Babka is an Eastern European Jewish specialty. Babka is cinnamon or chocolate flavored and has swirls of filling throughout the bread. My take on babka uses brioche dough and has chocolate and tahini (though I will enthusiastically accept a cinnamon babka). Though you may be tempted to dive in, the babka stays freshest when served at room temperature.
Makes two babka
Ingredients
Tangzhong
100g whole milk
30g bread flour
Bread
100g ripe sourdough starter
6 eggs
150g milk
40g honey
3g (1 tsp) instant or dry active yeast
600g bread flour
10g (1 tbsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
16 tbsp butter
Filling
140g chocolate
60g tahini
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1g (½ tsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Egg Wash
1 egg
Flaky sea salt
In a small saucepan, whisk 30g bread flour with 100g milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the mixture forms a thick paste, around 3 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, and let cool for 2 minutes
Add the remaining 150g milk to the flour mixture, and whisk until incorporated. Add the eggs, sugar, starter, and yeast, and whisk until homogenous. Add the bread flour to the wet ingredients and using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer, mix by hand until no dry spots of flour remain. Cover (dish cloth is fine) and let rest for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Attach the bowl and dough hook to the stand mixer and knead on medium-high, scraping down the bowl every so often, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, around 7-10 minutes.
With the mixture running at medium speed, add a tablespoon of butter at a time to the dough, waiting until each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding another piece. Once all butter is added, return mixer speed to medium-high and knead until dough passes the windowpane test, another 5-10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. For best results, proof the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for 12 hours. Alternatively, let dough rise at room temperature until about doubled in size, 1.5-2 hours.
While the dough is rising, make the filling. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or on a double boiler until no lumps remain. Add the tahini and salt and whisk to combine. Let cool to room temperature.
Lightly grease two 8x4” loaf pans with butter or baking spray. Lightly dust countertop with flour (bread or AP are both fine). Fold the dough over itself 6 times to deflate. Turn the dough onto the floured counter and roll into an 18”x16” rectangle. Use an offset spatula or knife to spread the chocolate filling evenly over the dough, leaving a ½ inch border around the edge of the dough. Tightly roll the dough into an 18” log. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the log evenly in half. Then, slice each log in half lengthwise (you should see the filling). Twist two logs together, keeping the filling face-up, and place in a loaf pan. Repeat with the other two logs. Lightly cover with plastic wrap, and proof until puffed but not quite doubled in size, about 1 hour.
30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the remaining egg until homogenous. When ready to bake, gently brush the babka with egg wash, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until the bread is golden brown, sounds hollow when tapped, and registers 200°F when probed with an instant read thermometer, 30-40 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then remove loaves from their pans and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and eating.
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