A practice repo with our favorite recipes
This project is maintained by ndm736
This recipe is courtesy of Binging with Babish, although I have made it a few times and I’ve added some of my own notes in italics. There’s also a cinnamon babka recipe at that link, but chocolate is undoubtedly the best. (I have to disagree with Jerry Seinfeld on this one)
Makes 2 large loaves
The simple syrup isn’t entirely necessary, but it gives the finished product a nice shiny look and adds a pinch of sweetness
Heat milk to 110°F (use a thermometer for this, you don’t want to kill the yeast). Add yeast and a pinch of sugar to milk, and allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, or until foaming. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Affix dough hook, and add yeast mixture. Mix for 1 minute or until barely combined. Add eggs and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the bowl of the mixer, and forms a cohesive ball. Add half the butter, and beat on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until incorporated. Repeat with remaining butter, adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball, place in a large buttered bowl, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in an off oven and allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours (if you don’t have a spare oven, the main key is to keep it in a roughly constant temp and humidity). Remove dough, punch down, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (or at a minimum of 4 hours).
To make simple syrup, combine sugar and water, and simmer until syrupy, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely. You can do this later, closer to when you put the babka in the oven, you just want to give it time to cool. Also, this is the same simple syrup you can use in a number of cocktails.
Melt butter and chocolate together on medium power in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely smooth. Whisk in espresso powder, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar until a spreadable paste forms.
Remove dough from the refrigerator, divide in half, and roll out to a 24 x 18 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread evenly with chocolate filling, leaving a 1-inch gap around all sides. (it might seem like it’s impossible to spread but just keep at it. If you have an offset spatula, it helps with this step) Roll into log widthwise, and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes seam side down, or until firm. Repeat with the other half of dough.
Remove dough roll from the freezer, and using a bread knife, cut down the middle lengthwise, exposing all the chocolate layers. Hold the two halves of dough against each other so the cut sides are facing out, and twist into a decorative loaf. Watch the video to see it done! A tip I have for this is to leave one end on the table and twist the other end rather than trying to twist both ends. Place in buttered, parchment-lined loaf pans, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rise in the off oven for 1 1/2 hours. They may look a bit ugly at this stage but they’ll look a lot better after rising and baking. Also the parchment paper helps you pull the babka out of the pan easier after baking, which is a useful trick for a lot of baking
Preheat oven to 375°F and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the thickest part of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven, place on wire racks, and immediately brush down with simple syrup. Allow to cool for at least an hour before slicing and serving. (This is the hardest part, since it will smell really good)
Enjoy!