Black Cocoa Sourdough Jack-o’-Lantern Boule

A dramatic, near-black crust from black cocoa powder makes this the site’s first real entry in Sourdough Art – a jack-o’-lantern face scored right into the top before it goes into the Dutch oven, on the same reliable overnight cold-proof timeline as the site’s other beginner loaves.

It still tastes like good sourdough with a faint chocolate note, not a novelty bake – just one with a lot more personality on the outside.

Why You’ll Love It

• A dramatic, near-black crust and crumb from black cocoa powder – dramatic, not gimmicky, and it still tastes like good sourdough with a faint chocolate note
• A jack-o’-lantern face scored right into the crust before baking
• Same reliable overnight cold-proof timeline as the site’s other beginner loaves
• A genuine conversation-starter for a Halloween table
• No special equipment beyond what a Dutch-oven baker already owns

Ingredients

Volume measurements are included for convenience, but they’re approximate – for the most consistent results, weigh your ingredients on a kitchen scale, especially the flour.

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• Bread flour (450 g / 3¾ cups)
• Black cocoa powder (35 g / ⅓ cup): not natural or Dutch-process cocoa – black cocoa is what gives the truly dark color; find it at a baking supply store or online
• Filtered water, lukewarm (350 g / 1½ cups)
• Active sourdough starter (100 g / ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp)
• Fine sea salt (10 g / about 2 tsp)

Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Dutch oven, 5-6 quart
• Banneton (proofing basket) with cloth liner
• Bench scraper
• Lame or a very sharp, thin blade – for the face design
• Parchment paper

Sample Schedule (2-Day)

Black Cocoa Sourdough Jack-o’-Lantern Boule

A dramatic near-black sourdough boule from black cocoa powder, with a jack-o’-lantern face scored right into the crust – a fun seasonal bake on the site’s reliable overnight cold-proof timeline.

Print Recipe

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Rise Time 17 hours hrs

Total Time 18 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12 slices

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Calories: 145

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Dough

• 450 g / 3¾ cups bread flour
• 35 g / ⅓ cup black cocoa powder not natural or Dutch-process cocoa – black cocoa is what gives the truly dark color
• 350 g / 1½ cups filtered water, lukewarm
• 100 g / ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp active sourdough starter
• 10 g / about 2 tsp fine sea salt

Heads up: Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Dutch oven, 5–6 quart
• Banneton (proofing basket) with cloth liner
• Bench scraper
• Lame or a very sharp, thin blade for the face design
• Parchment paper

Method

 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour and black cocoa powder.
2. Add the lukewarm water and active starter. Mix by hand until no dry flour remains and a shaggy, very dark dough forms. Rest 30 minutes, uncovered.
3. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and fold it in by hand, squeezing and folding until fully incorporated.
4. Cover and rest 30 minutes, then perform a set of stretch-and-folds (pull each side up and over the center). Repeat this rest-and-fold cycle 3 more times, for 4 rounds total.
5. Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature for 3–4 hours, until the dough has risen about 50% and feels airy at the edges.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a tight round.
7. Place seam-side up in a well-floured banneton, cover, and refrigerate overnight (12–15 hours).
8. The next day, preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C) with the Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes.
9. Turn the cold dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Using a lame or very sharp blade, score a jack-o’-lantern face directly into the top – two triangle eyes, a triangle nose, and a jagged smile – cutting about ¼ inch deep.
10. Carefully lower the dough (on its parchment) into the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 20 minutes.
11. Remove the lid and bake another 20–25 minutes, until the crust is fully set and deeply developed (the black cocoa makes color harder to judge by sight alone, so rely on time and a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom).
12. Cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

I’d been wanting to finally put something in the Sourdough Art category for a while, and Halloween felt like the right excuse. Black cocoa was the key discovery – regular cocoa powder just muddies to a dull brown in a dough like this, but black cocoa gets genuinely, dramatically dark.

Don’t overthink the face. My first attempt had a much more detailed design than the recipe above, and half of it puffed shut in the oven. Bold, simple triangles hold their shape far better than anything fussy.

This one’s meant to be fun more than technically difficult – if you can shape and score a plain boule, you can make this.

How to Make It

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Black cocoa, not regular cocoa: natural or Dutch-process cocoa will not get you this color and will taste noticeably more bitter and chalky in this ratio – black cocoa is milder and specifically formulated for deep color.
• Score with confidence: hesitant, shallow cuts blur together as the loaf springs in the oven; commit to clean, decisive strokes for the face to hold its shape.
• Cold dough scores best: scoring straight from the refrigerator (rather than at room temperature) gives you a firmer surface and cleaner lines.
• Color is hard to judge: because the crumb and crust are already dark, don’t rely on visual browning to know when it’s done – trust the timer and the hollow-sound test.
• Simplify the design: a plain jagged mouth and two triangle eyes (skip the nose) works just as well for a first attempt at scoring a face.

How to Store

To store: in a paper bag or bread box at room temperature up to 3 days.

To freeze: slice first, then freeze in an airtight bag up to 3 months; toast slices straight from frozen.

Nutrition

Per slice, based on 12 slices per loaf. Estimated from the ingredients used – provided for convenience and not a substitute for a precise calculation.