Bake the Babka
Babka has been on my list to make for months and months but every time I would think about it, I was a bit intimidated. I needed just the right time and mood for this undertaking. So, on a recent dreary day – April showers (with hail) no doubt – I decided why not? Today was a good day to bake babka! A brownie babka no less. I used the recipe from Buttermilk by Sam that consists of a vanilla challah dough and a brownie batter layer. Babka is a sweet yeast bread that’s braided and buttery and swirled with a gooey filling such as chocolate, Nutella or cinnamon. Typically baked in a loaf pan, whether babka is bread or cake is somewhat debatable. Some babkas are topped with a streusel or covered with a simple syrup, furthering said debate. But mostly you’ll recognize babka by its unique shape and pretty swirls. Or maybe because you remember this Seinfeld episode where Elaine “got the babka.” The good news is that although time consuming, it’s really not very difficult to make, and even better to eat.
Babka originated in the Jewish communities of Poland, Russia and Ukraine with some countries often eating babka on Easter Sunday. The word babka comes from the Slavic word for grandmother, babcia. After all, I’m guessing that grandmas were the ones who made the babka. Reminds me of my dear Italian friend who recently became a grandma. There was quite the discussion on whether she’d be nonna or nonni or some other derivation of the Italian word for grandma. Hmm, it would be kind of fun to be called babka or babushka. Back to the babka. The traditional filling was cinnamon. Chocolate came later, because when is chocolate not a good idea?
Brownie Babka
The brownie babka version could really be dessert or breakfast. Either way, it’s best eaten warm. Just wrap a good-sized slice in foil and put in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes. The chocolate will be gooey and the dough tender and buttery. Best with a cup of coffee.
It was delicious, but a lot of chocolate. Next time I may make it with a lighter chocolate filling or most likely a cinnamon filling, so I can eat it guilt-free for breakfast.
Ingredients
Vanilla challah dough
½ cup warm milk
1 heaped tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
⅛ cup honey
¼ cup canola oil
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups bread flour
Brownie dough
6 Tbs unsalted butter
1 ½ oz dark chocolate, chopped
½ cup plus 1 Tbs granulated sugar
1 Tbs brown sugar
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 1 Tbs Dutch processed cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
Steps in making babka
You’ll need to head to the full Buttermilk by Sam recipe for step-by-step details to making the babka. But here are the basic steps so you know what you’re getting into.
Make the challah dough.
Proof the yeast with sugar and warm milk.
Measure out dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl (egg, honey, oil and vanilla).
Add all three (bubbly yeast, dry and wet ingredients) together and knead with dough hook.
Rise the challah dough.
Put dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. You have two options. 1) Let it rise in a warm spot until doubled (about 2 hours), or 2) put dough in fridge overnight. This is what I did as Sam said it would be easier to work with, and breaks up the work involved.
Make the chocolate filling. Steps include browning the butter, which you’ll melt the chocolate into; beating the egg mixture; combining and then adding dry ingredients
Form the babka.
Roll out challah dough into a rectangle on a well-floured surface and spread brownie batter over the dough, leaving a half inch border on all sides.
Roll dough into a log from the shorter side. Slice with a knife down the middle lengthwise and twist the two logs around each other. See photo.
5. Rise a second time.
Grease your loaf pan and fit with a parchment sling. I used my (9x4”) Pullman pan. Lift the twisted dough into the pan and set in a warm place to rise. (1.5 hours if you did the overnight rise)
6. Bake the babka
Brush challah dough with egg white, avoiding the brownie part.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-15 minutes. The bread is done when a thermometer inserted into the middle of the dough reads 190 F. I feel like I let mine bake a little too long, so I recommend (like the actual recipe says) using a thermometer.
Babka French toast
The babka was best eaten within the first couple days before it starts drying out. no worries though, as leftover babka makes a decadent French toast. Just slice it and dip in a mixture of egg and milk or half and half, cinnamon and vanilla and cook on a hot grill or skillet. For even more decadence, here’s an overnight version that you can bake in the morning. Either way, serve it with berries and powdered sugar.
Now that you know what’s involved, go make the babka.
Or find a bakery like Jerry and Elaine and just “get the babka.” Either way, you’ll be glad you did.