an extra couple of minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
*I start my dough in the stand mixer, especially enriched doughs because adding the butter can get a bit messy. If your mixer is anything like mine though, it doesn't reach all the way to the bottom of the bowl and you may be left with some flour. I usually removed the bowl of the mixer for a bit and bring the rest of the flour and the dough together with my hands.