Social Pantry’s Chocolate Babka
With Summer soon approaching why not indulge in one last little guilty pleasure and try out our perfect bake twisty chocolate Babka!
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 100ml milk
- 120 g butter, softened and chopped into small pieces, plus extra to grease
- 350 g strong white bread flour
- 40 g caster sugar
- 7 g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 2 large egg, lightly beaten
FOR THE FILLING
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100 g brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 75 g toasted walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
METHOD
- Heat milk in a small saucepan until just warm. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, yeast and a pinch of salt. Add the milk, egg and butter, and mix to bring together into a dough. Shape into a ball, then knead by hand for about 15min or until you have a soft dough that springs back when pressed. Add the walnuts and kneed for one minute to incorporate. Return to the cleaned-out bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave to prove for 2hr in a warm room until about doubled in size.
- Grease a 900g/2lbs (about 25cm) loaf tin with butter and line base and sides with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to help get bread out of the tin later.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Set aside to cool briefly.
- Place dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 50 x 30cm (20 x 12in). Spread the filling over the dough, covering it completely. Roll up tightly from one of the longer sides into a sausage shape. Chill in fridge for 15 mins.
- When chilled, cut the dough in half lengthways so you have two long pieces with the inside exposed. Turn each piece so filling faces upwards. Starting from one end, lift one piece across the other, twisting together but keeping the filling exposed, to make one long twisted braid. Push ends of the twist together to make the length shorter, then squeeze the dough into the loaf tin. cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm place for 1½-2hr or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Bake loaf for about 50min-1hr until deep golden, loosely covering with foil towards the end of cooking time if it is getting too dark.
- Serve with custard and pistachio brittle
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
@social_pantry