Babka is as delicious as it is beautiful.
A cross between a bread and a cake, babka is fluffy, chocolatey, and a truly decadent dessert (or breakfast!) This recipe makes two loaves so you’ll have plenty to share with friends and family, or feel free to pop it in the freezer to have later.
A few notes:
- The timing: Making babka is a two day process. After making the dough on day 1, it needs to chill overnight in the fridge before shaping it into the babka loaves on day 2. Make sure you take that into account when planning for this bake!
- The chocolate filling: The chocolate filling needs at least an hour to set up and be spreadable. Feel free to make it earlier in the day so it’s ready when it’s time to shape your loaves.
- The loaf pans: These loaves do need to be baked off in the smaller 8×4 loaf pans as the standard 5×9 loaf pan will be too big. Fortunately they are cheap and don’t take up too much space in your cabinets but I highly recommend making sure you have ready to go when going into this bake.
- The syrup: Make sure you use all the syrup! This is what makes the tops shiny and keeps the interior of the loaf moist.
- Storing the loaf: Once cut open, the babka can dry out fairly quickly so make sure to wrap in plastic wrap or place in an air tight container. If you’re saving the second loaf for later, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and then tin foil before putting in the freezer (it will last up to 2 months). When you’re ready to eat your frozen loaf, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then leave it out at room temperature.
Babka
A cross between a bread and a cake, this chocolate filled babka is as delicious as it is beautiful. This recipe makes two loaves so there will be plenty to go around.
Equipment
- Mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
The Dough
- 4½ Cups Flour
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 2¼ tsp Yeast (1 packet)
- 4 Eggs room temperature
- ½ Cup Whole milk room temperature
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 10 Tbsp Unsalted butter cubed and room temperature
The Chocolate Filling
- ½ Cup Unsalted butter cubed
- ½ Cup Heavy cream
- 225 g Dark chocolate (70%) (8 oz)
- ¾ Cup Powdered sugar
- ⅓ Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
The Syrup
- ⅓ Cup Water
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, and yeast.4½ Cups Flour, ½ Cup Sugar, 2¼ tsp Yeast
- Add the eggs, milk, and salt, mixing on low speed with the dough hook attachment. After about 2 minutes a dough should form.4 Eggs, ½ Cup Whole milk, 1½ tsp Salt
- Next, add the room temperature butter, 2-3 cubes at a time. Wait between additions for the butter to incorporate before adding more.10 Tbsp Unsalted butter
- Bump the speed up to medium low and let it continue kneading for about 10 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic. It will still feel a little tacky and will also be very stretchy.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Make the Filling:
- About and hour before you want to shape your babka loaves, it's time to start your filling. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine your butter and cream. Whisk together until your butter is melted and the mixture is starting to steam.½ Cup Unsalted butter, ½ Cup Heavy cream
- Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and fully combined. Remove from the heat.225 g Dark chocolate (70%)
- Whisk in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Transfer to a clean bowl and let cool until thickened, about 1 hour. Note: You can help speed up this process by popping the mixture in the fridge after about 15 minutes.¾ Cup Powdered sugar, ⅓ Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
Assemble the Babka:
- Butter and flour two 8×4 in loaf pans and then line with parchment paper (yes, you should do all 3 steps).
- Onto a lightly floured surface, divide your chilled dough in half. Roll the dough into a 12×16 inch rectangle.
- Spread half of the chocolate filling on the dough, spreading it all the way to the edge of three of the sides, leaving one short side a 1-inch clear border.
- Starting at the short side opposite the border, roll the dough up into a tight log, pinching the bottom seam to seal as well as the sides.
- With a large sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise so the chocolate filling is exposed. Place both halves parallel to one another with the cut sides facing up and then twist the halves together, tucking both ends underneath (go to 2:17 in the below video for a visual). The end result should resemble a figure 8 and the filling should remain exposed. Gently place in a prepared loaf pan.
- Repeat with the second half of the dough and the rest of the chocolate filling.
- Loosely cover both loaves and let rise in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours. They should be noticeably puffed but won't quite double in size.
- Bake the loaves at 350℉ for 40-45 minutes.
Make the Syrup:
- 10 minutes before the babkas are done baking, make your syrup. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.⅓ Cup Water, ⅓ Cup Sugar
- Your babka is done when the tops are golden brown and an instant thermometer placed in the center reads ~190℉.
- Immediately brush your loaves with the syrup, making sure to use all of it between both babkas. Let them sit in the pans for 30 minutes to soak up the syrup and finish cooling. Remove from the pans and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- The timing: Making babka is a two day process. After making the dough on day 1, it needs to chill overnight in the fridge before shaping it into the babka loaves on day 2. Make sure you take that into account when planning for this bake!
- The chocolate filling: The chocolate filling needs at least an hour to set up and be spreadable. Feel free to make it earlier in the day so it’s ready when it’s time to shape your loaves.
- The loaf pans: These loaves do need to be baked off in the smaller 8×4 loaf pans as the standard 5×9 loaf pan will be too big. Fortunately they are cheap and don’t take up too much space in your cabinets but I highly recommend making sure you have ready to go when going into this bake.
- The syrup: Make sure you use all the syrup! This is what makes the tops shiny and keeps the interior of the loaf moist.
- Storing the loaf: Once cut open, the babka can dry out fairly quickly so make sure to wrap in plastic wrap or place in an air tight container. If you’re saving the second loaf for later, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and then tin foil before putting in the freezer (it will last up to 2 months). When you’re ready to eat your frozen loaf, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then leave it out at room temperature.
