Many thanks to our friend, Eileen, who did the heavy lifting by discovering what did NOT work when it comes to making babka. She was also generous enough to go halfsies on the truly magical SAF Gold Instant Yeast. It does wonders on doughs dense with sugar and butter.
Dough Ingredients:
- 270 grams (2 ¼ cups) Bread Flour
- 50 grams (¼ cup) Sugar
- 2 tsp. SAF Gold Instant Yeast ***
- ½ tsp. Salt
- Grated zest of half-an-orange
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk (reserve the egg white for the filling)
- 4 oz. Milk (or 2 tbsp. Milk Powder and 4 oz. Water)
- 8 tbsp. (1 stick) Butter, softened
*** Or use 4 tsp. (2 packets) Active Dry Yeast
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate
- 4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 3 tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
- ½ tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 large Egg White
- 1 Large Egg plus a little Milk for Egg Wash
Glaze Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. Sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp. Water
Directions:
Step 1: For the dough, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and zest. Add vanilla extract, two eggs, the extra egg yolk, the milk and mix. Add tablespoons of softened butter one-at-a-time while mixing to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes.
Set aside to rise in a lightly oiled bowl until doubled in size. It will be a soft dough, but not sticky because of all the butter.
It’s a good idea to let the dough prove in an oven that has been slightly heated in order to help the yeast along. I like to turn the oven on for 90 seconds and then turn it off. It’s just enough warmth to help the yeast do its job in such a dense dough.
Step 2: For the filling, melt 4 tbsp. butter and 2 oz. chocolate together until smooth, either in a microwave or double boiler. Stir in ¼ cup powdered sugar, 3 tbsp. cocoa powder and ½ tsp. cinnamon. Stir to form a spreadable paste and set aside to cool.
Once the filling has cooled, whisk in the egg white.
Step 3: Knead the risen dough enough for it to come together to form a ball. Generously dust a countertop and the dough with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to an approximately 12 inch area. Spread the filling mixture working from the outside edge to the center. Roll lengthwise from one end to the other.
Step 4: Slice the roll lengthwise down the center to form two strands. Join one pair of the ends and create a braid by overlapping one strand over the other. Join the remaining ends of the two strands and tuck both ends of the braid under the loaf. Lightly oil or spray a loaf pan and place the braided loaf in the pan. Allow to rise for about an hour.
Step 5: Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the loaf with an egg wash made by whisking together an egg and a little milk. Bake for 45 minutes.
Step 6: Dissolve 3 tbsp. sugar in 1 ½ tbsp. water. Brush the syrup on the loaf when finished baking, but leave the loaf in the pan until it has cooled about half-way. It will allow the loaf to set and hold together.
Notes:
The Saf-Instant® Gold yeast performs well in doughs that have sugar levels of 10-30%. It makes a huge difference in the amount of rising time. You may need to purchase a pound of it online, but it freezes well and is well worth it.
Schmecken! 