Don’t get it twisted - This babka loaf will spin you right round baby!

So what is babka? Well, put simply, it is a braided / twisted brioche bread dough that is usually filled with chocolate or sometimes cinnamon. It hails from eastern Europe and is totally delicious!

It’s perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee and is deceptively simple to make. It takes a little time but all good things come to those who wait!

This recipe makes two loaves but you can half the recipe if you only wanted to make one loaf. What I like to do is make two loaves and make the second a different flavour like cinnamon or even lemon!

I have a companion recipe for this that will act as the second filling. Trust me, these are DELICIOUS!

Makes 2 loaves  - Each loaf serves 6-8 people 

Ingredients

For the dough -

530 g plain flour

100 g caster sugar

1 packet of dry instant yeast

175 g lukewarm water

3 large eggs

150 g unsalted butter, room temp

3 g fine sea salt 

Oil for greasing

For the Chocolate Filling -

180 g dark chocolate (70 percent or higher)

120 g unsalted butter

105 g powdered sugar

50 g cocoa powder

small pinch of salt

100 g chocolate chips (Optional)

For the sugar syrup -

80 g granulated sugar

80 ml water 

Method  

*** This recipe makes TWO loaves ***

1 - 

Add your yeast to your warm (but not hot, it should feel warm to the touch) water, stir and set aside to activate. 

2 - 

Combine your flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (you can do this by hand also) and give it a gentle mix to combine. To this, add your water and yeast mixture as well as your eggs. Then, turn your mixer to low and mix until fully combined. You may need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides to loosen up any rogue flour on the edges of the bowl. After a short time, you should have a rough dough forming. If it’s still a bit dry then you can add extra water, one tablespoon at a time, to bring it together. 

3 - 

Once the dough has formed, turn your mixer to medium and begin to add your softened room temp butter one spoonful at a time, waiting until it is fully worked in before adding the next. Be sure to stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. Once all of the butter has been added, keep the mixer on medium speed and knead for 10 to 15 mins, or until the dough is soft, smooth and shiny. 

Once ready, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to mature over night.  

The next day

4 - 

Remove your dough from the fridge and allow for it to come to room temp (about 30 mins). Divide this into two - you can weigh this to be precise, but by eye is perfectly fine (and how I do it) - cover one and set aside whilst we prepare the filling.

5 - 

In a small sauce pot, add your butter and chocolate and melt very gently over a low heat, stirring constantly. Once fully melted, sift in your cocoa power, icing sugar and salt. Stir until smooth and fully combined. It will look dry at first but it will come together. If it doesn’t become smooth, it can be put over a gentle heat again and stirred until a glossy paste forms. Set aside to cool. 

6 - 

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, approx 40 x 30 cm or about 1 cm thick. Do try to ensure it is as rectangular as possible as this makes rolling easier and neater. Make sure you have it with the long side facing you (or landscape, if that makes sense). 

7 - 

Spread half of your chocolate filling out in an even thin layer on top of the dough, ensuring to leave a 2 cm boarder uncovered around the edge (to stop the filling bursting out when we roll). Once the filling has been spread evenly, sprinkle with your chocolate chips, if using. Starting with the edge farthest away from you, begin to roll the dough up tightly rolling it towards you, ensuring it stays tight. You can lift and coax it to roll as sometimes it just forces the filling out and doesn’t roll easily. This bit can be tricky and messy as the dough will be very soft and the filling sticky, but be strong and power through. If the dough and filling is very soft and/or melting, once rolled, cover or wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 15 to 20 mins to firm up before the next step. 

8 - 

Once you are ready, if you chilled your roll, remove it from the fridge, and with a sharp knife, slice the roll length wise into two long pieces. Then, with cut side facing up, begin to twist them together much like a rope or a two strand plait. Be sure to have the cut side up so you can see the layers of dough and chocolate. 

9 - 

Once twisted, gently transfer to your greased loaf tin cut side up, lightly cover with a clean cloth and place in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. Repeat this process with the second portion of dough (or save it for other bakes that need brioche or, even better, mix it up by adding a different filling… I may have a recipe coming soon that will help!)

Whilst the dough proves, preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. 

10 - 

When the dough has doubled in size, place in on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for 30 mins until golden grown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If it is browning too fast, you can cover gently with foil. 

11 - 

Whilst the babka is baking, in a small sauce pot, mix together your 80 g sugar and 80 ml water and bring to a gentle simmer. You don’t want this to caramelise; you are looking for a light sugar syrup (just thicker than water). 

12 - 

When the babka is ready, remove from the oven and immediately brush with your warm syrup, being sure to use every last drop across both loaves. If you are only making one loaf, be sure to half the syrup quantity. Once done, leave to cool completely before slicing and serving! 

Can be stored up to 3 days in an air tight container. If it turns stale, it can be lightly toasted to bring it back to life.