For Mother's Day this year, I asked my mom what baked good she wanted. She requested 'a bread'. With a week off a work, I got ambitious and made an item that has been on my wish list for quite some time, a babka! Traditional babka is made with a brioche dough and a cinnamon filling, but my mom and I are huge chocolate lovers. I decided to go a little untraditional and make a Nutella-like fudge filling. I used a New York Times Cooking recipe and learned a lot along the way! Be prepared this bread is a 2-day ordeal but it's worth it! I strongly recommend not halving this recipe - the extra loaf can be frozen for up to 3 months wrapped in a thick layer of plastic wrap.
Makes 2 loaves.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus a pinch
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
10 tablespoons butter, cubed, at room temperature (plus more for greasing pans/bowls)
Chocolate Filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
pinch salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (at least 60%), coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
Syrup:
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Preparation:
1. Start with the dough. In a small sauce pan, warm the milk to about 110 degrees. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy and aromatic.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, use a wooden spoon to stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, and the nutmeg. Fit the mixer with the dough hook. Beat in yeast mixture and whisked eggs until dough comes together, about 2 minutes. If dough is sticking to the sides of the mixer, add a tablespoon of flour.
3. Add halt the butter cubes and beat the dough until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the butter and continue to beat until the dough is smooth and stretchy, about 5 minutes.
4. Butter the sides of a clean bowl. Form the the dough into a ball and roll in the ball to coat the outside of the dough. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it puffs and rises, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. (I like to preheat my oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off with my dough bowl in the oven.)
5. Press the dough down to release the air. Re-cover the bowl with the same towel and refrigerate overnight.
6. To make the filling, heat a s small saucepan over medium heat and combine the sugar, cream, and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and pour hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Immediately whisk together. Add vanilla and continue to whisk. Add the butter cubes and whisk until incorporated. Pour into a sealable container. Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight. The filling will need to come to room temperature before spreading (takes 1-2 hours).
7. Prepare two loaf pans by buttering liberally and lining with parchment paper, making sure to leave enough parchment paper hanging over the edges to use as handles to remove the baked bread.
8. After your filling has come to room temperature, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide in half. Roll out cold dough on a floured surface into a 9x17-inch rectangle. This takes a little bit of elbow grease. Spread half of the chocolate filling over the entire surface. Starting with a long side, roll dough into a tight log. Wrap log in a clean tea towel or plastic wrap. Freeze for 10 minutes. Repeat with other half of dough.
9. Remove chilled dough from the freezer. Split the dough in half longways with a bench scraper or a sharp knife. Split side up, make a large X with the two halves. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them together. Twist the long braid in half. Place into one of the prepared pans. Cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with other half of the dough. Let loaves rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, until puffy. (I like to preheat my oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off with my dough bowl in the oven.)
10. Make the syrup. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and water has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
11. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Baked loaves (uncovered) for about 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. A thermometer will read 185-200 degrees.
12. As soon as the loaves are out of the oven, use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the loaves with the syrup.
13. Let loaves cool slightly, then remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack prior to serving.
Makes 2 loaves.
Ingredients:
Dough:
1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus a pinch
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
10 tablespoons butter, cubed, at room temperature (plus more for greasing pans/bowls)
Chocolate Filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
pinch salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (at least 60%), coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
Syrup:
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Preparation:
1. Start with the dough. In a small sauce pan, warm the milk to about 110 degrees. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy and aromatic.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, use a wooden spoon to stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, and the nutmeg. Fit the mixer with the dough hook. Beat in yeast mixture and whisked eggs until dough comes together, about 2 minutes. If dough is sticking to the sides of the mixer, add a tablespoon of flour.
3. Add halt the butter cubes and beat the dough until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the butter and continue to beat until the dough is smooth and stretchy, about 5 minutes.
4. Butter the sides of a clean bowl. Form the the dough into a ball and roll in the ball to coat the outside of the dough. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it puffs and rises, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. (I like to preheat my oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off with my dough bowl in the oven.)
5. Press the dough down to release the air. Re-cover the bowl with the same towel and refrigerate overnight.
6. To make the filling, heat a s small saucepan over medium heat and combine the sugar, cream, and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and pour hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Immediately whisk together. Add vanilla and continue to whisk. Add the butter cubes and whisk until incorporated. Pour into a sealable container. Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight. The filling will need to come to room temperature before spreading (takes 1-2 hours).
7. Prepare two loaf pans by buttering liberally and lining with parchment paper, making sure to leave enough parchment paper hanging over the edges to use as handles to remove the baked bread.
8. After your filling has come to room temperature, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide in half. Roll out cold dough on a floured surface into a 9x17-inch rectangle. This takes a little bit of elbow grease. Spread half of the chocolate filling over the entire surface. Starting with a long side, roll dough into a tight log. Wrap log in a clean tea towel or plastic wrap. Freeze for 10 minutes. Repeat with other half of dough.
9. Remove chilled dough from the freezer. Split the dough in half longways with a bench scraper or a sharp knife. Split side up, make a large X with the two halves. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them together. Twist the long braid in half. Place into one of the prepared pans. Cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with other half of the dough. Let loaves rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, until puffy. (I like to preheat my oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off with my dough bowl in the oven.)
10. Make the syrup. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and water has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
11. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Baked loaves (uncovered) for about 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. A thermometer will read 185-200 degrees.
12. As soon as the loaves are out of the oven, use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the loaves with the syrup.
13. Let loaves cool slightly, then remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack prior to serving.