Saturday, February 6, 2010

Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread and Chocolate Tangerine Bars



Just in time for Valentine's Day, one of our current Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook challenges is Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread. With the same dough from that recipe we could also make Chocolate Tangerine Bars, which you see below. Since time is tight this week, I decided to forgo making the Red Beet Buns which required making an additional dough. The chocolate espresso bread recipe contains whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, cocoa, chopped chocolate and strong coffee or espresso. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Today's recipes can be found in the cookbook Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
If you don't already know, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day is a new book of healthy bread recipes by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg who also wrote Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Jeff Hertzberg said that the recipe for these bars was inspired by a chocolate and citrus flavored pre-wrapped snack served to him on an airplane.

When I saw these beautiful stem-on tangerines at the store a couple of days ago, I didn't have to think any longer about which recipe I would make first.


The already prepared and chilled chocolate espresso dough is blended with tangerine zest, dried cranberries (I used orange-flavored Craisins) and chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips. This was my favorite recipe because of the extra moisture that the dried cranberries, chocolate and tangerine zest gave them. I also love chocolate!


With the same chocolate espresso whole wheat dough recipe we could make either a loaf of bread or make small rolls using muffin tins as a variation. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I chose to make the mini variation using my silicone heart-shaped muffin cups.


They turned out beautifully, but the thing I had forgotten when I tasted one is that this is a bread dough after all and not cake dough, so they were more dry than the treat that they appear to be but delicious in any case!

26 comments:

  1. Those bars are fabulous looking. I love those flavors. It is interesting, I am not a citrus lover but mixed with chocolate, it is sterling.

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  2. Your tangerine looks like a gift:) What a lovely post ..we have the same little silicone molds:)

    The bread looks so delish...

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  3. I like the fact that it's healthy. It looks beautiful, too!

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  4. Oh, I wondered about the texture. Thanks for the honesty. The muffins are beautiful, everything you do is beautiful!

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  5. ciao Susan!! le foto bellissime esprimono tutta la delizia di questi dolcetti!!
    Allora ti aspetto a pranzo!:)))
    oggi preparo:

    Spaghetti olio,aglio e peperoncino.

    Bistecche alla brace

    Ciaooooooooooooooo!!!

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  6. Your pictures are absolutely scrumptious! Citrus and chocolate is a match made in heaven. Thank you!
    xoxo Pattie

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  7. I am making this bread today and am SO excited! I think I am going to forego the bars and just make a tangerine flavored bread. Perfect for breakfast. And covered in PB. That is my good-bread-test actually. If I can't cover it in peanut butter, there is no use for it in my life.

    These look delicious!

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  8. Can you really make chocolate bread??? I am doomed.
    Great recipe and photos... as always!

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  9. I made mini loafs and I'm cutting into one for breakfast this very morning.. Cant wait to make the bars today. These sweet breads are always so deceiving. My eyes say cake and yet it's bread. I love your heart shaped ones. Too cute!!!

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  10. Susan, the recipe sounds delicious, BUT I love to come to your blog to see your photos. The tangerine with the stem and leaves attached just brought a little sunshine into the gray, dreary day here. And the picture with the chilled dough and add-ins makes me want to reach in a grab a hunk even before it's mixed up and baked. :) Gorgeous post ...

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  11. Chocolate and Bread!! Two of my favorite things. Yummy!

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  12. You are all so kind! Thank You! It has been fun trying all of these breads. I quickly put them in the freezer to savor more slowly ;)

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  13. Both of these recipes look amazing!

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  14. Your heart muffins looks so cute and you're right it is bread dough so the texture will be a little more dense.

    I've not seen vine-on tangerines in our stores! We always miss out on the good stuff!

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  15. Susan, these look reallyreally good. I'm avoiding wheat for the time being, but I've bookmarked this recipe hoping that it's a temporary thing.

    Thanks for posting this!

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  16. so this is what i have to look forward to. I'll be making mine this weekend. I can't wait. They look fantastic.

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  17. They really do look so beautiful. I made some brioche with chocolate so I got chocolate and "cakey" bread. :)

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  18. Your bars look so beautiful. These were a lot of fun to make. Wish I could find such nice-looking tangerines. It was pretty slim pickings at the grocery store.

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  19. What beautiful bars and muffings. If they have to be healthy at least they are pretty, right?

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  20. :) I agree, not all is what it appears to be. I thought the same thing. they look like they should be sweet brownie like and they are so not. Though wonderful for breakfast.

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  21. What beautiful photos and bread. I was also fooled into thinking they would be sweeter, but with peanut butter they were just fine.

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  22. The bread looks great but your photography is AMAZING! Love the tangerine pic!

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I appreciate your comment!