Bread #21 Chocolate Babka

[linbakesbread]

 

Good morning bread bakers.

A while back I was talking with Rachel about breads to make and we both loved the idea of making babka – specifically chocolate babka.  So after a brief internet search, we settled on the recipe from Bon Appetit (of course).  What sold us on the recipe is that it had a cinnamon sugar topping which we figured would be a nice contrast to the chocolate swirls.  We’re excited to make this!

Please bake Chocolate Babka with Rachel and me.

 

Special Tools you will need:
Stand mixer such as Kitchenaid

The Ingredients:


Dough
½ cup whole milk, warmed
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
¼ cup sugar, plus more
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for bowl

Filling and Assembly
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided, plus more room temperature for pan
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons sugar, divided
¾ teaspoons cinnamon, divided
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon heavy cream

Make dough: Pour milk into a small bowl; sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over milk.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Whisk egg, egg yolk, and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a medium bowl until smooth.  Whisk in yeast mixture.

Combine salt and 2 cups flour in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add egg mixture and beat on low speed until nearly incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Switch to dough hook and add 7 tablespoons butter; beat on medium-low until butter is completely incorporated and dough is smooth and just slightly sticky, 8-10 minutes. (We had to add a little more flour here to make it workable – maybe an additional ¼ cup)

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until very smooth (dough will still be wet and a little sticky).  Transfer to a large buttered bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 ½ to 2 hours, then chill 45 minutes.

Make filling:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously butter a 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan. 

Heat chocolate, cocoa, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth.

Assemble and bake: Turn out chilled dough onto a clean lightly floured surface.  Roll out to a 22x12 inch rectangle and orient so a long side is facing you.  Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate filling over dough to extend to the edges.  Roll up dough away from you like a jelly roll, pulling lightly on it as you roll to maintain thickness.  (Use a metal bench scraper if needed to help dough release from surface.)

Cut log in half crosswise.  Set halves so they are side by side and touching.  A long side should still be facing you.  Place one half over the other to make an X, then twist the two ends on one side twice.  Repeat on opposite side. (You should have a total of 4 twists.)  Transfer bread to pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the streusel.  Whisk brown sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon salt in medium bowl to blend.  Mix in remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  Add flour and toss with a fork until moist clumps form (streusel will look slightly wet).

Whisk egg and cream in a small bowl and brush egg wash over loaf.  Scatter streusel over top.

Bake babka, rotating pan halfway through, until golden brown, 50-60 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack and let babka cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack, running a paring knife around edges to help loosen if needed.  Let cool completely before slicing.

 Look at all the lovely swirls!

Reflections on this bake:

So I actually had very little to do with making this bread!  Rachel and her friend, Annie, pretty much made it all by themselves.  I’m still counting this as one of “my” breads because I was there in spirit and because, well, I didn’t make another bread.  So, the bread looked beautiful!  Just like the picture on Bon Appetit’s web site.  Loved the cinnamon topping.  But, I was very surprised at just how bitter the chocolate swirls tasted.  I think if I made it again, I would add more sugar to the swirls or use a less bitter chocolate. We made French toast using this bread and that was delicious; the maple syrup cut the bitterness of the chocolate perfectly.  That with crispy, salty bacon made a perfect breakfast-for-dinner meal.

 

Rating Category	Rating out of 5
Taste	3
Texture	4
Likeliness to make again	2
Overall Rating	3