Easy Chocolate Babka

Estelle  Chait
by Estelle Chait
2 babkas
2 hr 30 min

Babkas are famous here in Israel! Every Jewish bakery has their own recipe and most families do too. Some people like a dry, cake-ey babka and some like one filled with chocolate. Some do a cinnamon filling and some use melted chocolate, while others use cocoa powder. And there are dairy babkas and non dairy babkas and butter-dough and egg free dough!! So many options!!

This recipe is a mix- its the one I most often make. I usually make a babka for shabbat breakfast, called KIDDISH, and I dont fancy making both challah dough and a separate babka dough- so I use the same one!!

This is my favorite egg free water challah recipe, but divvied down for a smaller portion. the babka is soft and delicious, and filled with a simple filling of chocolate spread and crushed cookies. try it!

Recipe details
  • 2  babkas
  • Prep time: 2 Hours Cook time: 30 Minutes Total time: 2 hr 30 min
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbs dry instant yeast
  • 1/2 Tbs salt
  • 3/4 plus 1/3 cups warm water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Oil
  • 3-4 cups sifted flour
  • one jar of your favorite chocolate spread
  • 4 lotus cookies
sugar brush
  • 2 TBSP sugar
  • 2 TBSP water
Instructions

YEAST
mix yeast with warm water and a sprinkle of sugar. let sit and bubble
COMBINE
add in sugar.
add in oil and yeast mixture.
add in flour- mix after 3 cups- to create a soft dough. Add more flour if the dough is very sticky. It should pull away easily from the sides of the bowl.
turn onto a clean floured surface and knead, adding flour as necessary, till the dough is soft and easy to work with. this takes around 7 min.
place dough in a lightly floured or oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel for about 1 hour- or until doubled in size.
FILL AND LET REST
Cut the dough into half.
roll it out into a long rectangle and spread over chocolate spread.
Crush 2 cookies over the chocolate spread(2 crushed cookies per babka). roll up the dough into a log.
slice the log in half almost all the way to the top, leaving just a little connected. Cross the two strands over each other in a twist.
Place in a rectangular baking pan fitted with a baking sheet and cover.
let babkas rest for 30-45 min. they should puff up quite a bit.
preheat oven to 175 celcius.
BAKE
place babka in pre-heated oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, until a lovely golden color on top.
*TIP* finish with a sugar brush
sugar brush
place sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes. brush over the baked babkas while hot.
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