Chocolate Babka

Before you start

Babka is a sweet, enriched yeast bread with roots in Eastern European Jewish baking. The modern chocolate version is made by spreading a rich chocolate filling over thin dough, rolling it up, cutting the roll in half lengthwise and twisting the two halves together so the layers show along the outside. A sugar syrup brushed on right after baking keeps it moist and gives a glossy finish.

The dough is soft and buttery, so chilling it overnight is the easiest way to handle it. Cold dough rolls out thin without tearing, and the slow chill develops flavor. The filling should be spreadable but not runny, so let the melted chocolate mixture cool and thicken before use. Bake to an internal temperature of about 88°C (190°F); dense, filling-heavy loaves need time to cook through, and an underbaked babka is gummy inside.

Ingredients

• Dough300 g (2½ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 6 g (2 tsp) instant yeast
• 4 g (¾ tsp) fine salt
• 2 large (about 100 g) eggs — room temperature
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) whole milk — lukewarm
• 85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter — softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Filling130 g (4½ oz) dark chocolate, 60–70% cacao — chopped
• 120 g (½ cup plus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 50 g (½ cup) powdered sugar
• 25 g (¼ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• Syrup100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) water

Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix on low until combined. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, then knead on medium for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth, shiny and pulling away from the sides.
2. Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. The dough will firm up and rise slightly.
3. Make the filling: melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat or in short microwave bursts, then stir in the powdered sugar and cocoa. Cool at room temperature until thick and spreadable, about 30 minutes.
4. Line the loaf pan with parchment, leaving overhang on the long sides. On a lightly floured surface, roll the cold dough into a 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in) rectangle with a long side facing you.
5. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 cm (½ in) border along the far edge. Roll it up tightly from the near long side, pinch the seam to seal and place the log on a tray. Chill 15 minutes so it firms up.
6. Trim 1 cm off each end. Cut the log in half lengthwise with a sharp knife, exposing the layers. Lay the halves side by side, cut sides up, pinch the tops together and twist them over each other into a two-strand twist, keeping the cut sides facing up. Fold the twist slightly to fit the pan.
7. Cover loosely and proof at warm room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours, until puffy and risen about 2 cm (¾ in) above the rim. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) with a rack in the lower third.
8. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, tenting with foil after 20 minutes, until deep golden and the center reads about 88°C (190°F). Meanwhile simmer the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then cool slightly.
9. Brush all the syrup over the hot babka as soon as it comes out of the oven. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, lift out with the parchment and cool completely before slicing.

Tips for success

• Keep the cut sides facing up as you twist. The exposed layers create the swirled ridges and help the filling caramelize.
• If the dough softens while rolling or twisting, put it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
• The syrup may seem like a lot, but the loaf absorbs it as it cools. It keeps the babka moist for days.
• Use a thermometer. A babka can look done on the outside while the center is still doughy.

Substitutions

Dark chocolate

Semisweet chocolate gives a sweeter, less intense filling. Milk chocolate is too soft; if using it, increase cocoa to 35 g so it thickens.

All-purpose flour

Bread flour gives a chewier, stretchier dough that is easier to twist. Add 1 tbsp more milk.

Overnight chill

For a same-day loaf, chill the dough for at least 2 hours. It is harder to roll thin and the flavor is milder.

Variations

Cinnamon babka

Replace the chocolate filling with 100 g soft butter, 100 g light brown sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon beaten together.

Chocolate hazelnut babka

Spread 200 g chocolate hazelnut spread instead of the filling and scatter 50 g chopped toasted hazelnuts on top before rolling.

Troubleshooting

Babka is gummy in the center

It was underbaked or cut too soon. Bake until the center reaches 88°C and cool completely.

Big gap between dough and filling

The roll was loose or the filling was too liquid. Roll tightly and use cooled, thickened filling.

Filling oozed out and burned

Too much filling at the edges or a cracked seam. Leave a border and pinch the seam well.

Top is burnt

The loaf was too close to the heat or not tented. Bake in the lower third and tent after 20 minutes.

Storage

Wrap tightly and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze whole or sliced for up to 3 months. Warm slices briefly in a toaster oven.

Safety notes

Raw dough contains raw eggs and flour; do not taste it. Contains wheat, milk and egg; chocolate may contain soy or traces of nuts.