This delicious braided bread is a traditional Jewish sweet from Eastern Europe. Originally, babka was made with cinnamon, sugar, and fruit jam rather than chocolate. But when the bread came to America, this newer version gained popularity. Babka is great for Hanukkah but also eaten during Christmas and Easter by some Eastern European Christians.
On the Ingredients
- Dark chocolate has all kinds of proven health benefits dark chocolate. For instance, did you know that chocolate is actually very nutritious? A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70–85% cocoa contains something like 11 grams of fiber, 67% of the RDI for iron, 58% of the RDI for magnesium, 89% of the RDI for copper, 98% of the RDI for manganese. It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. Chocolate is also a powerful antioxidant, filled with organic compounds like polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins. Some studies show chocolate may help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. There’s also a possibility that it reduces the risk of heart disease. Heck, dark chocolate might even make you smarter because cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which can improve brain function in the short term.
Babka (Chocolate Swirl Bread)
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minutesThis delicious braided bread is a traditional Jewish sweet from Eastern Europe. Originally, babka was made with cinnamon, sugar, and fruit jam rather than chocolate. But when the bread came to America, this newer version gained popularity. Babka is great for Hanukkah but also eaten during Christmas and Easter by some Eastern European Christians.
Ingredients
- Bread Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
2 packets of instant dry yeast (or 5 tsp)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
17.5 oz flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter (room temp)
- Filling Ingredients
140z bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp sugar
- Egg wash
1 egg
1 tsp water
Directions
- Add the milk, yeast, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add flour, salt, and some butter to the mixture.
- Mix, then use your hands to knead into a smooth dough. On a flour-dusted work surface, form the dough into a ball. Put in a greased bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 min.
- Meanwhile, melt the bittersweet chocolate with a double boiler. Mix the melted chocolate together with the other filling ingredients. Put the filling in the fridge until ready to use.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Spread the filling atop the dough, leaving an inch-wide border.
- Roll up the bread and slice it down the center lengthwise, leaving it connected at the top. Turning each roll chocolate side up, weave together the two halves, creating a twisted braid.
- Grease a long bread pan and put the loaf inside, tucking the ends in so the braid shows end to end. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Brush the bread with the egg wash, then bake for 30-50 minutes, until it sounds hollow when you tap the underside. You may need to cover the bread with foil to keep it from getting too brown.
