Description
Chocolate babka is soft, sweet yeasted bread swirled with a buttery chocolate filling. It’s a traditional Eastern European treat that’s perfect with a cup of coffee or tea!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, softened, cut into pieces
For the Filling
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped good quality dark chocolate
For the Syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl or a stand mixer bowl.
- Add milk, eggs, and egg yolk. Stir until the dough starts to come together.
- Add the butter, cutting it into pieces gradually, and work it in with your hands or using a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand or 6 -7 minutes with the stand mixture. The dough will feel sticky, but it is okay.
- Place the dough into a bowl that you previously greased with butter or oil. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight. (Alternately you can allow the dough to rise more quickly covered in a warm room or on the proof setting in your oven). Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough to remove the air.
Prepare the Filling
- Prepare your ingredients and chop the chocolate.
- Add heavy cream in a saucepan with butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, or vanilla extract. Do not boil the mixture, allow it just to steam.
- Chop your chocolate into small pieces. Add the chopped chocolate to the heavy cream and stir until it is melted. Set your chocolate aside until it cools down completely.
Prepare the Syrup
- Add all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Set the syrup aside.
Assemble the Babka
- Roll the dough on a floured kitchen surface into a 12×16-inch rectangle.
- Stir the filling and spread it all over the dough, edge to the edges, except the second longer edge.
- Roll the dough firmly into the log. Cut the dough in half by length. Position each half parallel to the other, facing the cut side up. Twist the halves together, keeping the cut sides up, and folding and tucking the ends under. Transfer the babka to the loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Allow the babka to rise for 1 ½ hours at a warm spot.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake the babka for 35-40 minutes. Remove the babka from the oven and while still warm, brush it with the prepared syrup.
- Cool the babka completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- You can make the syrup while the babka is baking. It does not have to be in advance.
- For the babka use quality dark chocolate. You can add 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the filling mixture.
- You can proof the dough for the first time at room temperature, but before rolling it into the log, I advise that you chill it for 1 hour. It is easier to roll and cut the chilled dough, as well as to twist it.
- If you are not sure if your babka is baked, simply insert a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, you are good to go. Another method is to insert the thermometer. Once it reads 190F the babka is baked.
- Do not skip the syrup. The syrup will give a nice shine to your babka, but also keep it from drying out.
