If you’ve never had chocolate babka, get ready to meet your new favorite treat! This recipe is next-level delicious, with rich, chocolatey swirls in every bite. What makes it so amazing? The secret lies in the dough. We let it rise slowly, allowing the yeast to work its magic, creating that soft, pillowy texture we all love.
Science Time: Yeast ferments the dough, releasing carbon dioxide that creates light, fluffy layers. Combine that with a silky chocolate filling, and you get a dessert that’s sweet, tender, and totally irresistible.
Trust me, this is the chocolate babka recipe you’ll want to bake again and again! Perfect for any occasion, or just when you need a chocolate fix. 🍫
Time consuming to make. Yes. But I break it down and simplify it to make it as manageable as possible. But trust me when I say it. It will be worth every second that you invest into the preparation.
In a bowl of your stand mixer, combine yeast and warmed milk. Add just a teaspoon or so of sugar, just to help with the proofing process. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the sugar, eggs, flour, salt and knead for a few minutes on low until dough has formed. It will not be smooth at this point. I prefer to do this step for 5 minutes as this is one of your best opportunities to knead the dough well and start gluten development, before all the butter is added that will inhibit that development.
On medium speed, begin adding butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting until it's incorporated before adding the next piece. Be sure to once in a while stop your mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything is well incorporated. When all the butter is added, continue kneading the dough for about 5-10 minutes until very smooth. The dough will not look very workable at this point. It will seem more like a custard. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap loosely and a damp towel and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.
After the dough has doubled in size, roughly 90 minutes, transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and ideally overnight.
For the filling:
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Remove from heat and stir in the 3oz chocolate and sugar; allow to sit undisturbed for one minute. Then stir with a spatula until nice thick chocolate sauce is formed. Stir in cocoa, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to cool. It should be almost room temperature but still spreadable before proceeding to the next step.
Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a rectangle and then roll it out into 18x12" rectangle. Spread the filling across the entire surface, except 1/2" of the long side of the rectangle. Sprinkle 2 ounces of chopped chocolate (or 1/3 cup chocolate chips) and other additions, if using. Roll the dough into a log starting with the long side into 18" log. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes. Without refrigeration the next step will get quite messy.
NOTE: do this step quickly. This dough is very much butter-based so it will start melting and sticking. Have everything ready and work quickly!
Prepare the pan (10x5 loaf pan) by lining it with parchment paper with the sides overhanging, for easier removal later.
Slice the log down the middle lengthwise. Prop it so that the sliced sides are facing upwards. Braid it and place into a greased 10x5 loaf pan. Gently press it down to distribute the babka evenly. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and a piece of plastic wrap. Allow to rise until almost doubled in size for about two hours.
Please note, if you left your dough in the fridge longer than 30 minutes in the prior step, your rising time may need to increase (the babka in the pictures was left for 4 hours in the fridge, and I had to let it rise 2.5-3 hours on the counter before baking.)
Preheat the oven to 350. When babka finishes rising, bake it in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 325, rotate your babka 180 degrees and continue baking another 20 minutes or so until the internal temperature reaches 185-190, closer to 190°F ideally, measured with an instant-read digital thermometer in the middle of the babka. The babka will be golden and sound hollow when tapped.
While your babka is baking, make the syrup. Bring water and sugar to a boil and boil for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, stir well and allow to cool.
When finished baking, drizzle room temperature syrup over babka. Try not to let it go to waste and run down the sides too much - try for it to be absorbed in the middle of the babka. You can even gently prick some holes in the babka with a toothpick prior to pouring the syrup, so that it absorbs better. Allow to cool completely before removing from the loaf pan and slicing.
Ingredients
Directions
In a bowl of your stand mixer, combine yeast and warmed milk. Add just a teaspoon or so of sugar, just to help with the proofing process. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the sugar, eggs, flour, salt and knead for a few minutes on low until dough has formed. It will not be smooth at this point. I prefer to do this step for 5 minutes as this is one of your best opportunities to knead the dough well and start gluten development, before all the butter is added that will inhibit that development.
On medium speed, begin adding butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting until it's incorporated before adding the next piece. Be sure to once in a while stop your mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything is well incorporated. When all the butter is added, continue kneading the dough for about 5-10 minutes until very smooth. The dough will not look very workable at this point. It will seem more like a custard. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap loosely and a damp towel and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place.
After the dough has doubled in size, roughly 90 minutes, transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and ideally overnight.
For the filling:
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Remove from heat and stir in the 3oz chocolate and sugar; allow to sit undisturbed for one minute. Then stir with a spatula until nice thick chocolate sauce is formed. Stir in cocoa, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to cool. It should be almost room temperature but still spreadable before proceeding to the next step.
Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a rectangle and then roll it out into 18x12" rectangle. Spread the filling across the entire surface, except 1/2" of the long side of the rectangle. Sprinkle 2 ounces of chopped chocolate (or 1/3 cup chocolate chips) and other additions, if using. Roll the dough into a log starting with the long side into 18" log. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes. Without refrigeration the next step will get quite messy.
NOTE: do this step quickly. This dough is very much butter-based so it will start melting and sticking. Have everything ready and work quickly!
Prepare the pan (10x5 loaf pan) by lining it with parchment paper with the sides overhanging, for easier removal later.
Slice the log down the middle lengthwise. Prop it so that the sliced sides are facing upwards. Braid it and place into a greased 10x5 loaf pan. Gently press it down to distribute the babka evenly. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and a piece of plastic wrap. Allow to rise until almost doubled in size for about two hours.
Please note, if you left your dough in the fridge longer than 30 minutes in the prior step, your rising time may need to increase (the babka in the pictures was left for 4 hours in the fridge, and I had to let it rise 2.5-3 hours on the counter before baking.)
Preheat the oven to 350. When babka finishes rising, bake it in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 325, rotate your babka 180 degrees and continue baking another 20 minutes or so until the internal temperature reaches 185-190, closer to 190°F ideally, measured with an instant-read digital thermometer in the middle of the babka. The babka will be golden and sound hollow when tapped.
While your babka is baking, make the syrup. Bring water and sugar to a boil and boil for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, stir well and allow to cool.
When finished baking, drizzle room temperature syrup over babka. Try not to let it go to waste and run down the sides too much - try for it to be absorbed in the middle of the babka. You can even gently prick some holes in the babka with a toothpick prior to pouring the syrup, so that it absorbs better. Allow to cool completely before removing from the loaf pan and slicing.
Notes
Here’s a quick photo tutorial of the rolling and shaping process:
