Chocolate Babka Bread Recipe

Babka is a braided yeast bread or cake that originated in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. It is prepared with an enriched bread dough, like challah or brioche, that is rolled out and spread with a sweet or savory filling, before being rolled up, twisted, and baked. The name “babka” comes from the Polish

Which translates to “grandmother, ” which is fitting because the bread is said to have been created by resourceful Jewish grandmothers who used leftover challah dough to make an early version of babka. Over time, the recipe for babka evolved and the bread became sweeter and richer, with chocolate being a popular filling.

Perhaps the most famous babka, after the one mentioned on an episode of Seinfeld in 1994, is sold at Breads Bakery in NYC. It is outrageously good, and since it’s filled with Nutella rather than a homemade chocolate spread, it’s easy to make at home. I used the recipe on their website as a starting point, but modified it to use my favorite brioche dough and also made it smaller in size. While this is a very simple recipe, the dough requires two separate rises as well as at least 3 hours in the fridge. If you plan to bake and serve babka on the same day, it’s best to start the process the day before.

Chocolate & Orange Babka

Stir with a wooden spoon until uniform and all of the flour is absorbed. The dough will be wet, lumpy and somewhat elastic (it will firm up in the fridge and smooth out when you knead it later).

Cover loosely with plastic wrap (be sure the bowl is completely covered but don’t make it airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to three days.

On the day of baking, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan generously with butter. Dust a clean work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, transfer it to the work surface, and dust it lightly with flour. Knead with your hands, sprinkling more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick, for 30 seconds.

Orange Chocolate Babka Recipe

Roll out the dough into a 14-inch square, dusting more flour underneath and over the dough as necessary; it should be about ⅛ inch thick.

Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log; turn it vertically, so one end of the log is facing you, and place seam side down.

Transfer the twisted dough to the prepared loaf pan. (This is a messy process; just do your best – it will look pretty no matter how messy it is).

Sweet Scented Chocolate Babka Recipe With Orange And Cardamom

Cover the babka loosely with plastic wrap (not airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 90 minutes. It will rise just a bit. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the babka is a rich golden brown color. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf should come out without any wet dough sticking to it (melted chocolate is okay). If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read between 190°F to 200°F in the center of the loaf.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Vegan Babka With Chocolate

Place the pan with the baked babka on a rack. Immediately brush or drizzle the syrup over top. The syrup helps to add a nice sheen to the loaf while also keeping the babka moist.

Once the babka is completely cooled, wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap, then in foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw the wrapped babka at room temperature. Before serving, warm the babka in a 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

I'd love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @.

Double Chocolate Babka

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.Endless Swirls of Rich Dark Chocolate Filling layered between buttery yeasted cake – this is a Classic Dark Chocolate Babka Ring that is a total showstopper!

*This recipe was developed in partnership with Scharffen Berger Chocolate. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the quality brands that make Lion’s Bread possible.

A babka is a sweet braided bread or cake that originated in the Eastern Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine in the early 19th century. It is popular in Israel and in Jewish communities throughout the whole world.

Vegan Chocolate Babka

Babka is part bread and part cake, and the name is thought to be derived from a popular Easter cake made in Poland called “baba” which means “grandmother” in Polish.

Housewives making dough for challah bread, braided bread eaten on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays, would have prepared extra dough, to be filled with cinnamon or jam, which was then rolled up and baked as a special treat.

Other popular flavors are cinnamon babka, dried fruit babka, apple babka, and sweet cheese babka. No matter the filling, they are always doused in a sweet simple syrup right when they come out of the oven. The simple syrup helps keep the cake moist for several days, although I doubt it will last that long!

Chocolate Babka Bread

Jerry and Elaine stop at Royal Bakery to purchase a chocolate babka while Kramer and George go to buy wine. Showing up to a dinner party with a famous chocolate babka was extremely important for Jerry.

Flour – I recommend using unbleached all purpose flour for this Babka Ring. If you have bread flour, you can absolutely substitute that!

Eggs – For the most consistent results, use AA large organic eggs here. Organic eggs are usually richer, as you can see by the color of their vibrant yellow yolks.

Chocolate Babka (chocolate Brioche Bread)

Butter – unsalted butter is the way to go here! The recipe calls for kosher salt, and I like to control the amount of salt that goes into my babka.

Oil – I always like to use avocado oil, but you go with any neutral oil that you have on hand. Possible substitutes are canola or grape seed oil. Just stay away from a fruity extra virgin olive oil, the flavors will be too strong.

Raw Honey – The enriched dough calls for raw honey as a sweetener. It adds moisture, tons of flavor to the dough, and helps achieve that golden brown caramelization. If you can’t find raw honey, use any good quality honey that you can find.

Chocolate Babka Bundt: A Sweet Sticky Bread

Scharffen Berger 100% Cacao Cocoa Powder – this incredible rich dark cocoa powder has beautiful fruity notes, and adds deeply rich chocolate flavor to the Babka filling.

Scharffen Berger 62% Cacao Baking Portions – I love Scharffen Berger’s new baking portions because they make measuring out the chocolate so simple. The flavor is so delicious, and takes all of my bakes to the next level. This is my go-to chocolate and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

In the past couple of years, Chocolate Babka has gained tons of popularity on social media. The best way I can describe the flavor is thin layers of enriched pastry, rolled up with a dark chocolate filling, baked till golden brown, and brushed in a light sugar syrup. It almost sounds like too much, but trust me, it’s just right.

Unbelievably Vegan Chocolate Babka (no Eggs No Dairy!)

Babka’s rich, buttery, brioche-like crumb, woven with ribbons of chocolate, is unfussy and approachable. You can eat it as dessert or breakfast, as a brunch side or a quick snack. The only trouble is not finishing a loaf as soon as you start it, because one good bite of babka demands another.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and cornstarch. Whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the bowl, then add the melted butter, eggs, avocado oil, milk, and granulated sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. When the mixture becomes thick and sticky, start mixing by hand. Pinch to incorporate the ingredients.

Begin kneading the dough in the bowl, by hand, until it becomes

Paul Hollywood's Chocolate Babka