Riehlife Recipe: Easy Pane alla Cioccolata (Chocolate Bread)

If you are in the mood for a taste of something rich, smooth, and choc-late-y, but not too sweet…and nutritious into the bargain, this is the recipe for you. Like all Riehlife Recipes, it’s super-easy…the only way to go. You can eat this as a snack, of as morning lite-bite.

INGREDIENTS

Chose a good quality bread. Any will do. Since I’m in Northern California right now, home of Alvaroado St. Bakery, with its excellent line of sprouted breads made with organic grains and no added sugar, I chose their Sproted barley bread. This is lighter than the Ezekiel breads, though I like these, too, for concentrated sweetness and quick energy.

Choose a good quality chocolate bar. This is getting easier and easier to do as the big companies like Hershey’s and Mars (under the Dove label) are now getting into the gourmet chocolate game. From the budget store I brought home one of the new dove origin bars…this one a rich dark chocolate from the dominican Republic with 61 percent cocao. If you’re new to the chocolate aficianado game, higher cocao percentages are linked with higher degrees of satisfaction with smaller quantities consumed. That’s good for us boomer women no?

I love copy writing. Lisen to this “The country of origin determines the subtle differences in taste. Where would you like to go today? Our life is a journey Live it well. …Visit www.cocasustainability.mars.com to learn more.”

Okay, you could use some good butter or butter-like spread as well…or not. Your choice.

ASSEMBLY

Now that you have the ingredients, here’s how to assemble them. Butter the bread. Place pieces of chocolate around the bread, leaving lots of space to spread it on to later.

Place bread in 450 degree oven (or other temperatures…experiment….this seemed to work). Wait until the chocolate is molten and the butter has sunk into the bread. Remove. Spread chocolate with knife, as if it were Nutella (another fine invention).

CONSUME

Cut into quarters. Eat with your hands. Prepare to lick your fingers.