Weekend Cooking: Chocolate Chip Bread
Today, I’m celebrating my 50th birthday! I’m thrilled to be doing it at normal weight, since I was overweight on my 30th birthday and obese on my 40th. I believe in miracles, the power of community, and my ability to transform my life. Those are good things to believe in at any age.
Since buying myself a cake isn’t in my current food plan, I’m celebrating with Chocolate Chip Bread. The original recipe came from allrecipes.com: Chocolate Chip Bread II Recipe. Of course, I changed it to make it a little healthier — some whole wheat flour, a little less sugar and fat. It’s still not health food, but a satisfying alternative to cake.
Chocolate Chip Bread tastes wonderful either fresh out of the bread machine or toasted. It’s good with nothing on it, but I like it with yogurt cheese mixed with just enough mayo to make it a good texture for spreading. The tangy yogurt flavor contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the bread.
The secret to chocolate chip bread is to freeze the chocolate chips and add them five minutes before the end of the first kneading. Otherwise, the chocolate chips melt and you get chocolate bread, which isn’t bad but not quite the same thing.
Chocolate Chip Bread for the Bread Machine
modified from Chocolate Chip Bread II by Joy Weese Moll
1 cup whey (from making yogurt cheese, skim milk or water would also work)
1 egg
3 tablespoons organic raw sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
3 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup frozen dark chocolate chips
1. Stir together whey, egg, sugar, and salt in small bowl or measuring cup.
2. Measure the flours into a bowl. Chop the butter into several pieces and stir into the flours.
3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bread machine bucket. Top with the flours and butter. Make a well in the center of the flour and measure 2 teaspoons of yeast into it.
4. Add the frozen chocolate chips when the “Add” signal beeps or about 5 minutes before the end of the first kneading cycle.
How do you celebrate birthdays?
Find more recipes and other food stories as we celebrate Weekend Cooking atย Beth Fish Reads.