Laced with swirls of chocolate in a light, tender brioche dough, this easy chocolate babka recipe will not disappoint. This bread requires a little bit of time, but don’t be intimidated by it! Most of the time is just the bread sitting around getting fluffy and delicious. You can also spread out the steps over a couple days to make it more manageable for you. For example, you can make the chocolate spread days before, and the dough can have its first rise in the fridge overnight.
Kitchen tools Lori recommends include a good rolling pin, parchment paper, a baking sheet, and some medium bread pans.
This chocolate babka is great fresh out of the oven, but we dare you to try it for your French toast! For more tips and recipes, follow Lori on Instagram and check out her website: loskitchenco.com • IG @loskitchenco
FOR THE DOUGH: Add warm milk, yeast, and sugar to a stand mixer with a dough hook. A large bowl will also work if making by hand. Add about 2 cups of flour, eggs, and salt. Let mix well. Then while mixer is running, slowly add the softened butter. Slowly add remaining 2 ½ cups of flour. Depending on your moisture level, it may be slightly more or less flour. Dough should be soft and smooth, but not too sticky. Let mixer knead the dough for 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, put in oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 ½ hours or put in the fridge to rest overnight. Optional: After the dough has risen, place it in the freezer for a half hour. It will make it easier to work with in assembly. FOR THE CHOCOLATE SPREAD: While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Melt the butter, cream, and chocolate together. Then add the remaining filling ingredients and mix until you get a smooth, thick paste. Set aside. ASSEMBLY: Line two 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pans (9x5 will work too) with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over the edge. After dough has risen and chilled, punch down the dough and divide into 2 even sections. Start with one section and roll out on floured surface into a rectangle about 16x25 inches. Fill with the chocolate filling, leaving about a half inch on all sides. Using the long end, roll up tightly into a log (think cinnamon roll), but being careful not to squeeze any of the filling out. Cut the long log in half to have 2 logs. Place logs on a lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes (or the freezer to expedite it!) Once chilled, cut down the center of each long, lengthwise, exposing the middle of the log with those long beautiful strips of chocolate. Create an “X” by crossing the two pieces of dough on top of each other. Then cross the top section, then the bottom section. Repeat with second log. Line 2 loaf pans with parchment or spray with nonstick spray. Gently place each loaf in a pan, tucking the ends under as needed. Let the dough rise for about 1-2 hours, until almost doubled in size and dough is soft and pillow like. BAKE: While babka is rising, preheat oven to 350. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. If your oven browns the tops quickly, you can put a piece of foil on the top about 20 minutes in. It's done when the bottoms are a dark golden brown and layers look fully cooked. FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP: When babka is almost done baking, make your syrup by brining the water and sugar to a simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved and is slightly thickened, take it off the heat. Using a pastry brush, generously lather the tops of the baked babka with the syrup. Remove loaves from oven and immediately brush with sugar syrup while hot. Let the loaves rest in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Let loaves cool completely before slicing for best results. Bread is best kept at room temperature up to 3 days. It also freezes great.Chocolate Babka with Lori from Lo's Kitchen
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