Learn how to make the perfect chocolate babka recipe with detailed, step by step instructions and troubleshooting tips! Made with a soft, buttery enriched dough, with swirls of fudgy chocolate filling. It's the only chocolate babka recipe you'll ever need!INTERMEDIATE - This recipe requires three components + time to assemble. Read the recipe well and plan accordingly. Each step is not difficult, but some familiarity with working with enriched dough will be helpful.US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.Please note that there is an overnight inactive proofing step in this recipe.
575gAP flourabout 4 ⅔ cups (measured by spoon and level method)
10gsea saltfinely ground, about 1 ½ tsp
226gunsalted butter very soft and roughly divided into four portions, about 1 cup / 2 sticks
Chocolate filling
170gdark chocolateabout 1 cup of chocolate chips. Can be semisweet or bittersweet.
100gwhite or brown sugar½ cup
30gcocoa powderI use cacao barry, ¼ cup (measured by spoon and level method)
115gunsalted buttersoftened, ½ cup
120mlheavy cream½ cup
½tspsea saltfinely ground
Sugar syrup
150gwhite sugar¾ cup
150mLwater½ cup + 2 tbsp
1tspvanillaoptional
Instructions
Making the dough
Make the dough the day before.
Measure out all the ingredients first.
Add the milk, yeast and honey into the mixing bowl, and gently whisk to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
120 mL warm milk, 9 g active dry yeast, 10 mL honey
Add the eggs, vanilla, sugar, flour and sea salt, and mix to form a scraggly dough.
5 large eggs, 10 mL vanilla, 100 g granulated white sugar, 575 g AP flour, 10 g sea salt
With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on speed 3 for about 5 minutes. The dough should start to look smooth.
Roughly divide the butter into 4 portions. Add the first portion of butter, in increments, after the first 5 minutes of kneading. Each butter portion should be mixed in for at least 2 minutes at a time.
226 g unsalted butter
Repeat with the other 3 portions of butter, kneading the dough for about 2 -3 minutes after each addition. Make sure to stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl (and the bottom if needed) between kneading as well. You will have incorporated all the butter in about 12 - 15 minutes of kneading time.
226 g unsalted butter
Once all the butter is incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl (and bottom if needed), and knead the dough for a further 5 - 15 minutes on speed 5 or 6. If you lower the speed, this can take longer, so it’s best to knead until the dough has reached the correct consistency.
The dough will have been kneaded enough when it can be lifted fairly cleanly off the bottom of the bowl when picked up with the dough hook. It will be very soft and tacky to the touch, but shouldn’t stick to your fingertips. Please note that the dough will still be very soft.
You can also do the window pane test with the dough to check if enough gluten has developed.
Flour your work surface lightly, and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Lightly flour your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to your palms.
Fold in the edges of the dough towards the middle, and gently press them into the dough to form a smooth ball. Flip the dough over, and then with the heel of your palms, shape the dough to form a tight ball.
Carefully pick up the dough ball and place it back in the mixer bowl (or another large bowl).
Let it rise until it has almost doubled in size, in a warm place (72°F), for about 1 hour. It can take longer if your kitchen is colder.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and press down gently to deflate the dough with your hands. Fold in the edges again as before towards the middle and press them in. Carefully flip the dough over (seam side down now), and tighten the ball of dough to get a smooth taut surface. Transfer the dough into the mixer bowl again.
Cover and let it chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. The dough WILL RISE in the fridge, so make sure the bowl is large enough to contain the dough properly.
The following day, the dough is ready to be used. You will be using the dough while it's chilled, so do not let it come to room temperature before working with it.
The chocolate filling
This chocolate filling can be made the same day you make the dough, and then chilled overnight. OR it can also be made the day you assemble the babka, but make sure you give the filling enough time to cool down before rolling out the chilled dough. If you chill the filling overnight, then heat it in the microwave in small increments (10 - 30 sec intervals) until you have a thick paste that is spreadable.
In a saucepan, place the cream, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
100 g white or brown sugar, 30 g cocoa powder, 120 ml heavy cream, ½ tsp sea salt
Heat over medium / medium high heat, while whisking. Whisk to dissolve the cocoa powder and sugar, until the cream just starts to simmer.
Remove from the heat, and add the butter and chocolate. Whisk very well until the butter and chocolate have dissolved.
115 g unsalted butter, 170 g dark chocolate
Place the chocolate mixture in a shallow container and let it cool down until it’s thick and spreadable. You can also let it cool in the fridge, but check on it to make sure the chocolate has not hardened.
Assembling the chocolate babka
Butter and flour TWO 9 x 4 x 4 inch loaf pans. I prefer to butter and line them with parchment paper, but you can do whichever is easier for you. Set aside.
When the filling is at the correct consistency, remove the chilled dough from the fridge.
Slightly flatten the dough to remove excess air in the dough.
Measure the weight of the dough. Evenly divide the dough into TWO portions by weight (to make 2 loaves).
Return one of the portions back into the bowl, cover, and let it chill in the fridge until you’ve assembled the first portion.
Place the first portion of the dough on a floured, smooth surface.
Roll out the dough until it’s a rectangle that is about 10 x 15 inches.
Spread a layer of the chocolate filling (about ⅓ - ½ of the filling) over the surface of the dough. Make sure to leave a 1 inch border along one of the long edges.
Roll the dough along the 10 inch side, towards the 1 inch border (so that you end up with a 14+ inch long bread roll).
Once rolled up, pinch the end into the dough roll to create a seal (see pictures in the post).
At this stage, the dough can be very soft and sticky and hard to manage. So carefully place the bread roll on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 20 minutes until the dough is firm. While the dough is firming up in the freezer, you can repeat the whole process with the second dough portion.
When the dough is firm enough to handle again, remove it from the freezer.
Trim the two ends of the roll (optional), then slice the roll in half lengthwise.
Twist the two halves to form a twisted braid (see pictures in the post).
Carefully place the twisted loaf in the prepared loaf pan, making sure to tuck in the ends.
Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap, and let it proof at room temperature for about 1 hour or until it’s about doubled in size. The time for proofing will depend on the ambient temperature in your kitchen. In a cooler place, it could take as long as 3 hours to proof.
Repeat the cutting and twisting of the babka loaf with the second portion of dough, and let it proof in the second loaf pan.
While the chocolate babka is proofing, preheat the oven to 325°F / 163°C (conventional oven).
When the babka has proofed, bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes. If the surface is caramelizing too fast, you can tent a foil on the surface to prevent further browning.
The internal temperature of the dough should reach about 190 - 200°F when it's done baking.
Remove the pan from the oven, and carefully use a skewer to poke several holes through the loaf from the top.
While hot, generously brush the babka with the sugar syrup (recipe below) to glaze the top and to allow some of the syrup to be absorbed by the babka as well (optional).
Let the babka cool down in the loaf pan. Once at room temperature, or only slightly warm, remove the babka loaf from the pan.
Slice and serve while warm or at room temperature.
Sugar syrup
Make the sugar syrup while proofing the loaf, or while baking the babka loaf. The syrup can be used warm or hot.
Add all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium high heat.
150 g white sugar, 150 mL water, 1 tsp vanilla
Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring it to a boil.
Lower the heat to simmer the sugar syrup for about 5 minutes. Set aside until you're ready to use it.
Notes
Note about yeast
I prefer to use active dry yeast, and this recipe is designed to use this type of yeast. I use Bob’s Red Mill active dry yeast. You CAN substitute with instant yeast (1:1 substitution by weight), but keep in mind that instant yeast is more active and it can proof much faster. So keep an eye on the dough as it proofs. The bread may also have more oven spring, so the loaf can also be larger. You can also use instant yeast at 75% the amount of active dry yeast to lower the activity level, but you will still need to keep an eye on proofing times.
Baking in other loaf pans
If using a standard loaf pan that is 8 x 5 x 2.5 inches, you will have to divide the dough into FOUR portions. The loaves won't be as tall due to the lack of height in this loaf pan. If you have 8 x 5 inch loaf pans with higher sides (at least 3 inches), then you could make THREE loaves, so divide the dough into three portions instead.
Storing the babka loaves for later
Always store the babka in an air-tight container. You can keep it in a cool, dry place for about 4 - 5 days (fridge is fine too). To keep for longer, slice the babka (I prefer thicker slices), and freeze them in an air-tight container or ziploc bag for up to 3 or 4 weeks. To enjoy, allow the bread to thaw out to room temperature, or slightly warm the bread in the microwave.