Chocolate Babka
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This homemade babka is a showstopper—soft, sweet, and loaded with a rich chocolate filling, all wrapped up in a beautiful braided loaf. Perfect for special occasions or just because!
Babka is a braided yeast bread (or cake) that comes from Eastern Europe’s Jewish communities. Made with enriched dough like challah or brioche, it’s filled with sweet or savory fillings, rolled, twisted, and baked to perfection. The name “babka” comes from the Polish word babcia, meaning “grandmother,” since it was originally made by resourceful Jewish grandmothers using leftover challah dough.
Perhaps the most famous babka, after the one mentioned on Seinfeld, is sold at Breads Bakery in New York City. It’s outrageously good, and since it’s filled with Nutella instead of a homemade chocolate spread, it’s easy to make at home. I used their chocolate babka recipe as a starting point but swapped in my favorite brioche dough. Just a heads-up: the dough needs two rises and at least 3 hours in the fridge, so it’s best to start the process the day before.
“I prepared this recipe exactly as written and it was phenomenal…There is not a crumb to be found anywhere.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Babka
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and flavor to the dough, keeping it soft and tender; also used to grease the pan.
- Water: Moistens the dough and helps dissolve the sugar and salt in the soaking syrup.
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast, sweetens the dough, and sweetens the syrup.
- Salt: Balances sweetness in both the dough and syrup.
- Rapid-rise/instant yeast: Leavens the dough; active dry yeast can be substituted, but the dough will take longer to rise.
- Eggs and egg yolk: Provide structure, moisture, and richness to the dough.
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the dough.
- Nutella (or other chocolate hazelnut spread): The base of the filling, adding creaminess and chocolate flavor.
- Bittersweet chocolate: Adds deep chocolate flavor to the filling; do not use chocolate chips as they don’t melt as well.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, warm water, sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk to combine, then add the eggs and egg yolk and mix until smooth. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is evenly mixed and the flour is absorbed. The dough will be wet, lumpy, and a bit elastic, but it will firm up in the fridge and smooth out when you knead it later.
Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to three days.
On the day of baking, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter. Remove the dough from the fridge, transfer it to a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 30 seconds. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 14-inch square, about ⅛ inch thick.
Using an offset spatula, spread the Nutella over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Sprinkle the chocolate over the Nutella.
Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough into a log.
Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. With the cut sides up, twist the strands together. Transfer the twisted dough to the prepared loaf pan. It’s a messy process, but don’t worry—it will still look great! Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the babka rise at room temperature for about 90 minutes. It will puff up just a bit.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the babka is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer reads 190°F to 200°F in the center. While it’s baking, make the syrup by bringing water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Once the babka is done, brush the sugar syrup over the top to give it a beautiful sheen and keep it moist.
Let cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before slicing. Babka is best enjoyed within a few days. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month. Before serving, thaw at room temperature and reheat.
Want to experiment with different babka fillings? You can use cinnamon and sugar (plus nuts and raisins, if you like) for a warm, spiced twist, or even a fruit jam like raspberry or apricot for a sweet and tangy option.
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Chocolate Babka
Indulge in the ultimate homemade babka—flaky, buttery dough swirled with rich chocolate and baked until golden.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing the pans
- ½ cup warm water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1⅛ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon rapid-rise/instant yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off, plus more for kneading and rolling
For the Chocolate Filling
- ½ cup Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread, at room temperature
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (⅔ cup), best quality
For the Syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- Generous pinch salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, warm water, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the eggs and egg yolk and whisk until evenly combined. Add the flour all at once, and stir with a wooden spoon until uniform and all of the flour is absorbed. The dough will be wet, lumpy and somewhat elastic (it will firm up in the fridge and smooth out when you knead it later). Cover loosely with plastic wrap (be sure the bowl is completely covered but don't make it airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to three days.
- On the day of baking, grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan generously with butter.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, transfer it to the work surface, and dust it lightly with flour. Knead with your hands, sprinkling more flour as necessary so the dough doesn't stick, for 30 seconds. Roll out the dough into a 14-inch square, dusting more flour underneath and over the dough as necessary; it should be about ⅛ inch thick.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the Nutella over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Sprinkle the chocolate over the Nutella. Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log; turn it vertically, so one end of the log is facing you, and place seam side down. Using a sharp serrated bread knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. Turn the cut sides up and twist the strands together, keeping the cut sides facing up. Transfer the twisted dough to the prepared loaf pan, tucking the ends under if necessary. (This is a messy process; just do your best – it will look pretty no matter how messy it is).
- Cover the babka loosely with plastic wrap (not airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 90 minutes. It will rise just a bit.
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the babka is a rich golden brown color. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf should come out without any wet dough sticking to it (melted chocolate is okay). If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read between 190°F to 200°F in the center of the loaf.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the pan with the baked babka on a rack. Immediately brush or drizzle the syrup over top. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before slicing.
- Babka is best enjoyed fresh on the day of baking, but it will keep wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for a few days.
- Freezing Instructions: Once the babka is completely cooled, wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap, then in foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw the wrapped babka at room temperature. Before serving, warm the babka in a 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 273
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 162 mg
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This was absolutely delicious, super easy to make, & looked pretty as a picture! Just made it for my husband’s birthday breakfast – it was a big hit with the whole family. It’s quite filling so a little goes a long way.
I have made several of Jenn’s recipes, many on regular rotation, & they have all turned out so beautifully. It’s a joy to follow your recipes Jenn, or even just take inspiration from them!
Oh my was this delicious! And easy to make as well (thanks to your detailed instructions!). I made the Babka for Christmas mid-morning and it was such a treat. Because my house was so cold (freezing in the deep south) my Nutella, though room temperature, was a little difficult to spread so next time I might warm it just a bit in the microwave. For both raises, I placed the dough in my oven with just the light on to provide a bit warmer draft free spot for it to rise. The dough was really easy to work with and after rolling a bit, letting it rest , and then rolling again I was easily able to get it rolled out to the right size. It raised beautifully while baking as well! The glaze was perfect and next time I’ll save a bit to spread down the sides when I take the loaf out of the pan. I look forward to using some of the other commenters suggestions about trying cinnamon filling and forming it into a ring. Love everything I’ve cooked from your site and cookbooks…and while it is tempting to let everyone else think that I am the fabulous cook, I ALWAYS give you all the credit and encourage everyone to go to your website! Thanks for sharing your talents and obvious love for cooking/baking with the rest of us.
The Babka was easy to make, my only issue was since you are rolling it into a 14 inch square and putting it into a 9 x 5 bread pan, you do have to fold the ends around to sides of twist to make it fit. That wasn’t mentioned in directions, the surprise comes when trying to get it into pan fairly neatly. Now know for next time, but it did taste great, took loaf to family Christmas dinner. Will be making again in the future.
Hi Jenn! I’m a huge fan of your recipes! But, this one..OMG!!!! The only “bad” part about it, was that we ate almost the whole loaf before the evening was out! (And, before I even photographed it!) Brought me right back to my childhood, when my grandmother would bring one from a Brooklyn bakery! Thank you so very much for all of your amazing recipes!
I’m going to attempt to make this tomorrow. You say to use bittersweet chocolate, can unsweetened baking chocolate be substituted or does it have to be bittersweet?thank you
Hi Jeannette, It’s fine to use unsweetened chocolate — the babka just won’t taste as sweet. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Your brownie recipe is the best ever brownie. I have tried many recipes. Will try the babka now💕
Bonjour,
I follow your recipes from France and am having great fun with it. Thank you.
As per the Babka I just wondered why you don’t join the ban on the brand Nutella seeing they still use palm oil and fat… despite all the protests against deforesting and planting palm groves.
I personally use as little as possible and buy my “Nutella” from the organic shop since it contains no palm products.
My husband’s mouth is watering at the picture of the Babka so am afraid that I’ll have to do something g about that.
Thank you once more for all your lovely recipes
Maaike Niemeijer from SW France.
Can you make this into a babka wreath for Christmas dessert? If so, any tips or recommended changes?
Yes, I think you could use this to make a wreath. I’d look online for a recipe that will give you guidance on shaping it. The bake time is likely to be different, so keep a close eye on it. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you’re aiming for the bread to be between 190°F & 200°F. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
While I may summon the courage to attempt this recipe in the future, today I went straight to Green’s Bakery online and ordered 2 loaves instead. (((Love your site and have saved many of your recipes.)))
🙂
First time making babka. Turned out really well