Chocolate Babka

Let me make this quick, because I'm a nice guy and I want to share with you this delicious chocolate babka.

If you never had it or even heard of it, chocolate babka is a hybrid between cake and bread from Eastern Europe. Laden with butter and cinnamon-spiced chocolate, this babka may take a little effort to make, but one slice and you'll know it was worth it. Great as dessert with a cup of coffee, or as breakfast.

I keep my filling pretty simple; not too sweet with luscious dark chocolate and sweet scent of cinnamon. But if you prefer, add some chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts or pecans. Or if you prefer sweeter chocolate, use milk chocolate or you know what, Nutella. Straight out of a jar, nothing else.

Chocolate Babka
Makes 1 loaf

150 ml whole milk
140 gr butter, unsalted and at room temperature
100 gr plain flour
150 gr strong white bread flour
5 gr salt
50 gr sugar
7 gr fast-action dried yeast
1 large egg

for the filling:
60 gr butter, unsalted
50 gr light brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
100 gr dark chocolate (70% minimum), chopped
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Lightly butter a 23 cm loaf tin and set aside.

In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk and butter just until the butter has melted. In your mixing bowl of a freestanding mixer, add flours, sugar, salt and yeast. Make sure the salt and yeast are not touching each other at this stage, or the salt will retard the yeast. Pour in the warmed milk and one egg. Mix at medium speed with a dough hook for 15 minutes.

Start adding the butter, about a tablespoon at a time, ensuring each addition is incorporated into the dough before adding the next. When all the butter is added. mix for a further 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth, slightly sticky (don't worry about this) and elastic. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to rise for 45 minutes to an hour or until it has nearly double in size. After that chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will make the soft dough, much easier to handle.

In the meantime though, make the filling. Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan and gently heat until melted.  Then add the chocolate, cocoa powder and ground cinnamon and stir until well combined. Leave to one side to cool down.

Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and tip out the dough. Flour the dough as well. Roll the dough to a rectangle, dusting with extra flour if necessary to stop it from sticking. Spread the filling over the dough, then roll up tightly like a Swiss roll.

With the seam underneath, using a sharp knife, cut the dough length ways down the centre leaving one end still attached. Twist the two strands around each other. This might get a little messy, but it's fine. Carefully lift up the dough and lay it in the tin. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and let it proof for 30-45 minutes, or until it has reached the top of the tin.

Bake in a preheated 180 C oven for 50 minutes. Check halfway through. If the top gets too dark, cover it with foil. Cool it in the tin for 15 minutes before taking it out to cool completely. Dust with powder sugar, cut into thick slices and enjoy!