Chocolate Babka

By June XieUpdated: Dec 6, 2022

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June Xie

While baking a homemade babka is no simple task, the buttery, chocolatey result is a worthwhile reward for your baking efforts. A sweet braided bread and cake hybrid, this recipe is all about balance: the combination of bread and pastry, the ratio of brioche to filling, the harmony of cinnamon and chocolate flavors. Perfect for breakfast or dessert, this babka is a recipe that deserves to be mastered. Follow our step-by-step recipe, and you'll be a star babka baker in no time.

What is babka?

Babka is a braided sweet bread and cake hybrid, often adapted from rich and buttery brioche dough. A traditional Jewish creation, this braided bread is stuffed and rolled before being baked with a variety of fillings. With it's fudgy swirl, chocolate babka is a popular flavor, but cinnamon babka has a delicious appeal we can't deny—that's why we combined aspects of both in this recipe.

How do you make chocolate babka?

There are three main components to this chocolate babka: the bread, the filling, and the streusel topping. Adapted from our buttery bioche bread, the dough here is lush and soft with just the right amount of springiness. It's lightly sweetened, properly salted, and uses one egg yolk in addition to a whole egg for a touch of extra richness and creaminess. We use instant yeast, but an equal amount of active dry yeast will get the job done just as well.

To achieve the perfect balance of chocolate and brioche, we first brush the dough with a tablespoon of melted butter, then slather on a modest layer of chocolate ganache, then top with chocolate chips. This recipe calls for a little bit of lemon zest in the chocolate filling to balance out the sweetness with a fresh citrus lift—you could substitute with orange zest or eliminate altogether if you want to focus on the pure chocolate flavors.

The streusel in our recipe is simple: equal parts flour and powdered sugar spiked with cinnamon and a pinch of salt to amplify the flavor, cut together with just enough butter to barely hold it all together. After brushing the loaf with a lightly sweetened egg wash, sprinkle the streusel on evenly across the top of the loaf and gently press it into the dough to secure it into the loaf.

How long should I bake it?

A lot of babka recipes call for baking at 350°, but a slightly higher temperature will ensure a lightly caramelized exterior crust while maintaining a delicate and tender interior crumb. We recommend baking this loaf at 375° for about 45 minutes if you want a fudgier babka, or go for a little while longer, about 50 to 55 minutes, if you want the inside to be a little more dry and set.

How do I store it?

Kept at room temperature in an airtight container or bag, this loaf will stay as moist as the day it was baked for 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, slice up the loaf once it's cooled to room temperature and freeze for up to 2 months.

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

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Yields:: 8 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 20 mins
Total Time:: 5 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

For the babka dough

1/3 c.
milk, lukewarm (80 g.)
1
(0.25-oz.) packet instant yeast
1/3 c.
granulated sugar, divided (70 g.)
1 2/3 c.
all-purpose flour, divided (212 g.)
2
large eggs, divided
1 tsp.
kosher salt (6 g.)
6 tbsp.
butter, softened (84 g.)

For the chocolate filling

1 tbsp.
butter, melted and cooled (14 g.)
3 tbsp.
heavy cream (45 g.)
1 3/4 c.
chocolate chips, divided (300 g.)
Zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)
Kosher salt

For the streusel topping

3 tbsp.
powdered sugar (21 g.)
3 tbsp.
all-purpose flour (21 g.)
1 tbsp.
butter (14 g.)
1/2 tsp.
ground cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt

For the egg wash

Reserved egg white
1 tsp.
granulated sugar
Pinch kosher salt

Directions

1. Step 1Make the sponge: To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add lukewarm milk, yeast, 2/3 cup flour, and 4 teaspoons sugar. Using a spatula, mix until well combined, then cover with and let sit for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
2. Step 2Once the sponge has formed some air pockets, add in 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk (reserving the egg white for the egg wash), remaining 1 cup flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed until well combined, then gradually increase to medium-high speed. Continue mixing, scraping down bowl every 2 to 3 minutes, until dough becomes elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Step 3With the mixer running, add in butter gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each tablespoon fully incorporate into the dough before adding the next, 5 minutes. Continue mixing on medium-high speed until the dough is glossy and passes the windowpane test, 3 to 5 minutes more. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
4. Step 430 minutes before you’re ready to assemble the babka, make chocolate filling: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt together butter, cream, and 1 cup chocolate chips in 20-second increments until smooth, stirring between each heating to prevent burning. Stir in zest, if using, and salt. Let cool before using.
5. Step 5Make streusel: In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Using your finger tips, work in butter until evenly distributed and tiny clumps of streusel form. Refrigerate until ready for use.
6. Step 6Make egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together reserved egg white with sugar and salt.
7. Step 7Transfer chilled dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a thin 16” square. Brush dough with melted butter. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate filling into an even layer across the dough, then sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips on top. Tightly roll dough into a rope, then fold the rope in half and braid the two segments around each other with 3 twists.
8. Step 8Line a 8 ½”-x-4 ½” loaf pan with parchment. Place braided dough into loaf pan, tucking in the ends of the rope underneath. Gently press dough into an even layer. Brush more egg wash over the entire loaf, then sprinkle on streusel and press lightly to adhere to loaf. Cover and let proof until dough rises almost to the lip of the pan, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake.
9. Step 9Bake until deeply golden on top and the center of the loaf registers between 190° and 205°, 45 to 50 minutes.
10. Step 10Lift loaf out by the ends of the parchment and transfer onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

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June Xie

Former Senior Food Producer

June Xie is the former Senior Food Producer for Delish, where she hosted recipe videos and the wildly popular YouTube show, Budget Eats. She previously worked in numerous restaurant kitchens throughout NYC before first joining Delish as our Test Kitchen Assistant and chief baking expert with a passion for bread dough, peanut butter, whipped cream, and gluten free cookies. She also loves staring at alpacas.