Chocolate Babka
A rich, twisted chocolate babka swirled with layers of decadent chocolate filling and baked to golden perfection.
10 servings
Ingredients:
Babka Dough
- 2 ¼ cups bread flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- ⅓ cup Prairie Farms Whole Milk slightly warmed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 6 tbsp Prairie Farms Unsalted Butter room temperature, divided
Chocolate Filling
- 5 oz semisweet baking chocolate
- 5 tbsp Prairie Farms Unsalted Butter
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar sifted
Sugar Syrup
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
Directions:
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine flour, sugar, yeast, warm whole milk, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Mix the combination on a low speed with a dough hook until incorporated. Slowly add salt and one tablespoon of butter at a time to the mixture.
- Knead mixture for an additional 5–7 minutes until a smooth dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
- Shortly before removing dough from the refrigerator, combine chocolate and butter in microwave-safe bowl, melting in short intervals until smooth. Fold cocoa powder and powdered sugar into chocolate mixture until incorporated.
- Once cooled, transfer the chilled dough to a floured surface, shaping it into a 14” by 18” rectangle. Evenly spread the melted chocolate combination over top of the dough.
- Roll the dough into a log, starting from the shorter side of the rectangle. Refrigerate the rolled log crease-side down for 10 minutes.
- Grease an 8.5"×4.5"×2.5"-inch loaf pan followed by a sheet of parchment paper lining the bottom.
- Cut the log lengthwise into two strips with a serrated knife. Arrange the strips cut side up, crossing one strip over the other to form an "X". Twist the remaining ends together into a combined coil. Place the twisted dough in the prepared loaf pan, ensuring the chocolate layers face upward.
- Place a pot of boiling water on the oven’s bottom rack (with the oven turned off), then set the babka dough on the middle rack to rise in the humidity for 1 hour.
- Remove the babka and the pot of water from the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake the babka uncovered for 30 minutes, then cover it loosely with foil, baking for another 30–35 minutes.
- As the babka bakes, heat sugar and water in a small pot over medium heat until dissolved, then remove from heat.
- Once removed from the oven, generously brush the babka with the hot sugar mixture. Allow the babka to cool in the loaf pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
