Chocolate Babka

Breads & Coffee Cakes

Servings: 2 Loaves

Author: Beverly

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.

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.

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.

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.