Chocolate Babka
Servings: 2 Loaves
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Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup water, lukewarm (90°)
- 3 1/3 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt, or regular salt
- 1 Tbsp yeast
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup water
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in cubes
- sunflower or other neutral oil
Filling
- ½ cup butter
- 6 oz dark chocolate, (70% or higher)
- ¾ cup powered sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
Sugar Syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
Dough
- Stir yeast into warm water. Let it sit until it blooms, about 10 minutes.
- Add flour, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir it with a whisk or a fork to blend it. With the dough hook, mix on low speed until throughly combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add whole eggs and bloomed yeast. Mix on low speed until a dough forms, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl a few times, until a rough dough forms. This takes 2-3 minutes.
- Add butter one cube at a time. Beat on medium speed until the dough is formed. You may need to scrape down the bowl. Continue mixing on medium speed until you have a smooth, elastic, shiny dough. This may take 10-15 minutes. Dough should pulll off the dough hook easily.
- Grease a bowl with the oil. Place dough in the bowl and turn it a few times to coat, then cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator overnight or between 12-24 hours.
Filling
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Grease 2 9 x 4 inch or 2 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pans. Line with parchment paper so that you leave longer edges sticking up from the long edges of the pans to easily life out the babkas. Set aside
- Melt butter and chocolate on stove or in microwave until melted.
- Once melted, stir in powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth.
Assemble, Bake and Add Syrup
- Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Cover and refrigerate the remaing half.
- Roll our the dough on a floured surface into a large square about 12 x 12 inches. It will be about 1/2 inch thick, but do not worry about it.
- Spread the chocolate filling on the dough leaving about 1" border with no filling.
- Brush dough with a little bit of water so it will hold tight.
- Roll the dough - jelly roll style - into a long tight log.
- Using a bread knife cut the dough in half horizontally. Separate so each cut side is facing upwards.
- Braid the two pieces keeping the cut side facing upwards to give a pretty striped top on the babka. Pinch the ends together. Place in prepared loaf pans.
- Repeat the process with the other piece of dough.
- Cover pans with a moist tea towel and let rise for 1 ½ - 2 hour.
- Bake the babkas for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or you have a hollow sound when you tap the bottom.
- Immediately brush each babka with the syrup. Use it all since it will absorb it and be moist.
Sugar Syrup
- Bring sugar and water to boil while babkas are baking.
Notes
- If dough seems too sticky before you add the butter, add 1 Tbsp. of water until the dough forms.
- You can add mini chocolate chips or nuts to the filling once you have spread it.
- You can substitute Nutella for the chocolate and not make the filling at all.
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