Chocolate Babka

A tender, buttery brioche loaf filled with rich chocolate ganache and a hint of cinnamon. But don’t be afraid of these impressive swirls! Scroll down to follow our step-by-step video tutorial for perfectly braided babka, every time.

Please note; unfortunately Coles & Woolworths have deleted our Cinnamon Baking Paste from their baking range. Instead, use ground cinnamon 1:1.

90 Mins

2 Serves

6 Steps

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup (250ml) full cream milk, lukewarm
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
1 sachet (7g) dry active yeast
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp Queen Vanilla Bean Paste
4 cups (600g) plain flour, sifted
2 tsp salt
160g unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature

370g dark chocolate
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp Queen Vanilla Bean Paste
160g unsalted butter, cubed
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp Queen Glucose Syrup
1 cup (120g) walnuts, chopped

Glaze

⅓ cup (80ml) water
⅓ cup (75g) caster sugar

Method - Dough

1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, combine milk, sugar and yeast and allow to sit until foamy. Add eggs, Vanilla Bean Paste, flour and salt. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth.
2
Add butter and mix on low for 3 minutes or until butter is incorporated and dough is tacky to the touch. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour to rest. Once rested, wrap dough in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Method - Filling

1
In a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate, sugar and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and add Vanilla Bean Paste, Cinnamon and Glucose Syrup, stirring to combine. Set aside to come to room temperature, before placing into the fridge to thicken up.
2
Grease and line two 23cm x 13cm loaf tins. Divide dough into two and roll out each portion out to a 40cm square. Spread filling over the dough squares leaving a 1cm boarder. Sprinkle over walnuts, before rolling each square of dough into a tight log.
3
Using a sharp knife, cut the logs in half lengthwise. Twist two of the pieces together for each babka and transfer to prepared pans. Cover the loaves with a towel and let stand in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Method - Glaze

1
Preheat oven to 190° (fan forced). Bake loaves 45 minutes, until puffed and well browned. While babkas are baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened slightly. Brush babkas with sugar glaze directly from the oven. Allow to cool in tin before serving.

Recipe notes:

A slow rise overnight in the fridge allows the dough time to set, gives a more complex flavour and makes the dough easier to work with.

Bake loaves on middle oven rack.

For a quick and easy filling, Nutella may be used.

To use Queen Cinnamon Baking paste in this recipe, simply use 1 for 1.

Prep ahead:

Filled and formed loaves can be frozen before their final proof. Simply ensure frozen dough is kept in an airtight container. Defrosting and final proofing will take approximately 4-5 hours from frozen.

Comments & Reviews

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I’m having no success playing the video on my ipad.

Christina

Hi Christina! We’ve just updated the page, give it another try now 🙂 – The Queen Team