have cake, will travel!

The first version was good, but not quite meeting the vision I had in mind when coming up with the idea. This one is definitely more like it!
I’ll still play around a bit more to make it almost as healthy as the first loaf was, but it is mighty tasty and satisfying.
It’d be safe to make a half whole wheat, half bread flour version too, but preferably not more than that, as the bitterness of the unsweetened chocolate added to the whole wheat flour might be a bit overwhelming.
You could always use bittersweet chocolate instead, if you want to play it on the safe side.

I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer as my wrists haven’t been too thrilled with all the baking I’ve been doing lately, and finished it off by hand. You can obviously do it all by hand if you’re not an old fart like me.

a couple of tips:

- leave the pack of flour out while kneading! the quality of the dough depends on so many factors, you might need more or less than a recipe calls for. don’t fret: it’s not rocket science. with practice, you will be able to tell what your dough needs/wants, honest.

- keep paper towels at hand, especially if you are using your hands to knead: the dough will stick to your hands a bit and rubbing them with the paper towel will make for a far smaller mess than if you have to walk around the kitchen aimlessly with your doughy hands and all.

- if you want a shiny crust, give this a try! it works. it really, really works:

Using a fork, blend 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with a small amount of water to form a paste. Add 1/2 cup water and whisk with the fork. Microwave or boil until mixture appears glassy, about 30 to 60 seconds on high. It will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks; discard if it has an off smell.

for a 1 1/2 pounder aka 12 slices:

1 cup + 1 T pure water
2 T turbinado sugar
2 T vegan margarine, softened
2 T vital wheat gluten
3/8 t cayenne pepper [up to 1/2 t if you dare]
2 t chili powder
1 t cinnamon
2 cups bread flour [scoop!] + more, as needed while kneading
1 cup whole wheat flour
1oz unsweetened chocolate, grated
1 t sea salt
2 t bread machine or instant-rise yeast

doing it all by hand:
[if your yeast isn't too fresh, proof it by whisking it in lukewarm water along with the sugar for about 10 minutes. it should bubble up and foam. you're good to go if that's the case, if not? toss and grab a new pack of yeast and do it all over again.
I usually don't bother because I buy so much yeast that it doesn't have time to go bad.]

in a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar, softened margarine. add the rest of the ingredients (only 2 cups of flour at first, add the bread flour little by little, when kneading), stirring with a wooden spoon.

place on a clean, lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, for about 5-10 minutes. you will have to add a little more flour (a little at a time!) until it’s not too sticky anymore. shape into a ball.

using your stand mixer:
place all ingredients in the bowl, mix until combined, let it all be kneaded for 4 or so minutes until the dough is tacky, smooth, and elastic. finish it by hand for a couple of minutes.

lightly coat a large bowl with oil, swirl the dough around to coat it so that it doesn’t go dry while rising. cover with plastic wrap, let rise in a warm area for 90 minutes.

once dough has doubled up in size, punch it down, flatten it in a small rectangular shape, and roll it up tightly to fit an 8×4 inch bread loaf pan, prepared with non-stick cooking spray and coated with some flour.

press the dough down with your knuckles. cover with a plastic wrap and let rise again for another hour or until it reaches the top of the pan.

20 minutes before dough is done rising, preheat your oven to 375F. once bread is ready for it, remove plastic wrap, lightly apply “egg wash” on it, and place it in the oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown and for your instant-read thermometer to give you an approximate 200F reading.

remove from pan immediately [don't forget your oven mitts!] and let cool on a rack completely before slicing.