Name: Chocolate Babka
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT4H0M0.000S
Yield: two 9-by-5-inch loaves
Cuisine: jewish-cooking
Ingredients: 1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast; 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature; 1/3 cup sugar, plus a pinch; 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 4 large eggs; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1/2 cup sugar; 3/4 cup heavy cream; Pinch of kosher salt; 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips; 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder; Pinch of kosher salt; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips; Cooking spray; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3/4 cup sugar; 3/4 cup water

Directions

Make the dough: Sprinkle the yeast over the milk in a liquid measuring cup; add a pinch of sugar and set aside until bubbly, about 7 minutes. Combine the flour, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, the eggs, yeast mixture, salt, vanilla, nutmeg and lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until soft and smooth, about 5 minutes. Knead in the butter in three additions, dusting the dough with flour if it's too sticky. Transfer the dough to a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough, re-cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the fridge overnight.
Make the filling: Heat the sugar, heavy cream and salt in a saucepan until scalding. Pour over the bittersweet chocolate chips, butter and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and shiny. Let cool to room temperature.
Make the topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a separate bowl; work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is sandy and chunky. Stir in the mini chocolate chips; set the topping aside.
Form the loaves: Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper or chef's knife. Using a rolling pin, roll each half into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the filling on both dough rectangles, all the way to the edges. Starting from a long side, tightly roll each rectangle into a log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Unwrap the logs; cut each in half lengthwise with a bench scraper or chef's knife. Twist the halves together a few times, starting from the middle. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and line with parchment, then spray the parchment. Place a dough twist snugly in each pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 1/2 hours.
Finish and bake the babka: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush each loaf with butter and sprinkle with the topping. Bake until browned, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, make some simple syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan; simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. Pull the loaves out of the oven and immediately poke a bunch of holes in each with a wooden skewer. Pour 1 1/4 cups simple syrup evenly over the loaves.
Let sit 10 minutes, then remove the babka from the pans, remove the parchment and let cool completely on a rack.

Photograph by Andrew Purcell

Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Chocolate Babka

Ingredients

For the dough:

For the filling:

For the topping:

For finishing:

Directions

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