Swirled chocolate babka with a glossy sugar syrup — rich, buttery, and dramatic.
| Prep | Cook | Total | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 min | 35 min | 4 hr 30 min | 1 loaf |
Difficulty: Medium
Enriched Dough
Chocolate Filling
Sugar Syrup
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the eggs and milk and mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on medium for 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the softened butter a cube at a time, waiting for each to incorporate before adding the next. Knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, glossy, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours — overnight is even better. Cold dough is much easier to roll and shape.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water (or microwave in short bursts). Stir in sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and a pinch of flaky salt. Let cool until spreadable but still soft — it should look like a thick chocolate ganache.
Roll the cold dough into a 30 × 40 cm rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the chocolate filling evenly, leaving a 1 cm border along one long edge. Starting from the opposite long edge, roll up tightly into a log. Trim the ends and slice the log lengthways down the middle, exposing the layers. Twist the two halves over each other, keeping the cut sides facing up. Transfer to a buttered, lined 900 g loaf tin.
Cover loosely and proof at room temperature for 1–1.5 hours, until the dough reaches the rim of the tin and springs back slowly when poked. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C (fan 160 °C). Bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden and the internal temperature reads 88 °C. Tent with foil after 20 minutes if the top browns too quickly.
While the babka bakes, bring 100 g sugar and 100 ml water to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. As soon as the loaf comes out of the oven, brush the entire surface generously with the warm syrup — use all of it. The syrup locks in moisture and gives the babka its signature shine. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack.