This chocolate chip babka is rolled and twisted together in one easy and delicious bread! It’s made with an enriched dough and is stays moist for days on end! The chocolate babka filling is a made with a smooth and creamy chocolate ganache. You can experience this classic New York City chocolate babka all in the comfort of your home!
😋 Taste and features
- Makes two delicious 9″ x 5″ loaf pans
- Soft and fluffy brioche dough that is layered with a creamy chocolate filling and chocolate chips
- Sweet and rich with chocolate swirls
- Perfect to make when you have overnight guests
📚 History
What is Babka?
Babka originated from Eastern Europe and the word ‘babka’ means grandmother. Chocolate babka wasn’t created until Eastern European Jews arrived in New York so it’s truly a NYC classic. If you want to learn a little more on the history of babka you can read this article.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Unsalted Room Temperature Butter: 10 tbsps which sounds like a lot but this is for 2 loaves and gives the dough all the fluffiness!
- Eggs: 4 egg yolks will keep your dough extra moist and rich! You can save the egg whites to be used for meringue in the future!
- Active Dry Yeast: There are no chemical leaveners in this bread so the yeast will give the brioche its rise.
🗒️ Instructions
Step 1. Warm milk to 105F-115F in a bowl. Pour in 1 tbsp of sugar and a package of active dry yeast and let it rest for 5 minutes. You will know if yeast has bloomed if the milk looks frothy.
Step 2. Pour flour, salt and sugar into bowl and mix until combined. Then add in bloomed yeast mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
Step 3. Add in eggs, vanilla extract and milk into the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until combined.
Step 4. Roll your dough out – You want this to be the length of 2 of your bread pans so 18″ across depending your pan size!
Step 5. Then add in room temperature butter 1 tbsp at a time into the dough. Don’t add in too much at once as it could emulsify your dough. Once butter has been added, keep mixing at medium speed for at least 10 minutes to create gluten in the dough.
Step 6. Take out a very large grease bowl and place dough in the bowl and then wrap with plastic before placing it in the fridge.
Step 7. Remove dough at least an hour before baking to bring it down to room temperature.
Step 8. Grease 2 9″ x 5″ inch loaf pans and add parchment paper if you want an easier removal.
Step 9. Make chocolate ganache filling and set aside.
Step 10. Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough into a rectangle. The longest part of the rectangle will be the side that is the closest to you. The width should be slightly less than the width of 2 loaf pans (10″L x 16″W or 25cm L x 40″cm W).
Step 11. After rolling your dough out into a rectangular shape, generously spread chocolate filling and half of the chocolate chips across the entire rectangle. Then starting at the bottom of the rectangle, start rolling the dough up and away from you until it forms on tight log with the seam side down. Then take out a serrated knife and cut the log in half to create two 8″ logs.
Step 12. Take one 8″ log and cut it in half length wise with a serrated knife. (You should be be able to see the chocolate layers at this point). Then cross the 2 pieces into an “X” formation with the layers facing up. Then take the top two pieces of the “X” and cross them again and pinch the ends together. Repeat the process for the bottom half of the “X”.
Step 13. Then take the braided bread and place into loaf pan and repeat the process for the second bread. After both breads have been placed in the pan, spread remaining half of the chocolate chips on top and wait for them to rise in a warm area for a second time for 1 1/2 hour – 2hours.
Step 14. Heat oven to 375F and then bake for 20-25 minutes and brush on simple syrup to create a glossy top!
👩🍳 Top tips
- Room temperature ingredients: This is key to making the correct babka dough. Make sure your butter is room temperature to ensure that it gets incorporated smoothly.
- Wait for dough to rise: The dough needs to rise twice to develop flavor and texture in the bread.
- Keep Mixing: Kneed dough for at least 10 minutes which is a long time but because there is so much fat from butter and egg yolk it needs more time for gluten to form.
- Forming the dough: If you’re confused on forming the babka shape, you can watch this video for a visual aid!
🤔 Variations
- Swap chocolate ganache with Nutella if you have that on hand
- Add in 1 tbsp of cinnamon into the chocolate ganache
🧺 Storage tips
- Room Temperature: Store at room temperature in an an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
- Freezer: Cool babka completely before placing it in an airtight container or freezer safe bag and put in the freezer for up to 3 months. Babka will be good for up to 3 months but note the date of when it was baked on the container! Thaw at room temperature and toast in the oven at 350F for 8-10 minutes to warm it back up.
🔎 Related recipes
If you love chocolate as much as me here are a few more recipes to try out!
Soft Chocolate Milk Bread Buns
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Brioche Babka
Equipment
- Thermometer
- Electric Mixer with a dough hook attachment
Ingredients
Babka Dough
- 4 Cups All Purpose Flour (480 Grams)
- 10 tbsp Unsalted Butter (142 Grams) (Room Temperature)
- 4 Egg Yolks (Grade A Large) (Room Temperature)
- 1 Package of Active Dry Yeast (7 Grams)
- 1/2 Cup Whole Milk (123 Grams) (Room Temperature)
- 1/2 Cup Granulated White Sugar (100 Grams)
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips (168 Grams)
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips (160 Grams)
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (120 Grams)
- 1 tbsp Salt
Simple Syrup Recipe
- 1/4 Cup Sugar (50 Grams)
- 1/4 Cup Water (118 Grams)
Instructions
Babka Dough
- Warm milk to 105F-115F in a bowl. Pour in 1 tbsp of sugar and a package of yeast and let it rest for 5 minutes. You will know if yeast has bloomed if the milk looks frothy.
- Pour flour, salt and sugar into bowl and mix until combined. Then add in bloomed yeast mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Add in eggs, vanilla extract and milk into the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until combined.
- Then add in room temperature butter 1 tbsp at a time into the dough. Don't add in too much at once as it could emulsify your dough. Once butter has been added, keep mixing at medium speed for at least 10 minutes to create gluten in the dough.
- Take out a very large grease bowl and place dough in the bowl and then wrap with plastic before placing it in the fridge. The dough will expand a lot overnight so you want to make sure it has room to grow.
Next Day (or wait a few hours)
- Remove dough at least an hour before baking to bring it down to room temperature.
- Grease 2 9" x 5" inch loaf pans and add parchment paper if you want an easier removal.
- Make chocolate ganache filling and set aside.
- Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough into a rectangle. The longest part of the rectangle will be the side that is the closest to you. The width should be slightly less than the width of 2 loaf pans (10"L x 16"W or 25cm L x 40"cm W).
- After rolling your dough out into a rectangular shape, generously spread chocolate filling and half of the chocolate chips across the entire rectangle. Then starting at the bottom of the rectangle, start rolling the dough up and away from you until it forms on tight log with the seam side down. Then take out a serrated knife and cut the log in half to create two 8" logs.
- Take one 8" log and cut it in half length wise with a serrated knife. (You should be be able to see the chocolate layers at this point). Then cross the 2 pieces into an "X" formation with the layers facing up. Then take the top two pieces of the "X" and cross them again and pinch the ends together. Repeat the process for the bottom half of the "X".
- Then take the braided bread and place into loaf pan and repeat the process for the second bread. After both breads have been placed in the pan, spread remaining half of the chocolate chips on top and wait for them to rise in a warm area for a second time for 1 1/2 hour.
- Heat oven to 375F and then bake for 20-25 minutes and brush on simple syrup to create a glossy top!
Chocolate Ganache
- Heat heavy cream in the microwave (1 minute) or on a sauce pan until hot but not boiling and then stir in chocolate chips and salt until smooth.
Simple Syrup
- Heat water in the microwave (2 minutes) or on a sauce pan until boiling and then stir in sugar.
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