1 loaf Babka can be made with a variety of fillings, from a simple cinnamon-sugar mixture to the nut-chocolate mixture here. If the brioche dough is too sticky to work with at any point during the shaping process, cover and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes to help it firm up.
1 ½ sticks (6 oz or 170g) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk
Sub-recipe steps
Combine in a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes: ⅓ cup (80g) warm (105° to 115°F) whole milk; 1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
Mix in by hand or on low speed: 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour; 3 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 tablespoon (10g) sugar; 1 teaspoon salt
Gradually stir in: 1 to 1 ¼ cups (125 to 155g) all-purpose flour
Mix for about 5 minutes, until all the ingredients are blended. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Knead by hand for about 15 minutes or with the mixer on medium-low speed for 7 to 10 minutes, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Because this is a sticky dough, kneading by hand requires a particular technique: Slap the dough down on the work surface, lift half of it up with both hands (part of it will remain stuck to the table, which is fine), and slap it down over onto itself (keep a bench scraper handy to help). Repeat this until the dough is smooth and elastic. Have ready: 1 ½ sticks (6 oz or 170g) unsalted butter, softened
Vigorously knead or mix in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece of butter is nearly incorporated before adding the next. Continue to mix until the butter is completely incorporated and the dough is once again smooth. Butter a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (75° to 85°F) until doubled in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.
Knead the dough briefly a second time, just enough to deflate it, then refrigerate, covered, for 8 to 12 hours or until doubled.
For a loaf, butter a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and shape the dough into a loaf for pan-baking. Alternatively, for a sectioned loaf (see illustration below for one example of this), divide the dough into 4 or 8 equal pieces, round the dough into balls (follow the instructions in About Yeast Rolls), and place them in 1 or 2 rows in the loaf pan. For brioche rolls, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Loosely cover the loaf or rolls with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75° to 85°F) until not quite doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brush the dough with: 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk
Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and a knife inserted in the center of one brioche comes out clean, about 20 minutes for rolls and 35 to 40 minutes for a loaf. Unmold or transfer the brioche(s) onto a wire rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or cool.
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup (50g) sugar
3 tablespoons (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process or natural
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Streusel II
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 large egg, well beaten with a pinch of salt
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
1 Brioche through the first rise
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup (50g) sugar
3 tablespoons (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process or natural
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Streusel II
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 large egg, well beaten with a pinch of salt
Let's Cook
Step 1.
Prepare the dough for: Brioche through the first rise
Step 2.
Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Stir together in a small bowl: 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted; ¼ cup (50g) sugar; 3 tablespoons (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch process or natural; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon salt
Step 3.
Set aside. Prepare and set aside: Streusel II
Step 4.
Have ready: 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped; ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Step 5.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out into a roughly 20 × 10-inch rectangle and spread evenly with the cocoa-butter mixture. Sprinkle evenly with the chopped chocolate and walnuts. With a long edge closest to you, roll up the dough into a cylinder. Slice the cylinder in half lengthwise to expose the layers of filling. Twist the two lengths of dough around each other to form a simple braid shape, then fold the braid in half and place in a generously buttered 9 × 5-inch loaf pan. Brush the loaf with: 1 large egg, well beaten with a pinch of salt
Step 6.
Sprinkle with the streusel, cover, and let rise until puffy and increased in volume, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Step 7.
While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 8.
Bake the babka until golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then use a thin offset spatula to help release it from the pan. Let cool completely on a rack.
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