As my friend has asked me to post this recipe, and my daughter has decided we should make it again as she helped me find the recipe. This is a very nice bread with chocolate, not as heavy as a chocolate croissant, rather heavenly.
For my friend, Zeynep.
Chocolate Babka
From Gourmet, December 2006,
Makes 2 loaves
This bread melts in your mouth and is very buttery in texture. Nice for breakfast with a good cup of coffee or tea. The entire process takes about four hours with all the rising time.
FOR DOUGH
¾ cup warm milk (105-115 degrees F- 40 degrees C)
½ cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 ¼ cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting
2 whole large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons- 5 ounces or 140 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
EGG WASH
1 large (ha) egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
CHOCOLATE FILLING
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, well softened (2.5 ounces or 70 grams)
7-8 ounces (200-250 grams) fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao) finely chopped
¼ cup sugar
Stir together warm milk and 2 teaspoons sugar in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add ½ cup flour to yeast mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. Add whole eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt and remaining ½ cup sugar and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in remaining 2 ¾ cups flour, about ½ cup at a time. Increase speeds to medium, then beat in butter, a couple of pieces at a time, continue beating until dough is shiny and forms strands (?) from paddle to bowl, about 4 minutes. (Dough will be soft and sticky).
Put dough into lightly oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Line each loaf pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (1-lengthwise, 1-across).
Punch down dough with a lightly oiled rubber spatula, than cut dough in half. Roll one piece out on a well-floured surface into an 18- by 10- inch rectangle (45 X 25 cm).
Beat yolk and cream together. Spread 2 ½ tablespoons softened butter onto dough, leaving a ½ inch (1.5 cm) all around (no butter). Brush some egg wash on the long border.
Sprinkle half of the chocolate evenly over the buttered dough, then sprinkle with half the sugar. Starting with the long side, roll dough into a snug log, pinching firmly along the egg washed seam to seal. Bring the ends of the log together to form a ring, pinching to seal. Twist entire ring twice to form a double figure 8 and fit into one of the lined loaf pans.
Repeat for the second loaf.
Loosely cover pans with buttered plastic wrap and let babkas rise in a draft free place at warm room temperature until dough reaches top of pans, 1 – 2 hours.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 F- just under 180 C.
Brush tops of dough with remaining egg wash. Bake until tops are golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool to room temperature.
