Chocolate Babka
Chocolate Babka is made by filling Brioche dough with a schmear of rich chocolate spread. The bread bakes up light and silky with a rich chocolate twist. This recipe makes 2 large loaves.
slices
Start Cooking
Ingredients
Dough
- 6 oz whole milk (¾ cup, scalded and cooled)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
- 20 oz bread flour (4 cups, see note)
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 3 oz granulated sugar (⅓ cup)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 8 oz unsalted European butter (at cool room temperature)
Chocolate Filling
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (finely chopped)
- 4 oz unsalted butter
- 2 oz confectioner sugar (½ cup)
- 1 oz dutch process cocoa powder (¼ cup)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Syrup
- 4 oz water (½ cup)
- 4 oz granulated sugar (½ cup)
- ½ Cinnamon stick
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine 6 oz whole milk, 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast and 1 cup (5 oz) bread flour. Mix to form a thick batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. The sponge should become active and bubbly during that time.
- After 30 minutes uncover the bowl. With the mixer running, add 4 large eggs, 3 oz granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and another cup of the flour. Mix until combined. Switch to the dough hook. With the mixer running on low, add the remaining flour.
- Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 10 minutes until it gathers on the hook, becomes smooth and silky and slaps the sides of the bowl.
- If you're using a European butter you might not need to work the butter if it's already pliable. While the dough is kneading, turn 8 oz unsalted European butter out onto the work surface and knead it with a bench scraper or pound it with a rolling pin until it's soft and pliable and has a similar texture to the dough. You want it pliable but not melted and greasy.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape any dough that may be sticking to the sides of the bowl. At this point the dough should be very stretchy and quite sticky. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the butter to the dough, a tablespoon at a time. The dough will break apart, keep adding the rest of the butter. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides if the butter builds up on the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough comes back together, gathers on the hook and again slaps the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. The dough should be quite soft and a little sticky at this point. Form the dough into a large ball and transfer to a lightly buttered bowl.
- Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature for 1½ - 2 hours until it doubles in volume. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the the dough to form a ball and return to the bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight. Chilling the dough will firm up the butter and make the dough easier to handle.
Make the Filling
- Place 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate and 4 oz unsalted butter in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in 2 oz confectioner sugar, 1 oz dutch process cocoa powder and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Set the filling aside to cool and firm up a bit. The filling can be made the day before when you make the dough and held at room temperature overnight. If the filling becomes very stiff microwave it in 10 seconds bursts until it's spreadable.
Assembly & Baking
- Butter two 9"x5" loaf pans then line the pans across the short side with a parchment sling (see process photos). Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in half. Roll one piece of the dough to a 12"x16" rectangle. Spread half the chocolate filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2" border along the short sides. From the short side roll the dough to form a 12" log. Pinch the seam tightly. Transfer the log, seam side down, to the parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat those steps with the remaining dough and filling.
- Slide the pan with the dough logs into the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up the logs. This makes forming the loaves much easer.
- Remove the pan from the freezer. Use a sharp knife to slice one of the logs in half, lengthwise. With the filling sides up, criss-cross the two pieces of dough to form a large "X". Continue twisting the dough at least 3x on either end, keeping the cut sides up as best you can until you have one tight rope. Pinch each end of the rope together. Transfer the loaf, still with the cut side up, to one of the prepared loaf pans. Repeat with the other dough. At this point one or both of the loaves can be wrapped tightly and frozen to bake at a later date. (see note)
- Cover the pans and set them aside at room temperature to rise until the dough fills the pan, about 1½-2 hours. The dough is ready if you poke the dough and the dent slowly fills in. If the dent immediately springs back the dough is not ready.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F. Bake the loaves until golden brown and the interior is 200 °F, about 35 minutes.
- While the bread is baking, combine 4 oz water, 4 oz granulated sugar, ½ Cinnamon stick and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the sugar is melted and the syrup just begins to boil. Turn off the heat and set the syrup aside.
- When the bread is done baking, set the pans onto a cooling rack. Remove the cinnamon stick from the syrup and immediately brush each loaf generously using about half the syrup. 5 minutes later brush the loaves again with any remaining syrup.
- Allow the loaves to cool for at least 15 minutes before using the sling to lift the loaf out of the pan. Cool completely before slicing.
Would you like to save this recipe?
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Notes
For consistent results, I recommend measuring flour by weight. If you measure by volume, use the dip and sweep method (don’t scoop).
For shaping tutorials, enriched dough guidance, and troubleshooting, visit the Bread Baking Guide in my Baking School.
To bake a loaf that was frozen: Remove the loaf from the freezer and set it into a buttered loaf pan. Allow it to defrost completely and then rise to almost fill the pan. Bake as directed.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!