1935 Chocolate Bread
Submitted by akersm
Vintage 1935 chocolate yeast bread with cocoa, pecans, and vanilla kneaded by hand and baked into a dark, fragrant loaf. A Depression-era recipe worth reviving.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minA yeast bread recipe from 1935 that folds cocoa powder and chopped pecans into a kneaded dough for a loaf that’s more bread than cake. Not too sweet, not quite savory. It falls into that rare category of chocolate bread that works at breakfast with butter, alongside coffee, or sliced thin as the base for a nutella-style spread.
The cocoa goes directly into the flour mixture, sifted together with sugar and salt so it distributes evenly through the dough. Three tablespoons of cocoa gives the bread a noticeable chocolate color and flavor without making it taste like dessert. The sugar is deliberately restrained at just three tablespoons. This is bread, not cake.
Ten minutes of hand kneading develops the gluten structure that gives the loaf its chewy, bread-like crumb. The dough should feel smooth and elastic when it’s ready, springing back when poked. If it’s still sticky and tearing, keep going.
Two rises (one hour each) give the yeast time to develop flavor and create the air pockets that make the interior light. The loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, which is the most reliable test for doneness in a yeasted bread.
Chef Tips
- Warm the milk to about 110 degrees. Too hot kills the yeast. Too cool and it won’t activate. Test with your wrist like baby formula.
- Knead on a surface sprinkled with the remaining half cup of flour. Add it gradually. Not all of it may be needed depending on humidity.
- The dough should double in bulk during each rise. If your kitchen is cool, place the bowl near a warm (not hot) oven or in a turned-off oven with the light on.
- Remove from the pan immediately after baking. Bread left in the pan steams and the crust goes soft.
Variations
- Chocolate chip studded: Fold in a half cup of mini chocolate chips with the pecans for melted chocolate pockets throughout.
- Orange chocolate: Add a tablespoon of grated orange zest to the dough for a classic chocolate-orange combination.
- Cinnamon swirl: Roll the dough flat, spread with cinnamon sugar, roll up, and place seam-down in the pan for a swirled interior.
Ingredients
Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm milk; let stand 5 minutes.
Sift together 1½ cups flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt; set aside.
Combine dissolved yeast, egg, shortening, pecans, and vanilla; mix well.
Gradually add flour mixture to make a soft dough .
Turn dough out onto a surface sprinkled with remaining ½ cup flour; knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Punch dough down; turn out onto a floured surface, and shape into a loaf.
Place in a greased 7½ x 3 x 2-inch loaf-pan.
Brush top with oil; cove? and repeat rising procedure 1 hour.
Bake at 375℉ (190℃) for 40 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove bread from pan immediately; cool on wire rack.
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