Babka is a sweet Jewish dessert. It’s a cross between a bread and a cake. It is made from yeasted dough……………….rolled out and filled with chocolate, cinnamon, fruit or cheese and then rolled up, braided and then baked to perfection!
Here I’ve made a Chocolate Babka……….Now ain’t that a gorgeous loaf? and I can tell you ….it’s not only beautiful to look at but it tastes fantastic!
As you all know I just loved working with yeast and making breads! It’s a skill and beauty by itself.
Ive been wanting to make this beauty for a long time! and finally I’ve ticked it off my list. It was a new experience and I thoroughly enjoyed making it.
That dark chocolate filling really comes through…….I cant explain! You need to try it out for yourself!
the whole house was smelling divine and we enjoyed every slice of this chocolate loaf. The kids took it to school in their snack boxes as well………….so it was done in 2 days!
Already looking forward to making variations in this Babka recipe! Maybe add some nuts?? We’ll just have to wait and see 😉
INGREDIENTS:
for the dough:
bread flour- 2 and 1/4 cups
salt – 3/4 tsp
instant yeast – 1 and 1/2 tsp
caster sugar – 2 tbsps
egg, lightly whisked – 1
warm milk – 1/2 cup
unsalted butter, melted – 5 tbsps
for the chocolate filling:
dark chocolate – 60g
cocoa powder – 4 tbsps
unsalted butter – 60g
for the sugar syrup (for brushing):
caster sugar – 1/2 cup
water – 65 ml
PROCESS:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add in the flour,salt,instant yeast and caster sugar. Roughly give it a mix and then add in the egg.
- Using the dough hook, mix on low speed.
- Add in the warm milk and butter and continue kneading on low speed and then gradually increasing the speed to medium.
- Let it knead on medium speed for about 8 minutes or so. You will get a smooth and slightly sticky dough. If you think at the end of the kneading time your dough is too wet to handle just add in a few spoons of flour and knead. This dough will be much softer than your usual dough.
- Form a dough ball and keep in a greased bowl and cover with cling wrap and place in a warm corner in your kitchen and let it rise for about 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- While it is proofing you can make the chocolate filling.
- In a saucepan, on the lowest heat possible melt together the dark chocolate, cocoa powder and unsalted butter. Keep stirring. Once melted, remove from the flame and let it cool.
- Grease a loaf pan and keep it ready.
- Once the dough has doubled in size lets roll it out.
- First, lightly flour your work surface. Gently deflate the dough and place it on the surface.
- Start rolling out the dough in a big rectangle with the longer side closer to you. Mine was approximately 16×12 inches.
- Then, smear the cooled chocolate filling all over the surface leaving a gap of 1 inch from the sides.
- Next, start rolling the dough as tightly as possible starting with the side closest to you and work upward. Pinch the dough shut. Place the pinched side down. Adjust the log so it is nice and compact.
- With a sharp knife cut the log in the middle leaving a gap of about 2 inches before you start cutting.
- Next, treating the dough like a baby, gently place the halves one on top of the other(alternating) like a braid. Tuck the ends below. Check the pictures below.
- Gently lift it and ease it into your greased loaf tin. Cover loosely with a cling wrap and again leave it in a warm corner in the kitchen for the second rise. Say about 30 minutes or till almost doubled.
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees celcius.
- Now to make the sugar syrup- In a saucepan, place the caster sugar and water and bring it to a boil. stir. Once it starts bubbling, switch off the flame. Keep aside.
- After the babka has risen, bake at 180 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops have become browned.
- Remove from the oven and brush with the sugar syrup. Do it again after 10 minutes till the sugar syrup it almost done. (you can use up everything if you want. I used only 3/4th of the sugar syrup)
- After it has cooled a bit (but still warm)using a knife ease the corners and remove the loaf from the tin. Place on a wire rack to cool.
- Cool completely before cutting.
