Recipe Instructions:
1/2 (8 ounces/225 grams) of a 1-pound loaf of French bread—choose round or fat loaf (such as a batard) rather than a baguette (which is too skinny)
1/3 cup (40 grams) toasted slivered almonds
2 1/2 tablespoons (35 grams) extra virgin olive oil
3/8 teaspoon flakey sea salt (such as flour de sea or Maldon)
12 ounces (340 grams) 60%-66% dark chocolate (not chocolate chips), coarsely chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut crusts from the bread and reserve them for another use. Slice the bread as thinly as you can (it’s fine if slices fall apart—the lacier the slices the better). Use your fingers to tear slices into fine shreds, as though shredding chicken for a salad. Distribute bread pieces over a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes, until the shreds are mostly crunchy and maybe a few are starting to turn golden. (Its fine if all of the pieces are crunchy, but it's nice if there is a mixture of soft and crunchy. Let the bread cool.
Temper the chocolate if you want to. Otherwise, simply melt it and let it cool to 90-95 degrees before using it. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
As soon as the chocolate is ready, combine the bread and toasted almonds in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the oil and toss with a spatula to distribute it. Sprinkle in half of the salt and toss again. Scrape the chocolate over the bread mixture, and then toss and fold with the spatula until all of the bread is coated with chocolate. (At first it may seem like there is not enough chocolate—just keep on folding and scraping the bottom of the bowl.)
For individual clusters, spoon small heaps of the mixture onto the lined pan and sprinkle each with a few grains of the remaining salt. For a break apart bark, spread the mixture into a thin lacy layer and sprinkle with pinches of the remaining salt. If the chocolate was tempered, set the pan in a cool place to set the chocolate then cover and store at room temperature. If the chocolate was simply melted and cooled (not tempered), set the pan in the fridge until the chocolate is set, then cover it to store in the fridge—but remove it a few minutes before serving so it will not be cold. Serve the lacy bark whole and invite guest to break it, or break it into pieces yourself and pile onto a platter.
