Chocolate Babka Bread

This sumptuous Chocolate Babka Bread recipe doubles as dessert and/or breakfast, depending on your views about chocolate in the morning! Which I am staunchly pro. One thing you should know about me is that I love bread. I love making bread. I love the way my house smells when I bake bread. And most of all, I love eating bread.

Art of Bread Baking

A few years ago I decided that I was going to master the art of making bread; because it really is an art! I resolved to make at least one loaf of knead-able bread each week for a year. Well, or until I had mastered the process.  I stuck to this New Year resolution for almost 5 months, with the full support of my hungry family. By that time, I finally felt I had achieved my goal.

By then, I had memorized the perfect textures of different bread types. I had learned how the weather could impact my dough. I’d tested and retested various heating/baking/humidifying techniques with my oven. Ultimately, I had added a long list of new breads to my recipe box!

Since then, I seem to gravitate towards new bread recipes.  I often make tons of different bread types for all kinds of occasions. For instance, Rustic Italian Bread and Dill Dinner Rolls. But one of my favorites, that I come back to again and again, is this Chocolate Babka Bread.  Sweet, rich, soft, and chocolately.  Oh, so good.

This chocolate babka recipe is perfect as a breakfast bread, dessert bread, a holiday gift, a housewarming present, to wow company when they come over, or just to make on a cool, rainy day to enjoy with a cup of black coffee.  Be aware that the loaf will not last long – at least if you make it in my house.

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light‘s Chocolate Babka.

Chocolate Babka Bread Recipe

This chocolate babka bread recipe starts off, like so many other greats, with a sweet dough. Which you’ll let rise into a beautiful pillow of promise.

Similarly to a cinnamon roll recipe, you’ll roll the babka dough out. Then, sprinkle it with an insane filling mixture, and roll it up.

Next, you’ll twist the babka dough, stuff it into a bread pan, and sprinkle it with streusel. Finally, bake it to perfection. Honestly, the hardest part of this chocolate babka recipe is allowing it to cool!!!  I prefer to eat it still warm. Though I wouldn’t turn down a piece even if it was a week old. And had been run over by a car.  Do not judge me.  It’s just that good. You’ll see.

Chocolate Babka Bread

A rich and chocolately sweet bread that will have family and friends raving for months! Always a guaranteed crowd pleaser, this bread is very versatile. Make it for breakfast or dessert, give it as a gift, or incorporate it into your holiday food traditions.

5 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Jewish

Prep Time: 3 hours hours

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 loaf; 16 slices

Calories: 192kcal

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Ingredients

Dough:

• ¾ c. warm Milk, 105° to 110°
• 2 ¼ tsp dry Yeast
• 1 tsp + 6 tbsp Sugar, divided
• ½ tsp Vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 Egg Yolk, room temperature & lightly beaten
• 1 ⅔ c. All-Purpose Flour, divided
• 1 ¼ c. Bread Flour
• 5 tbsp Butter, cut into pieces & softened

Filling:

• ½ c. Sugar
• 3 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa
• ½ tsp ground Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground Nutmeg
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 4 oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Streusel:

• 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
• 1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp Butter, slightly softened

Instructions

Dough:

• In a mixer bowl, dissolve 1 tsp sugar and yeast in warm milk. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Stir in additional 6 tbsp sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and egg yolk.
• With a hook attachment and your mixer on low, slowly add 1 1/3 c. of all-purpose flour and all of the bread flour. Increase speed to medium and add butter. Continue to “knead” dough with the mixer until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding remaining all-purpose flour 1/3 c. at a time, as needed, to keep hands from sticking. Dough will be very soft.
• Shape dough into a ball and place in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hrs.
• Punch dough down, cover again, and let rest an additional 5 minutes.
• Use a 9×5″ silicone bread loaf pan or line the bottom of a regular 9×5″ pan with parchment paper & coat the sides with cooking spray.

Filling:

• Combine sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Carefully stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Fold in chocolate chips.
• Turn dough out on a floured surface and roll into a 16-inch square. Leaving a 1-inch border around the edges, sprinkle the filling evenly on the dough. Do not worry about the chocolate chips being equally distributed – it is almost better if they aren’t.
• Starting at one end, carefully but tightly roll the dough into a log, pinching the seams and sealing the end with your fingers.
• Carefully twist the dough about 4 times, as if wringing a towel, and fit it into prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled again, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°.

Streusel:

• In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and flour. Using a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
• Sprinkle evenly over dough.

Bake:

• Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until loaf is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack, in the pan, for 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove bread from pan and place it back on the wire rack to cool completely.
• Slice and enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4.73g | Fat: 6.25g

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