Chocolate Babka#BreadBakers

Chocolate babka, a dense, rich yeasted loaf swirled with an equally rich chocolate filling, is a classic eastern European Jewish bread. 

Yields: 1 loaf
Ingredients
For the dough

2¾  Cups All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Level Granulated Sugar
11 Grams Fresh Yeast
2 Small Eggs
½ Cup Milk
½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
75 Grams Cold Unsalted Butter- cut into small cubes 

For the Chocolate filling:

1/4 Cup Caster sugar - I did not add
¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
75 Grams Dark chocolate - melted
50 Grams Unsalted butter - melted
50 Grams Chocolate chips or chunks 

For the sugar syrup 
¼ Cup Water
¼ Cup Granulated Sugar 

Method

Making the dough

 Place flour, sugar, yeast, and  in a food processor  and mix on low speed until combined. Add eggs,  milk and mix on medium speed until dough comes together, 2-3 minutes. Add salt, then butter, adding a few cubes at a time, mixing until incorporated. Continue mixing for about 10 minutes on medium speed, until dough is completely smooth, elastic, shiny, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. During mixing, you will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

Place dough in a large bowl brushed with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and  it to rise once risen then leave in the fridge for at least 6 - 8 hours or overnight.

Grease one loaf with oil and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper with the sides hanging out.

To make the filling

Melt the chocolate and butter, then add the cocoa powder and mix  together until you have a spreadable paste.

 Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into a rectangle measuring 15 x 11 inches. 

Position dough so that a long side is closest to you. Using an offset spatula, spread half of the chocolate mixture over the rectangle, leaving a ½ inch border all sides . 

Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the chocolate. 

Shaping the dough 

Use both hands to roll up the rectangle like a log, starting from the long side closest to you and ending at the other long end. 

Press to seal the dampened end onto the log, then use both hands to even out the roll into a perfect thick long roll.

Rest the on its seam side down. 

Use the knife to gently cut the roll in half lengthwise, starting at the top and finishing at the end, essentially 

dividing the log into two long even halves, with the layers of dough and filling visible along the length of both halves. 

With the cut sides facing up

gently press together one end of each half, then lift the right half over the left half. 

Repeat this process, but this time lifting the left half over the right, to create a simple two-pronged plait / braid. Gently squeeze together the other ends so that you are left with the two halves, intertwined and the babka is ready to go into the baking pan. 

Carefully lift the babka into a loaf pan. Don’t worry if there are gaps in the pan since the braid will rise and will eventually look fine, even if you feel like it’s messy at this point. 

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour  to rise( this dough will not double in size- it will rise a little). 

Preheat oven to 190°C, making sure to allow plenty of time for it to heat fully before the babka has finished rising. Place the pan on middle rack of oven, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean with no dough attached. 

While the babka is in the oven, let's make the syrup. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring water and sugar to a boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

As soon as the babka is out of the oven, brush the syrup over it. Use all of the syrup, even if it looks a lot. 

Let babka cool until it is warm, then remove from pans and let cool completely before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Just out of the oven and super delicious Babka.. see the swirls, irresistible..

As the babka is baking my house is filling with the aroma of chocolate, yum yum!!

My Notes

Since this dough is a brioche dough / a buttery  dough. 

After  the first rise, it’s highly recommended to place it in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, so it sets properly and is easy to work with. Mine rolled out so smoothly and beautifully after refrigeration.

 To make the filling 
I have seen many recipes using sugar too.  I have not added it  , since even chocolate chips is added in the filling and I did not want a too sweet babka.  If you want add 1/4 cup caster sugar.  Choice is yours. 

Even though I did not add the sugar in the filling this is so sweet and divine to taste..

This babka is super delicious. 

Check here to see the Nutella Babka Buns recipe. 

Lables : Breads, Bread Bakers, Yeasted Cake, Chocolate Babka, Eggs, Butter, Brioche, Jewish

This month, the Bread Bakers are making yeasted cakes, a theme chosen by Archana of The Mad Scientist Kitchen.
Almond Stollen from Baking Sense
Baba-au-Rhum from Ambrosia
Chocolate Babka from Sneha's Recipes
Cranberry Lardy Cake from Food Lust People Love
Drozdzowe from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Hartford Election Cake from All That's Left are the Crumbs
Orange Yeast Cake from Cooking with Renu
Yeasted Lemon Cake from Gayathri's Cookspot
Yeasted Orange Cake from The Mad Scientist Kitchen
Yeasted Pound Cake from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Yeasted Transylvanian Cinnamon Sugar Cake from Sizzling Tastebuds

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Our theme this month is Yeasted Cakes.