Everyone loves a babka.

Sweet, enriched dough layered with chocolate spread. The best part is that you can fill this kind of bread with anything you like. It could even be made savoury with pesto and parmesan perhaps. That is totally up to you.

I chose Nutella for this recipe as it is just so convenient and delicious, of course. 

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

300g (10.6oz) strong white bread flour

50g (1.75oz) soft butter

6g (0.2oz) salt

4g (0.15oz) dry yeast or 3x the amount of fresh yeast

40g (1.4oz) sugar

1 whole egg, cold from the fridge

130g (4.6oz) cold milk

To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

Filling –

180g (6.3oz) Nutella

15g (0.5oz) vegetable oil

Mix the oil with the Nutella to make it more runny and easier to spread. Nutella is made out of oil, so do not worry about this step as it will make no difference in flavour.

30g (1oz) chopped chocolate, any chocolate you like. I used milk chocolate.

Sugar syrup –

20g (0.7oz) sugar

10g (0.35oz) water

Bring this up to the boil once the loaf comes out the oven.

Method

1. In a bowl combine the milk, yeast, salt, sugar & egg. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and hydrate the yeast.
2. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
3. Knead the dough for 3 minutes. Add in the butter and keep kneading for 1 minute.
4. Switch to the ‘stretch & fold’ method and keep kneading for another 4 minutes. Desired dough temperature 25 – 26C (77-79F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Keep an eye on it and adjust proofing times accordingly.
5. Cover & ferment for 1 hour.
6. Fold.
7. Cover & ferment for 1 more hour.
8. Roll the dough out to a long rectangle. Spread with the Nutella evenly all over. Try to cover the whole surface. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips.
9. Roll the dough up. Try and roll it tight. Seal it up. Cut off the ends. Now cut it in half length ways. Do not hesitate and cut it in one move.
10. Make sure the dough strips are pointing cut side up. Twist them around each other. Place on a piece of parchment paper and place it in a loaf tin.
11. Cover & ferment for 1.5 – 2 hours or until almost doubled. During the final hour of fermentation preheat your oven to 160C (320F) fan on.
12. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until the inner temperature reads above 94C (200F).
13. Brush the loaf with the hot syrup as soon as it comes out the oven. Let it set in the tin for 10 minutes before removing.

Let it cool down for at least 45 minutes before slicing it.

Do you like peanut butter and jam? It is definitely popular. Especially with my friends in the US.

I quite like it, especially in this application. The bread is so soft and fluffy. The peanut butter is rich and sticky while the jam cuts it perfectly with acidity. This babka is well worth a try because it is something different. You could of course fill it with many different ingredients. This could even be turned into a savoury loaf. A pesto and parmesan babka would be interesting.

That is the beauty of making a dough like this. Once you know how it works, then you can customize it to your liking. This recipe makes a small loaf which fits into a 500g (1lb) loaf tin. If you wish to make a larger loaf, then simply double the amount of ingredients.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

250g (8.8oz) strong white bread flour

150g (5.3oz) cold* milk

40g (1.4oz) soft butter

3g (0.1oz) dry yeast or 3x the amount of fresh yeast

25g (0.9oz) sugar

5g (0.2oz) salt

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water for glazing

*To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

For the filling –

125g (4.4oz) crunchy peanut butter

125g (4.4oz) strawberry jam *Of course you can fill your babka with whatever you fancy.

Method

1. Add the milk, salt, sugar, yeast, and butter to a bowl and mix to combine. Stir the mix to dissolve the salt and sugar crystals and to hydrate the yeast.
2. Add the flour and mix until no dry flour left.
3. Knead the dough for 5 – 7 minutes until decent gluten development. Desired dough temperature 24 – 25C (75 – 77F). If your dough is cooler, then ferment it for longer. If it is warmer, then reduce the fermentation time.
4. Ferment for 45 minutes.
5. Fold.
6. Ferment for 45 minutes.
7. Roll the dough out, fill with the peanut butter and jam, roll into a log, cut down the middle and twist it around itself so that the cuts are facing up.
8. Place in a bread tin and ferment for 1 hour. During final fermentation preheat your oven to 160C (320F) with the fan on. To be safe I would suggest placing a piece of non-stick paper at the bottom of your loaf tin to prevent the babka from sticking. Even if you have a non-stick tin, it is better to be safe than sorry.
9. Brush the loaf with the egg yolk and water glaze and bake for around 40 minutes. If you are ever unsure of the doneness of your loaf, then take the temperature. If it reads above 94C (200F) in the centre, then it is fully baked. This goes for any bread. 
10. Let is set in the tin for 10 minutes then tip it out to cool down on a rack. Let it cool down for at least 1 hour before cutting. The dough will be gummy if you cut into it too early.