Fall
by: Yossy Arefi
April30,2014
0 Ratings
- Makes 1 loaf
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Author Notes
Babka is traditionally made from an enriched dough rolled up and filled with a sweet filling made from either chocolate or cinnamon and sometimes almonds, dried fruit or poppyseeds. I tend to like a bit of spice with my chocolate in sweet breads so for this version I went heavy on the chocolate, light on the cinnamon, and added some of chopped almonds for crunch. This dough can rise overnight in the fridge so if making the dough and forming the loaf seems a bit complicated feel free to do the steps over the course of two days.
—Yossy Arefi
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Dough
- 2 1/4 teaspoonsor 1 packet active dry yeast
- 3/4 cupmilk at 110ºF
- 6 tablespoonsunsalted butter at room temperature
- 6 tablespoonssugar
- 2 tablespoonsvegetable oil
- 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 1/3 cupsall purpose flour
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- Filling and Streusel
- Filling
- 3/4 cupfinely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
- 1 cupsliced almonds, toasted and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
- 1/4 cupcold unsalted butter
- Streusel
- 2 tablespoonssoft unsalted butter
- 1/4 cupall purpose flour
- 1/4 cupbrown sugar
- 1 pinchsalt
- 1 egg for egg wash
Directions
- Dough
- Stir the yeast into the milk to dissolve. Let sit until foamy.
- While the yeast proofs cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the oil and vanilla extract and mix well to combine. Then add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until each yolk is incorporated before adding the next. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat the mixture for about 2 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the flour and salt, followed by the milk and yeast mixture. Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix the dough until a soft, tacky dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand for two more minutes. The dough should feel soft, supple and smooth. Move the dough to a clean, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at a moderate room temperature for about 2 hours or until almost doubled in size. Alternately, you can let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator and shape it the next day.
- Filling and Streusel
- Prepare the filling while the dough is rising. Put all of the ingredient into a large bowl and use a pastry blender or bench scraper to cut the ingredients together into a streusel-like crumble.
- To shape the bread: Roll the risen dough on a lightly floured surface into a roughly 15x18 inch rectangle. Gently lift the dough to make sure that it will easily release from the work surface. Sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the top of the dough leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges then roll the dough from the long end into a tight log about 20 inches long. Gently bend the dough into a U-Shape and twist the arms of the dough two or three times around each other to form the loaf, then pinch the seams together. Place the dough into a greased 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room until the babka fills the pan, 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Prepare the streusel: Combine all of the streusel ingredients in a bowl and mix until crumbly. When the loaf has risen completely, brush with egg wash made from 1 egg + 1T water and sprinkle the streusel mixture over the top. Use a toothpick to poke a few holes in the top of the loaf which will release any air pockets trapped between the folds of the dough and filling.
- Put the loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 20-30 more minutes. The loaf will be deep golden brown on top and sound hollow when the bottom is tapped when finished. You can also use a thermometer to check the internal temperature which will be 185º when the loaf is finished. Let the babka cool to room temperature before slicing.
Tags:
- Bread
- Pastry
- Eastern European
- Chocolate
- Milk/Cream
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
- Winter
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Yossy Arefi is a photographer and stylist with a passion for food. During her stint working in restaurant kitchens, Yossy started the blog Apt. 2B Baking Co. where, with her trusty Pentax film camera, she photographs and writes about seasonal desserts and preserves. She currently lives in Brooklyn but will always love her native city of Seattle. Follow her work at apt2bbakingco.blogspot.com & yossyarefi.com.
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13 Reviews
Billie J. April 12, 2016
I made this a week or so ago and it was incredible. I am now making 3 more because they are so delicious. Mixing bittersweet with some semisweet chocolate gave more depth to the flavor. This is a wonderful recipe and giving me more confidence as a baker. Thank you.
Jenny January 23, 2016
I just made this Babka this afternoon, it is the first time i'm trying a Babka. I started with using 3 cups of AP flour and used the other 1/4 cup to dust my table top to knead the dough with my hands and it turned out really soft. For the filling, after I read the comments that the filling falls out, I generously added one more tablespoon of butter to hold everything together while having very finely chopped chocolate, so they melt easier. The filling turned out fine :) Then finally, I wanted the Babka to keep for at least two, three days so I decided to not go with the Streusel and only used the egg wash to let the top brown but instead I put Black sesame, which had a great aroma.
candice B. October 26, 2015
I just make this Babka this morning! It took a bit longer in the oven than noted, but it's a lovely light texture and taste so good!
I think I need to roll it better next time though, my filling is falling out everywhere :)
meredith February 27, 2015
Could I prep the entire bread in one day (dough, rise, fillings added, and stuffed in pan), and then allow it to sit in the fridge overnight before baking? I want to have this fresh for breakfast, and am inexperienced with babka... :)
Tomatobob July 8, 2014
Thanks for this recipe--very excited about it. I baked it today after an overnight rest. When I removed it from the oven, at 185 on an instant read thermometer) the streusel was almost burned. I'll try it again and cover with heavy foil after 30 minutes. Bottom and sides were also too dark. Perhaps I should reduce the temperature to 340? (My oven has baked other breads at 350, 400, and 425 without problems.) Thanks for the tip on reducing the amount of chocolate.
Ceege June 19, 2014
Will these stay nice and fresh if baked the day before. I am having a brunch in a few weeks and would love to have this as part of my menu. This would be such a great addition if I can make ahead - perhaps even a week ahead and freeze?? OR even just baking the day before would help me out. What would be the best method of storing overnight if already baked. Thanks for any advice or suggestions.
Yossy A. May 18, 2014
Hi all, I received some comments that the filling was crumbly after being baked so I reduced the chocolate in the recipe by a few ounces which should help solve that problem.
Eddie January 6, 2016
Could you please give the weight equivalent of finely chopped chocolate? It's likely that a measurement error is the source of the problem.
Lois May 5, 2014
Thanks - can't wait to try it!
Lois May 4, 2014
If the dough rises overnight in the frig, does it need to come to room temperature before rolling and shaping? The babka looks delicious!
Yossy A. May 5, 2014
Hi Lois, you can work with it straight from the fridge. Just make sure to give it ample time to rise before putting it into the oven.
Hillary W. May 2, 2014
What type of chocolate?
Yossy A. May 2, 2014
Hi Hillary, I think semisweet or bittersweet would both work well, depending on your preference.
