Homemade Chocolate Babka: Perfectly Done, Easier Than Expected
The idea of making chocolate babka used to scare us, but then we made some—and found out just how delicious and easy it is to make at home. Though we love the mail-order loaves from classic bakeries in New York, with the right temperatures and a good recipe, we can make it at home for a fraction of the cost.
If you love babka like we do, you’re going to love being able to make it at home. And if you haven’t tried this delicious sweet bread, it’s time you had a taste! Read on for all the info you need to make babka right on your first try. Let’s get cooking!
Equipment used for making babka:
What is babka?
Babka is a rich bread, usually sweet, that is filled and then braided or woven before baking. The braiding or weaving gives the sliced bread a marbled appearance, with stripes of filling separating the layers and making the bread fun to pull apart. It lies on the drier side of the scale, but is moist enough to be eaten without a glass of milk and has a tender crumb with just a little chew.
Babka’s origins
Babka originated in Poland and Ukraine in the Jewish populations and made its way to America via immigration. Here, it underwent various changes, as happens when traditional foods mix with new ingredients, places, and cultures. One such change that seemed to happen sometime in the mid-1900s was the use of chocolate as a filling—a change that no one has regretted!
There are variations in shape and braiding method, with some babkas cooked in a loaf pan (like ours) and some cooked freeform. Some are split before braiding and some are simply rolled and cooked. They can be topped with a streusel or brushed with a sugar syrup to give it a glossy shine and added moisture.
But regardless of its presentation, babka is rich, delicious, and a perfect treat for winter nights spent keeping warm inside.
Babka temperatures
Perfect babka is a balancing act. You want it to be light, not heavy and brick-like, but also to have enough moisture that it isn’t dry. All of this comes down, ultimately, to temperature. Without proper fermentation and rise steps, the bread will not be light, but heavy, chewy, and doughy. Overcook it and it will dry out. We need to get our thermometers out to get it right.
Babka dough temps
All yeast-dough breads depend on proper yeast activity for the best texture, flavor, and airiness. Yeast hates waking up to a cold shower, and it refuses to be productive until things warm up. To help them be their best selves, we need to treat them with the warmth they like. Before you add the milk to your dough, heat it until it reaches 100–105°F (38–41°C). When combined with the other ingredients, which should all be at room temperature, this should land our dough comfortably in the 80–90°F (27–32°C) zone, which is the perfect balance of speed and flavor for a dough like this.
Once the dough is made, do the bulk fermentation at 85°F (29°C) until the dough doubles in size. Then, after you shape it, proof it at the same temperature until not quite doubled in size.
Babka doneness temperature
Though most amateur bakers don’t realize it, bread has a doneness temperature, and babka is no different. As a rich dough, babka finishes its cooking between 180 and 190°F (82 and 88°C). You can use a timer, like Extra Big & Loud, to track when you should start taking the temperature, but use your Thermapen ONE to check the actual doneness. With Thermapen’s 0.5°F accuracy, you can dial in your exact preferred doneness within the prescribed range and note it in your personal recipe copy. We liked it right at the top of the range, but you might like it a little more moist. High-accuracy thermometry lets you do just that!
Filling and braiding the babka
The only difference between babka and, say, brioche, is the filling and twisting. But you needn’t be intimidated by those steps! It’s easy. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, spread on your filling, then roll it up, as if you are making cinnamon rolls. Use a sharp knife to split that long roll in half almost all the way down its length. Twist those two halves together, then fold the resulting “rope” in half and put it in a prepared loaf pan. Boom. Babka’d.
Is all babka chocolate?
If you’re familiar with the “Dinner Party” episode of Seinfeld, you know that there is more than one kind of babka. In addition to chocolate (which does seem to be the most popular), babkas also come in cinnamon, almond, poppyseed, or savory flavors like cheese and herb. You could even fill it with white sugar and orange zest! And any of those will be delicious. No matter how you fill it or flavor it, though, the thermal principles will be the same.
As we said above, if you know this bread, you probably love it and should be delighted to make it at home. Served with a cup of coffee as a quiet evening snack or with cocoa as a special breakfast for the kids, babka will always be beloved. As a dinner party host gift, it’s hard to beat, and a family dessert that’s not too sweet, it’s hard to beat. Keep an eye on the critical temperatures for rising and proofing and the doneness temperature using your Thermapen ONE and you’ll be a babka master in no time! Happy cooking!
Homemade Chocolate Babka Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough:
- ½ C whole milk heated to 100–105°F (38–41°C)
- 2 Tbsp instant yeast
- ¼ C granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 C all-purpose flour
- 8 Tbsp butter cut into pieces, room temp
Instructions
Make the dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In another small bowl, whisk together the egg, yolk, and milk. Verify that the milk is 100–105°F (38–41°C) with your Thermapen ONE.
- With the mixer running, stream the egg and milk mixture into the flour mixture.
- Once a shaggy dough forms, add the butter.
- Knead the dough in the mixer until it is smooth and elastic, 5–10 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and knead it once or twice by hand. Put it into a greased container and put it in a warm spot, about 85°F (29°C), to rise until doubled in volume, 60–90 minutes.
- Once it has doubled in volume, chill it in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
Make the filling and fill the babka
- While the dough proofs, prepare the filling. In a double boiler or a bowl set over simmering water, melt together the chocolate, butter, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until well combined and smooth. Remove from heat and let stand until ready to use.
- When the dough has proofed and chilled, roll it out on a countertop until it is a rectangle about 22 x 12″.
- Spread the filling onto the rectangle going almost all the way to the edges. Roll the dough up along its longest axis to make a filled log about 22″ long.
- Starting about 2 inches from one end, use a sharp knife to split the filled log down its length.
- Twist the two halves of the split log together, pressing the loose ends together at the end of the twist. Bend the twist back on itself so that the two ends are touching.
- Lift the woven dough into a buttered loaf pan, cover it, and let it proof for another 30 minutes.
Bake the babka
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
- When the babka has proofed and the oven is hot, make the eggwash by whisking together the egg and cream with a fork. Brush it onto the loaf, then put the loaf in the oven to bake.
- Bake the babka for about 45–55 minutes.—set your Extra Big & Loud timer for 45 minutes, and check the babka's internal temperature when the timer sounds.
- Use your Thermapen ONE to check the temperature, looking for a temp between 180 and 190°F (82 and 88°C).
- If the babka is done, remove it from the oven to cool in its pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool further.
- Slice the babka and serve!
Do you have a recipe for Babka using a bread machine to make the dough?
Sadly, I do not.
Why do you refrigerate the dough after it has doubled?
With dough that is THIS buttery, it can be sticky and hard to work with. Firming it up in the fridge will make the rolling easier.
Great recipe – much less involved than other babkas! I would just use Nutella and cinnamon sugar instead of the filling in the future. The filling was not enough, and was too thick, even after adding another tablespoon of butter. It was starting to tear up the dough while spreading it. QUESTION: is it possible to chill the dough longer than 45 minutes (leave it in the fridge while I go to work) and then take it out and finish the recipe?
It absolutely is! You may need to let it come up to room temp a little longer, but the dough will be just fine. In fact, it will taste even better.