babka

This is a very lightly edited version of this recipe from Alexandra's Kitchen. I have been making it for ten years and it's one of my most requested recipes—my parents love it, plus I have a bunch of Jewish friends and a handful of Eastern European friends who particularly appreciate it.^[1] The main recipe is for the chocolate babka, which is my favorite, but I've also included a cinnamon-pecan variant, which is my parents' preference.

recipe

ingredients

instructions

1. Whisk one cup (130g) of the flour with the yeast and stir in the hot water until combined. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let rise about 45 minutes or until puffy and bubbly.
2. Directly into the bowl, add the salt, honey, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir with a spatula or spoon until well mixed, then add the remaining four cups (485g) of flour. Stir with a spoon until dough forms a sticky mass. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and knead for just a few minutes, until dough becomes smooth. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with dish towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, one to two hours or longer depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
3. Make the filling: Melt butter and chocolate together until smooth — you can do this in the microwave at 30 second intervals or in a saucepan. Stir in powdered sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon until smooth.
4. Punch down dough and divide into two equal parts, about 600g each. Using a rolling pin, roll one half into a rectangle about 10- to 11-inches in width by 14- to 16-inches in length. Spread half of filling over top leaving ½-inch border all the way around. Starting from the short end, roll into a tight coil. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
5. Transfer loaves to freezer to chill for 15 minutes.^[2] Meanwhile, line two 9-by-4-inch loaf pans with parchment paper.
6. Trim last inch (or less) off each log. Cut one log in half lengthwise and lay the halves next to each other, cut sides up. Lift one half over the other and twist each around the other. Transfer the twist into the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining log. Cover pans with a towel and let rise 1 to 1½ hours at room temperature or until dough has risen and is filling the pan.^[3]
7. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove towel and bake on the middle rack of your oven for 25 to 30 minutes. If the loaves are browning too quickly, cover them with foil.
8. While babkas are baking, make syrup: Place water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove babkas from oven then pour half of the remaining syrup evenly over each of the loaves. Let loaves cool completely in loaf pan if you are able to refrain; otherwise, 15 minutes or so should do it.