How to Make Babka
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Last week, I visited my friend Holly — you know, Holly of challah lore — for coffee, conversation, and of course, a little snack, a slice of babka from a loaf she had made the previous day. Upon serving it to me, she, as if she were any of the women in my family, instantly began critiquing it.
It’s lovely, she said, quickly noting it was kind of fussy to make, so much work for what it was. The dough was denser than she had hoped, and she wondered if she could use her challah dough recipe as a base, spread it with a chocolate filling or Nutella, and shape it like babka.
Tucking into my slice, happy as ever, it sounded like a plan to me. For the next few days, Holly and I texted back and forth, sharing photos and thoughts on our various experiments. In the end, we settled on adding orange zest and vanilla to her challah recipe otherwise making no other changes. And we used the chocolate filling from Jerusalem’s chocolate krantz cake recipe, which Smitten Kitchen made last fall.
Finally, in place of water in the sugar syrup that the babkas get soaked in upon emerging from the oven, we used fresh-squeezed orange juice.
I had never made babka before last week. I have never made krantz cakes either. But I love this hybrid — can’t stop eating it 🍞🍞 🍫🍫🍊🍊
Hope you love it as much as I!
How to Make Babka
The dough for this babka recipe is Holly’s Challah with the addition of orange zest and vanilla:
After you mix the dough, let it rise till it doubles in volume:
Once doubled, divide the dough into two equal portions; then roll each portion out into a 12X15-inch rectangle.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate filling by melting butter with chocolate; then adding cocoa and confectioners’ sugar:
Spread half of the filling over each rectangle half; then…
… roll up into a coil. Note: As you can see here, the light is dramatically different from the above and below photos. Know this: at any point of the process, you can stick the dough in the fridge and pick up where you left off in the morning.
When ready to shape, cut each coil in half; then cut off an inch or so of each end.
Coil the two halves into a spiral and transfer to prepared loaf pans (see video for better guidance at this step.) Let rise at room temperature until the dough fills the pan and feels soft and spring to the touch.
Bake at 375ºF until golden, about 25 minutes.
While the babka bakes, make a glaze with sugar and freshly squeezed orange juice. This gets brushed over the freshly baked babka loaves.
Day old babka, toasted… heaven!
Mini loaf made with dough ends:
How to Make Babka
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves + a mini
Description
This recipe is a combination of two: Holly’s Challah with the addition of vanilla and orange zest to the dough and the chocolate filling from the Chocolate Krantz Cakes in Jerusalem.
A few notes:
- If you want more guidance making the dough, check out the Holly’s Challah post first.
- You can use at least one cup of whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour in the dough. (Holly always does.)
- To create lukewarm water: use ¼ cup boiling water and ¾ cup cold water, which will give you perfect lukewarm water.
- To create a warm place for your bread to rise: Heat your oven for 1 minute, then shut it off. It doesn’t matter what temperature you set it to when you heat it; the key is to only allow it to heat for 1 minute. This brief blast of heat will create a cozy, draft-free spot for your bread to rise.
- To break up the process a bit, you can stop after you roll the dough into coils or when you place the shaped loaves into the loaf pans, cover the pans with plastic wrap, and place in fridge. The following morning, if your dough is in coils, simply proceed with the recipe; if your dough is in the pans, bring it to room temperature — make sure dough feels soft to the touch and is filling the pan — before proceeding with the recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 cups (486 g to 614 g) all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 package or 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast
- 1 cup (227 g) lukewarm water, see notes above
- 1 tablespoon (18 g) kosher salt
- ¼ cup (85 g) honey or sugar
- ½ cup (112 g) safflower, canola, grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 2 eggs
- zest of one orange
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) vanilla extract
Filling:
- ¾ cup (130 grams) dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- ½ cup (1 stick | 120 grams) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (50 grams) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (30 grams) cocoa powder
Syrup:
- ⅓ fresh-squeezed orange juice (83 g), or the juice of one orange plus enough water to make ⅓ cup
- 6 tablespoons (75 grams) sugar
Instructions
- Whisk one cup (128 g) of the flour with the yeast and stir in the lukewarm water until combined. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let rise about 45 minutes or until puffy and bubbly.
- Directly into the bowl, add the salt, honey (or sugar), oil, eggs, zest and vanilla. Stir with a spatula or spoon until well mixed, then add the remaining four cups (486 g) of flour. Stir with a spoon until dough forms a sticky mass. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and knead for just a few minutes, until dough becomes smooth. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with dish towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, one to two hours or longer depending on the temperature of your kitchen. (To create a warm place to rise, see notes above.)
- Make the filling: Melt butter and chocolate together until smooth — you can do this in the microwave at 30 second intervals or in a saucepan. Stir in powdered sugar and cocoa until smooth.
- Punch down dough and divide into two equal parts, about 600 g each. Using a rolling pin, roll one half into a rectangle about 10- to 11-inches in width by 14- to 16-inches in length. Spread half of filling over top leaving ½-inch border all the way around. Starting from the short end, roll into a tight coil. To help keep coil bound, I wrap it in parchment paper and transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. (Note: you can make the recipe up until this point and put it in the refrigerator overnight — this works really well).
- If you are not refrigerating rolled dough overnight, transfer loaves to freezer to chill for 15 minutes — this was a Smitten Kitchen tip, which makes cutting and shaping the rolls easier. Meanwhile, coat two 9-by-4-inch loaf pans and one small vessel — I use a mini loaf pan — with butter.
- Place logs onto a large cutting board and remove parchment paper. Line each loaf pan with the parchment paper, folding as needed to make it fit the pan. Trim last inch (or less) off each log. Cut the logs in half lengthwise and lay them next to each other cut sides up. Lift one half over the other and twist each around the other — see photos for guidance. Transfer the twist as best as you can into the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining two halves. Nestle trimmed ends into small vessel. Cover pans with plastic wrap and let rise 1 to 1½ hours at room temperature or until dough has risen and is filling the pan.
- Heat oven to 375°F. Remove plastic wrap, place loaf pans on a sheetpan and bake on the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Check the mini pan around 20 minutes — it will be done before the others. If the loaves are browning too quickly, cover them with foil.
- While babkas are baking, make syrup: Place orange juice/water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove babkas from oven, brush some of the syrup over the small pan, then pour half of the remaining syrup evenly over each of the loaves. Let loaves cool completely in loaf pan if you are able to refrain, otherwise 15 minutes or so should do it.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Yeast
- Cuisine: Jewish
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146 Comments on “How to Make Babka”
Wow, that looks so insanely delicious. Must. have. babka.
That looks ridiculously DELICIOUS and your pictures are beautiful!
Thank you Sandra! Next time I’ll throw a loaf through your window 🙂
This is gorgeous! I really want to recreate this work of art.
Thank you, Julie!
So impressive! It looks better than anything I’ve eaten at Tartine –and we know you like Tartine!
Ha! I don’t know about that. But it is a treat 🙂
I am so impressed! It looks beautiful! And, I for one do not mind if you continue on your baking spree. I love the way you experiment and don’t stop until you get what you were looking for–and then share it with your readers. It’s informative, interesting and the end result is always amazing!
Thank you, Trish! That means a lot. I do love baking. It brings me joy. I just like to have an easy answer to the “What’s for Dinner” question, and recently, I’ve been struggling. Hope you are well!
Ali this is so beautiful and as others have said, a complete work of art! As for what we’re eating…I think we are in a similar rut. Lots of grain bowls around these parts, but I did manage to make those scones last weekend and they were amazing! Hopefully the spring thaw will bring more inspiration!
Thank you, Tracey! And I think you’re right…this time of year is always a little tough. Grain bowls are such a good thing to rely on right now. Glad you made the scones! xo
One more thing! I was browsing through some back issues of Bon Appetit that I missed reading over the holidays and saw a very similar recipe in the December issue that they called a “babkallah”! I immediately thought of you!
How divine! That might be my easter baking!
Yes! It’s such a treat. Having a piece with my coffee right now 🙂
Gorgeous! I have eaten many babkas, but have yet to make one. Though I have drooled over the photos in *Jerusalem,* and now I can drool over yours! Recently, I discovered “sheet pan dinners.” Such a concept! Chicken, potatoes, other veggies. One pan to monitor (with parchment, no mess!). There’s a whole cookbook on the theme, apparently. Thanks so much for more great inspiration.
That sounds like exactly what I need right now — 1 pan, 1 chicken a few vegetables and call dinner done. I will investigate further.
And thank you! I had never made babka either, but I am really liking having it around. Even a few days old and tasting kind of stale, it’s a treat. I was hoping to have enough leftover to experiment with some sort of baked French toast or bread pudding but I’m not sure I will. Might have to make more. Great to hear from you!
It’s a beautiful babka. I would love to have a slice now.
For some reason, when I saw the title for the first time, I read Holly Babka, not Holly’s 😉 Maybe it means something 🙂
Have a good week!
Oh, I can SO relate. I was in such a cooking rut last fall, mostly while doing a catering gig. So tapped out from cooking for work that I think we mostly ate popcorn and soup (including several batches of your cabbage soup!) for months. But we moved to Utah this spring, and decided to go organic with our groceries and it’s just inspired this crazy outpouring of good eats: seared cauliflower steaks with romesco sauce; roasted beets diced and dressed with herby, mustardy yogurt and tossed with arugula; peas smashed with olive oil, garlic, mint, and parmesan; blue cheese burgers with sautéed fennel. Will send good cooking thoughts your way, Ali!
Charlene, amazing! I didn’t know you had moved. The food you have been making is inspiring me. I still have some CSA beets I need to use and that mustardy yogurt dressing sounds amazing. Thank you for sending good cooking thoughts my way. I decided to take a weekend off from cooking, and this afternoon, I spent a chunk of time with Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone — do you have it? Such a good one. I feel inspired. So great to hear from you! xo
Deborah Madison is such a gifted teacher. I don’t own that book, but I check it out from the library about once a year to use as a reference. I’ve been rereading it for more than 10 years now, and I still learn something new every time I pick it up! p.s. I’m making your cabbage soup AGAIN tonight. I really need to branch out and try the cheddar soup or something, but we’re just too in love with this one. 🙂
I have never heard of this bread! I love the name. I love the look of it. Fabulous ingredients. Wow—I can understand why you can stop eating it.
So pretty! It takes me back to childhood when my mom would bake something similar but with poppyseed filling inside.
This looks absolutely incredible! I’m afraid if I make it I may eat the entire loaf in one sitting.
This was so, so delicious! The chocolate wasn’t as overwhelming as the WSJ nutella version – and the dough was so tender, too. Thank you for sharing!! My boyfriend and I finished off the mini pan in what seemed like seconds, and we are trying to not eat too many pieces of the other loaf in one sitting. I have to ration it each night 🙂
I told my mom to go make it too, but she’s saving her calories for San Francisco but she ordered that I freeze the second loaf and bring it with me to share after everyone’s flights. (So excited, my parents, sister & her boyfriend, and the two of us, are all meeting there over Easter, first time there! Tartine and Chez Panisse are on the list.)
So happy to hear this, Katie! Glad to know about the nutella version, which sounded so tempting.
And how exciting about SF!! I can’t tell you how jealous I am. I hope you document every bite at Tartine. And I want serious details about Chez Panisse — I never made it there when we lived in CA. Such a shame. xo
I literally don’t know if I can sleep tonight after seeing this. I must make this tomorrow!! Without haste!! AMAZING!!!! Brava!! Virtual standing ovation!! xx
Thank you, Rebecca!
I am practically mesmerized by these beautiful photos of chocolate-laced bread. WHAT THE HECK! Thank goodness it’s the weekend and there’s time for baking! Beautifully done, Ali! Love when someone does all that research to make recipes simpler and more delicious for the rest of us 🙂
Thank you for the yammy recipe! Made it today. Tastes nice. I put less sugar, it tastes really light. Had somedough left and made a mini challah with orange marmalade!
Made this last weekend and received TONS of compliments from coworkers commenting on how delicious it was and how beautiful it was. Someone even asked me where they could buy it! Thank you for sharing the recipe – will now be in my permanent arsenal.
Directions state to cover pans in butter, which I did, then further down it says to cover in parchment paper??? I didn’t see the need to do both, so I am currently waiting for the rise….so excited for this bread and hope it is as good as the pictures! Thank you 🙂
It does seem redundant, but the parchment paper helps lift the loaf out of the pan, and the butter keeps the dough from sticking to the exposed sides of the pan. You’re right though, probably could just do the parchment, then butter the sides. Hope this turned out well for you!!
I have been wanting to make babka for forever. I’m so happy to have the guidance of your recipe when I dive in. Your recipes always look like something I would love to eat. You inspire me. I made your tahini cauliflower recipe last week. If you are in a rut, I hope my recipes will appeal to you. I offer you 2 one pan/pot recipes: Beef and Barley Soup, which I made last night with lots of veggies from the farmers market. And my Honey Mustard Chicken with Apples, Butternut Squash, and Brussels Sprouts, which I am making tomorrow night. You can find them via the search box on my blog or let me know, and I will send you the links. We all get in ruts and need to help each other out.
I will check them out, Dana! Thanks so much. They bot sound delicious!!
I made this yesterday, it is delicious! Glad I found a fairly quick and uncomplicated “Babka” recipe, I was turned off from making it again after trying Martha Stewarts, was very disappointed with my results. I will definately be making your recipe again.
So happy to hear this, Katy! It’s the worst when things don’t turn out. This one, too, as simple as it is for babka still entails some work. So glad it worked out well.
I love a tasty chocolate babka. Yours looks delicious. I am not a huge fan of the chocolate-orange flavor combo. Can you recommend how to tweak your recipe to omit the orange? Thank you! So glad I found your blog!
I would just omit! Or is there any other chocolate combo you like? Thanks for the kind words!
I am thinking of baking these for Easter, but didn’t know if you had any tips for baking this before hand? If I make this tomorrow (and I can resist eating it all myself) will it be good for Sunday afternoon? I know some breads are best day of, others can improve a little with a day.
Hi Arlie! I think you can definitely make it ahead, but know, too, that you can make it through step 4 and store the dough in the fridge, which works very well. I suspect, too, that you could go through step 6, and store the covered loaf pans in the fridge overnight. Take them out a few hours before you want to bake them. Hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else.
I made my first babka today and used your recipe here! It’s amazing!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
So happy to hear this, Erin!
Hi Alexandra, my first visit to your site and I am in love with this Babka. I am not baking for a few weeks as my husband and I prepare to make a big move, back to Miami, from San Juan, PR. Then it will be a few weeks before our belongings arrive, then another few weeks until I set up the kitchen. But this will be on my mind, believe me. I can almost smell it baking. Thank you for sharing the revipe and photos. Mmmmm.
Welcome, Merrill!! What a journey … I hope you are getting settled, and I hope you find time to bake sometimes soon. I love this babka. Hope you do, too.
Hi Alexandra!
I am planning on making your babka for 2 events, a week apart. I’m wondering if you would advise for or against freezing this dough? If I shaped both loaves, baked one, and froze the other, would the 2nd one be okay? If not, would it be okay to half the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Wanda! You can definitely halve the recipe, and that’s what I would suggest doing just to be safe. I have in the past frozen dough, and I’ve had success with it, but I’ve also received comments from people who have not had success, and I would hate for the latter to happen, especially if you are going through the effort to make it for an event.
I wish I could test it out for you but I can’t seem to get anything done this summer with the kiddos being home … but I suppose that’s a good thing. Good luck with your events!!
Thanks so much for your response Alexandra!
I hope to write an update with my results 🙂
Can I usd orange juice instead of water?
Maybe? I worry it might be too orange-y.
I tried this recipe. 2/3 of it make it challah bread and 1/3 babka. It’s marvellous, the whole family like it. Thanks to you.
Wonderful to hear this!
Made challah once, but never made babka before. I started this recipe Friday evening, finished it Saturday afternoon; it’s now Sunday afternoon and there’s just about half of one loaf left–it’s that good. Next time I think I might make more orange glaze (I had way more than 1/3 of a cup of orange juice) since it really is delicious. Might also use better chocolate chips–I used Hershey’s Special Dark since I had a bag of them in the pantry for some reason, but better chocolate would be wonderful. Definitely making this again… in several months when I’ve burned through all the calories from this time. Thanks for the recipe!
I love it 🙂 🙂 :). So happy to hear all of this tsitsila! And yes to more glaze … sounds amazing!
I am a brand new baker and this came out amazing!!! Thank you for such great instructions.
So happy to hear this, Wendy!
I’ve made the peasant bread many times now and thought I would give the babka a go. For my first try with this recipe, I was very pleased with the outcome. Instructions were perfect and it was absolutely delicious! This is a keeper and I will definitely make it again. My British husband has decreed it is perfect for his “elevenses”.
So happy to hear this, Dulcie!