Delicious Chocolate Brioche Babka | finding time for cooking

We’re going “back to basics” with this chocolate brioche babka…why mess with perfection??

Now, I say “basics” not because it’s plain but because this marries two traditional dishes—buttery brioche and a chocolate babka—and executes them perfectly. We’re not trying to get fancy here, no exotic flavors or crazy techniques. Simplicity is the goal.

For this I’ve used Smitten Kitchen’s recipe, and she never steers me wrong. She made a few tweaks to hers that I’ve mostly picked up here as well.

I agree with her on the orange zest front (not that lemon’s bad, it’s delish, but orange is perfect). I also skipped the optional pecans and extra sugar for the filling, because I didn’t feel it was necessary (and I’m not a nut person). This brioche babka isn’t super sweet, so if you want it sweeter you could sprinkle some sugar on top of your filling.

Because this makes two loaves, you also could experiment with other flavors…make one loaf the traditional chocolate babka, then play around with the other. The sky’s the limit. I recently tested a cranberry-apricot one with white chocolate which will be coming your way soon.

While you don’t really *need* special tools to make this, there are a few that will help a lot.

First off, I STRONGLY recommend using a stand mixer for this, vs. doing by hand. The dough has so much butter worked in that it would be very challenging by hand.
This scraper tool is super helpful for everything, and I use it to cut my dough logs in half.
I like a nice thin rolling pin to better control the dough, these bamboo ones are perfect.
These silicone basting brushes make it easy to brush the glaze on (and clean up well).
The quality of your cocoa powder and chocolate is critical. I use this Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder and either these Ghiradelli chocolate discs or Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bars.
Similarly, the quality of your butter is essential. Kerrygold is amazing, or look for some other very high fat percentage butter.

First we make the dough. You’ll want to do this the night before so that the butter can solidify and it does a nice long rise. If you have to do it same-day, look at the original recipe linked below from Smitten Kitchen, she has a pseudo-method that can work same-day.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast. I went ahead and added my orange zest as well.

Add the eggs (I beat them slightly before adding, so they incorporate smoothly) and 1/2 cup of water (if you didn’t add the zest before, do that now).

Mix with the dough hook until it comes together into a shaggy dough. This may take a couple minutes and it’s okay if it’s on the dry side. If it won’t come together at all, add some extra water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a mass (it will still be a bit dry, that’s okay).

Now we do this buttery goodness. With the mixer on low, add the salt, then the butter, a spoonful/piece at a time, mixing until each piece is incorporated into the dough before adding the remaining pieces.

Then, mix on medium speed for 10 minutes, until dough is completely smooth. You’ll need to occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl a few times to make sure it gets everything.

Generally by the 8-10 minute mark the dough has begun to pull away from the sides of the bowl, which is a good sign. If it doesn’t, you can add 1 tablespoon of extra flour to help this along.

Coat a large bowl or container with some oil and place dough inside, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Leave in fridge for at least half a day, preferably overnight.

The dough will not fully double, so don’t worry if it still looks a bit small in the morning.

The next morning make the filling so it has a little time to cool before using. Melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth.

Stir in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the cinnamon if desired as well. The mixture should form a spreadable paste. Set aside to cool.

Assembly time! Grease two 9-by-4-inch loaf pans with oil or butter, and line the bottom of each with a rectangle of parchment paper (I make a kind of sling that’s easy to lift out).

Take half of dough from fridge (leave the other half chilled).

Roll out on a lightly-floured counter to about a 10-inch width (the side closest to you) and as long in length (away from you) as you can when rolling it thin (likely 10 to 12 inches). Keep it as rectangular as you’re able to.

Spread half of chocolate mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.

Brush the end farthest away from you with a bit of water.

Roll the dough up (starting with the short end by you), being careful not to squish the filling out. Seal the dampened end onto the log.

If your mixture is extra runny, you can put the log in the fridge for 10 minutes to solidify. I chilled one rolled-up log and didn’t chill the other, and didn’t see a difference in ease of cutting and twisting, so feel free to skip that step if you are pressed for time.

Repeat the rolling and filling process with the other half of the dough.

Trim the last 1/2-inch off each end of the logs. Gently cut each log in half lengthwise and lay them next to each other on the counter, cut sides up.

Pinch the top ends gently together. Lift one side over the next, forming a twist and trying to keep the cut sides facing out (because they’re pretty). It doesn’t matter if this is a bit messy, it will still turn out lovely.

Transfer each twist into your prepared loaf pans. Don’t worry about gaps, the dough will fill in everything by the time it re-rises and bakes.

Cover with a damp tea towel or loose plastic wrap and leave to rise for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours at room temperature.

Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Uncover the loaves and place them on the middle rack of your oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, but start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. A skewer inserted into an underbaked babka will feel stretchy/rubbery inside and may come back with dough on it. When fully baked, you’ll feel almost no resistance (and the bread parts should be over 200 F inside).

If you babka needs more time, put it back, 5 minutes at a time then re-test. If it browns too quickly, you can cover it with foil.

While babkas are baking, make the simple syrup. Bring sugar and water to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside to cool somewhat.

As soon as the babkas leave the oven, brush the syrup all over each. I usually give it two coats, I don’t actually use all the syrup (I think Smitten Kitchen does). Let them cool about halfway in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

I think these chocolate brioche babka loaves just look SO beautiful!

And they’re really quite simple to make…they just take time. Don’t be scared by the number of ingredients or steps, this is a great recipe for a novice baker as well as an experienced one.

That moment when you slice off the babka is so much fun…look at all those swirls!

Babkas keep for a few days at room temperature. Any longer and you should freeze them. Though I’ll be honest, I judge you if you still have leftover babka after a few days…

Other babkas you’ll fall in love with:

From Smitten Kitchen, who never steers me wrong

Pin for later!

Chocolate Brioche Babka

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

DOUGH
4 1/4 cups (530 grams) of all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the counter
1/2 cup (100 grams) of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of instant yeast (not active dry)
Grated zest of half an orange
3 large eggs (I lightly beat them before adding, to more easily incorporate)
1/2 cup of water (cold is fine), & up to 1 to 2 tablespoons extra if needed
3/4 teaspoon of fine sea or table salt
2/3 cup of unsalted butter (150 grams or 5.3 ounces) at room temperature
Sunflower or other neutral oil, for greasing the bowl
FILLING
4 1/2 ounces (130 grams) of good dark chocolate (or approximately 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips)
1/2 cup (120 grams) of unsalted butter
Scant 1/2 cup (50 grams) of powdered sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) of cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon [optional]
SYRUP FOR GLAZING
1/4 cup of water
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Instructions

Make the dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast.
Add the eggs and 1/2 cup of water plus the orange zest, mixing with the dough hook until it comes together; this may take a couple minutes. It’s okay if it’s on the dry side, but if it doesn’t come together at all, add extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a mass (it will still be a bit dry, that's okay).
With the mixer on low, add the salt, then the butter, a spoonful/piece at a time, mixing until each piece is incorporated into the dough before adding the remaining pieces.
Then, mix on medium speed for 10 minutes, until dough is completely smooth. You'll need to occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl a few times to make sure it gets everything. Generally by the 8-10 minute mark the dough has begun to pull away from the sides of the bowl, which is a good sign. If it doesn’t, you can add 1 tablespoon of extra flour to help this along.
Coat a large bowl or container with some oil and place dough inside, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Leave in fridge for at least half a day, preferably overnight. The dough will not fully double, so don’t worry if it still looks a bit small in the morning.
Make the filling: Melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Stir in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the cinnamon if desired as well. The mixture should form a spreadable paste. Set aside to cool.
Assemble loaves: Coat two 9-by-4-inch (2 1/4 or 1kg) loaf pans with oil or butter, and line the bottom of each with a rectangle of parchment paper I make a kind of sling).
Take half of dough from fridge (leave the other half chilled). Roll out on a lightly-floured counter to about a 10-inch width (the side closest to you) and as long in length (away from you) as you can when rolling it thin (likely 10 to 12 inches).
Spread half of chocolate mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush the end farthest away from you with a bit of water. Roll the dough up (starting with the short end by you), being careful not to squish the filling out. Seal the dampened end onto the log. If your mixture was extra runny, you can put the log in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Repeat the rolling and filling process with the other half of the dough.
Trim the last 1/2-inch off each end of the logs. Gently cut each log in half lengthwise and lay them next to each other on the counter, cut sides up. Pinch the top ends gently together. Lift one side over the next, forming a twist and trying to keep the cut sides facing out (because they’re pretty). It doesn't matter if this is a bit messy, it will still turn out lovely.
Transfer each twist into your prepared loaf pans. Don't worry about gaps, the dough will fill in everything by the time it re-rises and bakes.
Cover with a damp tea towel or loose plastic wrap and leave to rise for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours at room temperature.
Bake and finish the loaves: Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Uncover the loaves and place both on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 30 minutes, but start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. A skewer inserted into an underbaked babka will feel stretchy/rubbery inside and may come back with dough on it.
When fully baked, you’ll feel almost no resistance (and the bread parts should be over 200 F inside). If you babka needs more time, put it back, 5 minutes at a time then re-test. If it browns too quickly, you can cover it with foil.
While babkas are baking, make the simple syrup. Bring sugar and water to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside to cool somewhat. As soon as the babkas leave the oven, brush the syrup all over each. I usually give it two coats, I don't actually use all the syrup (I think Smitten Kitchen does). Let them cool about halfway in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Babkas keep for a few days at room temperature. Any longer and you should freeze them.

Notes

The original recipe has some additional ingredients (pecans and more granulated sugar) and uses lemon zest instead. Feel free to check it out if that's up your alley.
Use the highest-quality butter you can, as the butter flavor in a brioche is key.
Since the dough makes two loaves, you can also make one with the chocolate filling, and then fill the other with whatever flavors/ingredients you want to try.

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Simple & Amazing Chocolate Brioche Babka