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Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Quick Bread – is it breakfast? Is it dessert? Whatever it is, it’s a family favorite! Combining the texture of a bakery-style chocolate muffin (like these double chocolate sourdough muffins) with a loaf pan bake – this sourdough quick bread uses sourdough discard to give moisture and a little extra flavor to a yummy loaf.
Throw in some semi-sweet chocolate chips and you have the perfect, melty, crowd-pleasing loaf of chocolate muffin bread. Or add in some peanut butter chips – like I do with my chocolate peanut butter sourdough cookies – wouldn’t that be delicious?! If you love sourdough chocolate recipes, this sourdough discard chocolate bread is one of the easiest to make. You’re going to love it!
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread
- What is Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread?
- Why You’ll Love Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Quickbread
- Important Ingredients
- Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Quickbread
- How to Store Leftovers
- Amy’s Recipe Tip
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Popular Sourdough Muffin Recipes
- Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread Recipe
Quick Look: Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 50-60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Servings: 12 slices
- Calories: ~270 kcal per slice (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: baked in a loaf pan at 425ºF for 10 minutes and then 350ºF for the next 40-50 minutes
- Flavor & Texture: Rich Dutch cocoa, melty chocolate chips, and a moist, tender crumb with a bakery-style top.
- Difficulty: Beginner, this is a quick bread recipe so no kneading or long fermentation required!
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What is Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread?
Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread is a quick bread made with sourdough discard that bakes in a loaf pan but has the flavor and texture of a rich chocolate muffin. Instead of kneading or long fermentation, baking powder and baking soda give the bread lift while sourdough discard adds moisture and flavor. The result is a soft, tender chocolate loaf filled with melty chocolate chips. It’s delicious, quick and easy!
Why You’ll Love Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Quickbread
- Discard Recipe – You’ll love that this recipe uses up your sourdough discard. I prefer to use discard that is only a day or two old or bubbly sourdough starter for this recipe and recipes like my Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes.
- Quick and Easy – This bread comes together very quickly, and making it in a loaf pan instead of a muffin tin means no muffin liners and even less prep. If you have just a few more minutes, then try these Double Chocolate Sourdough Muffins.
- Chocolatey Goodness – Chocolate lovers are going to go crazy for this loaf. With chocolate chips and the tender and moist texture of this bread, it’s the perfect chocolatey bite. And if you want more sourdough chocolate goodness, then try this long fermented Chocolate Sourdough Focaccia Bread or this Chocolate Sourdough Bread.
Sourdough Discard Tip: I keep a jar in my fridge that I continually add sourdough discard to. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes where it adds moisture and great flavor. Use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like these Sourdough Discard Bagels and young/fresh discard in sweeter recipes like my favorite Chocolate Sourdough Zucchini Muffins.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – This is one of my favorite sourdough discard recipes! For best results, use a 100% hydration discard (fed with equal weights of water and flour). If yours is a bit older, it will add a deeper tang; if it’s fresh, it stays mild and sweet.
- All-Purpose Flour: This provides the structure for the loaf. I recommend weighing your flour to ensure the bread stays moist and tender rather than dense.
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder – Using a dark or Dutch-processed cocoa gives this bread that rich, deep chocolate flavor and dark color. It’s the secret to making it taste like a bakery-worthy chocolate muffin.
- Dark Brown Sugar – This adds a hint of moisture and sweetness which enhances the chocolate notes. If you’re out, light brown sugar works too!
- Unsweetened Applesauce & Vegetable Oil: The combination of both creates an incredibly moist sourdough quick bread. The oil provides the richness, while the applesauce keeps the crumb tender without making it taste oily.
- Plain Yogurt: Yogurt adds richness and a light and fluffy interior.
- Eggs: These act as the binder, giving the chocolate muffin bread some lift and contributing to that rich, cake-like crumb.
- Leavening (Baking Powder & Baking Soda): These work together to give that beautiful “bakery-style” rise, especially when started at a high initial oven temperature.
- Salt: A little goes a long way, but don’t leave it out!
- Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla helps balance the deep chocolate flavor.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: These create melty pockets of chocolate in every bite. I love semi-sweet, but dark chocolate or even peanut butter chips are delicious add-ins!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: You can swap this 1:1 with Natural Cocoa Powder. Your loaf will just be slightly lighter in color and have a milder chocolate flavor.
- Vegetable Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil (like canola, avocado oil or even coconut oil) works well to keep the loaf moist.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: If you don’t have applesauce on hand, you can substitute it with an equal amount of additional vegetable oil or even mashed overripe bananas for a “Chocolate Banana Sourdough bread”.
- Plain Yogurt: This can be swapped 1:1 for Greek yogurt or sour cream. Both will provide the same richness.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Feel free to swap in Dark Chocolate Chunks, Milk Chocolate Chips, or even White Chocolate Chips. I’ve also chopped up a chocolate bar when I’m in a pinch!
How to Make Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Quickbread
Mix the Batter
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine flour, cocoa powder, dark brown sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda and whisk together until fully mixed.
Step 2: To a liquid measuring cup (or small bowl), whisk together the applesauce, vegetable oil, eggs, plain yogurt, vanilla extract and sourdough discard. Whisk until completely combined.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to mix the muffin batter until just a few dry streaks remain.
Step 4: Add the chocolate chips and mix very gently. The less you mix, the more tender your chocolate muffin sourdough bread will be.
Don’t Overmix! The key to a tender quick bread is not overmixing the batter. You’ll want to mix the ingredients together so that there are no dry streaks remaining, but only just.
Bake the Discard Quick Bread
Step 5: Line a 9 by 5- inch pan with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Step 6: Bake chocolate muffin sourdough bread at 425ºF for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350ºF and bake for 40-50 minutes until a sharp knife or toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out clean (a little melty chocolate is okay!). Use the parchment paper to pull the loaf out of the pan and place on a wire rack.
Let the chocolate muffin sourdough bread cool completely (or almost completely) before slicing and enjoying for breakfast…or snack time or dessert–it’s especially good with a dollop of freshly whipped cream!
How to Store Leftovers
If you don’t plan on eating the whole loaf in one sitting (though it’s tempting!), this bread stores beautifully. I recommend slicing the cooled loaf into individual pieces and placing them into a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Freezing them in slices is a total game-changer because it keeps the bread perfectly fresh and allows you to grab exactly what you need without thawing the entire loaf.
When you’re ready for a snack, just pull a slice out of the freezer to thaw or zap it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Reheating it for those few seconds makes the chocolate chips perfectly melty and restores that “just-baked” softness to the crumb. It is so good warm—especially with a little butter or a dollop of freshly whipped cream!
Amy’s Recipe Tip
The secret to that beautiful bakery-style rise is starting the bake with high heat. Baking the loaf at 425°F for the first 10 minutes gives the batter a quick burst of lift as the baking powder activates and the loaf rises before the crust sets. That’s what creates the tall shape and that classic crack down the center.
After the first 10 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350°F so the center can bake through evenly without the outside getting too dark.
This same trick works great for muffins too. Start them hot, then lower the temperature and they’ll bake up tall with those nice rounded tops that look straight from a bakery.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is perfect for a 9×5 loaf pan. If you want a taller, more dramatic-looking loaf, you can use an 8.5×4.5 pan. Just keep in mind that the smaller, narrower pan might need an extra 5 minutes of bake time to ensure the center is fully set.
Yes! You can use an equal amount of active, bubbly sourdough starter in place of the discard. Because this is a “quick bread” that relies on baking powder and baking soda for its lift, you don’t need to wait for a long fermentation. Using active starter will give you a slightly milder flavor and a very fluffy crumb, while older discard may provide a more pronounced sourdough tang.
Yes! If you want to long ferment the batter, you can mix it up and refrigerate it in the loaf pan for several hours or overnight before baking. For best results, make sure you’re using double-acting baking powder so it still has plenty of lift once it hits the oven.
A long, cold rest gives the sourdough discard time to develop more flavor and helps break down the flour, which many people find easier to digest. Since the batter will be cold when it goes into the oven, you may need to add a few extra minutes to the total bake time.
Yes! I’m a big believer in using what you have in your pantry. While Dutch-processed cocoa powder and dark brown sugar give this bread its deep, rich color and fudgy flavor, you can swap them for regular cocoa and light brown sugar. Your loaf will be a bit lighter in color and slightly less rich, but it will still be a crowd-pleaser!
This usually happens if the loaf is under-baked. Always use a toothpick to check the center; it should come out clean or with just a few dry crumbs (a little melty chocolate is okay). If it’s still sinking, check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. Also, be careful not to over-mix the batter—too much air stirred in can cause the bread to rise quickly and then collapse in the oven.
Popular Sourdough Muffin Recipes
If you tried this Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Chocolate Muffin Sourdough Bread
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Equipment
- 9 by 5 loaf pan 8.5 by 4.5 can work too
Ingredients
- 150 grams all purpose flour, about 1 cup
- 35 grams dutch processed cocoa powder, about 1/3 cup, see recipe note
- 7 grams salt, about 1 teaspoon
- 4 grams baking powder, about 1 teaspoon
- 6 grams baking soda, about 1 teaspoon
- 70 grams unsweetened applesauce, about 1/4 cup
- 120 grams sourdough discard, about 1/2 cup, see recipe note
- 200 grams brown sugar, about 1 cup
- 2 large eggs, about 100 grams
- 60 grams vegetable oil, about 1/4 cup, any neutral flavored oil will work
- 120 grams plain yogurt, about 1/2 cup
- 4 grams vanilla extract, about 1 teaspoon
- 165 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º Fahrenheit. Line a 9 by 5 loaf pan with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk together until combined.
- To a small bowl, mix the sourdough discard, brown sugar, eggs and vegetable oil together. Add the applesauce, plain yogurt and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Pour into the center of the flour mixture and mix together until barely combined with just a few dry streaks.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared baking loaf pan.
- Bake at 425º Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. After ten minutes reduce the temperature to 350º Fahrenheit and bake for 40-50 minutes until a sharp knife or toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before slicing and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delicious! As someone else mentioned, my 9×5 loaf pan overflowed too and as soon as I realized that, I quickly split the batter into 2 pans and both came out great and regular size loaves. Next time I will split the batter before putting in the oven.
Thanks for the feedback!
Amy,
I’ve made this recipe a few times now, light, deliciously chocolate and fairly healthy too! A win win from me. I’ve shared with friends who enjoyed as well! This time I baked as muffins, 16 each. Ii started at the 425* tempted and lowered to 350 for 15 minutes to done. Thank you for a healthyish sinful muffin!
Thanks for sharing your muffin conversion! And glad you love this recipe.
Initially I thought this was going to be a dud. It overflowed in the oven and it looked sunken and bad. I was ready to toss it, but I had a bite before pitching it and Oh. My. Gosh. It is sooo good! It tastes heavenly and like the best chocolate muffin I’ve ever had. I will make it again, but perhaps I’ll try it in a muffin pan instead to save a cleaning.
Sorry yours overflowed! What size pan were you using? But glad you enjoyed the recipe, even with the mishaps 🙂
It was a 9×5 loaf pan. Luckily I had a sheet pan below! I have since made this as muffins and they turned out so well. I cut my chocolate into smaller pieces so they don’t sink as much.
Was in the mood for chocolate cake tonight. Respectfully I really wanted this to be great but honestly, it wasn’t. As someone else mentioned, the taste is simply odd/off. Am not one to post comments but as I wasn’t alone thought I should after going to the trouble of making it, and then being disappointed.
Sorry you didn’t love this one. Did you use older discard? Expired or older baking powder or soda? Sometimes the off putting taste can come from the baking soda or an old discard.
Hi Amy,
This looks amazing, I love all of your recipes!
Can this be used for muffins instead? Just less bake time I assume?
I think it definitely could. I haven’t made it into muffins yet. I would bake 375 for 20-22 minutes probably as a starting point.
I rarely leave reviews but this has become a staple in our home already. One of the most moist delicious breads I have made, the sourdough adds a ton of depth so it’s just right and doesn’t feel “unmanageably” sweet like a cake. Incredible recipe!!
So glad you enjoy this recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
My family really enjoyed this recipe, it turned out perfect.
The texture reminded me Costco chocolate muffins.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent recipe! I made it this weekend to share with friends, and the consensus was that it’s not too sweet, had good chocolate flavor, and just a bit of sour tang to give it depth. They even asked me to share the recipe with them!
Really wanted this to work but the taste isn’t to our liking it doesn’t right. Unfortunately I won’t do again.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it. I use a younger discard so we can’t taste the sour flavor. My kids prefer a sweeter/chocolate flavor.
Wahoooo! This looks amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!! 😍🍞🍫😋