This Chocolate Babka Recipe is a sweet bread recipe with a ribbon of chocolate chips (or melted chocolate) throughout the bread. This recipe makes two loaves.

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Chocolate Babka

Hi Everyone, have you had Chocolate Babka bread?

It's so good!

It's one of my all-time favorite bread recipes.

I love how moist and dense this bread is.

It has a good dose of butter in it, chocolate and sugar, it might not be "health" bread but I like to call it my favorite, "mental-health" bread because it always makes me feel better - instantly, lol!

My family requested that I make the recipe with mini chocolate chips, so this one has a ribbon of mini chocolate chips, sugar and butter twisted in it.

If you have had brioche bread before, it's just like that, only with chocolate.

What is Babka Bread?

According to Wikipedia, Babka is:

A babka is a sweet braided bread or cake which originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine.

It is popular in Israel and in the Jewish diaspora. It is prepared with a yeast-leavened dough that is rolled out and spread with a filling such as chocolate, cinnamon, fruit, or cheese and then rolled up and braided before baking.

Ingredients

• Canola oil spray, for spraying loaf pan and parchment paper

Dough

• ¾ cup whole milk or half and half (temperature 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
• ½ cup granulated white sugar, plus 2 teaspoons, divided
• 3 teaspoons (2, ¼ ounce packets) active dry yeast
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature or slightly softened

Filling

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (or the same amount chocolate melting wafters, if making a chocolate spread)
• ¼ cup granulated white sugar

Egg wash

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon half and half (you can substitute the same amount heavy whipping cream or whole milk)

Recipe Notes

• You can melt the chocolate to make a continuous chocolate ribbon in the chocolate babka bread
• Chocolate Hazelnut Babka (Nutella Babka): You can use a chocolate hazelnut spread (for example, Nutella) instead of the chocolate chip filling

Kitchen Tools

• measuring spoons and cups
• wet measure
• baking spatula(s)
• mixing bowl(s)
• stand mixer, with paddle attachment
• dough scraper, flexible and stiff bench scraper
• pastry mat
• rolling pin (I like the tapered, French rolling pin style)
• ruler
• parchment paper
• kitchen scale, for weighing chocolate

How to Make Chocolate Babka

1. Make the Dough: Gather the ingredients for the chocolate babka bread.
2. Activate the yeast: In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the warm milk and yeast, stir and allow it to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Add ½ cup of the flour and combine. Add the 2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, vanilla extract, kosher salt, ½ cup sugar and mix until combined. At low speed, add the rest of the flour (2 ¾ cups) gradually (½ cup at a time), then add the butter 2-3 pieces at a time. Beat until the dough mixture is shiny, sticky, and supple. Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled large mixing bowl. Cover with wrap and allow to rise in a draft-free area or proofing setting on your oven, until it's doubled (1 ½-2 hours). You can use this time to clean up, prepare the loaf pans, make the egg wash, and make the filling.
3. Make the Egg Wash: Combine egg yolk and half and half in a small mixing bowl, cover, and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Assemble the Chocolate Babka Bread: Grease 2 loaf pans and lines them with parchment paper. Punch the dough down. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, divide the dough in half and work with one at a time. Roll the dough out into a 10 x 18-inch rectangle (have the long side near to you). Using a brush, spread half of the 5 tablespoons of the softened butter on the surface of the bread in a thin layer. Sprinkle half the chocolate evenly over the dough, making sure to leave a ½-inch border around the edge of the bread dough. Sprinkle half the ¼ cup sugar evenly over the chocolate. Brush some of the egg wash along all edges of the bread dough. Roll the bread dough into a log slowly and carefully along the long edge, pinching the seams shut at the end and along the length of the dough. Bring the ends of the log together to form an "O" and pinch together. Twist it into a figure 8 and then again to make a double twist. Alternately, if you do a melted spread or chocolate hazelnut spread, you can cut the dough log lengthwise and twist it together and then place it in the pan) Place the dough into the loaf pan. Repeat with the other bread dough. Brush the dough with egg wash (reserve some for before baking). Cover with greased wrap (where it touches the dough). Allow the dough to have the 2nd rise in a draft-free area (or proofing setting on your oven) for 1-2 hours. The dough should reach the top of the loaf pans. Optionally, you can place the bread doughs in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours, when you are ready to bake, take them out of the refrigerator and allow them to warm up to room temperature 3-4 hours, and then bake. Place the rack in the middle of the oven. To bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (176.667°C), brush the loaves with any remaining egg wash, bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown (the bottom should also sound hollow when you tap it with your fingers as a test). Cool the loaves on a wire baking rack when done baking. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• You can melt the chocolate to make a continuous chocolate ribbon in the chocolate babka bread.
• Chocolate Hazelnut Babka (Nutella Babka): You can use a chocolate hazelnut spread (for example, Nutella) instead of the chocolate chip filling
• Storage: The bread will last up to 3 weeks if wrapped in plastic wrap and in tin foil when frozen in the freezer.
• Nutritional Serving Estimate: The serving size is based on 1 slice and the recipe makes 2 loaves which make 11 slices each.

Recipe Attribution

This recipe is inspired by Chocolate Babka from epicurious.com.

If you also want another Babka recipe, this Chocolate Babka, from Javi of Vituperio Artisan Breads & Studio.

The page doesn't give the full recipe but you can buy her Chocolate Babka from her bakery or take a class on how to make it.

I have had it before and it is so good!

I profiled her bakery in a blog post below.

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This post was first published on 2/17/2021 and updated and republished on 7/22/2021.

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Chocolate Babka

Yield: 2 loaves

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

This Chocolate Babka Recipe is a sweet bread recipe with a ribbon of chocolate chips (or melted chocolate) throughout the bread. This recipe makes two loaves.

Print

Ingredients

• Canola oil spray, for spraying the loaf pan and parchment paper

Dough

• ¾ cup whole milk or half and half (temperature 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
• ½ cup granulated white sugar, plus 2 teaspoons, divided
• 3 teaspoons (2, ¼ ounce packets) active dry yeast
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature or slightly softened

Filling

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (or the same amount chocolate melting wafters, if making a chocolate spread)
• ¼ cup granulated white sugar

Egg Wash

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon half and half (you can substitute the same amount heavy whipping cream or whole milk)

Instructions

1. Make the Dough: Gather the ingredients for the chocolate babka bread. Activate the yeast: In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the warm milk and yeast, stir and allow it to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Add ½ cup of the flour and combine. Add the 2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, vanilla extract, kosher salt, ½ cup sugar and mix until combined. At low speed, add the rest of the flour (2 ¾ cups) gradually (½ cup at a time), then add the butter 2-3 pieces at a time. Beat until the dough mixture is shiny, sticky, and supple. Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled large mixing bowl. Cover with wrap and allow to rise in a draft-free area or proofing setting on your oven, until it's doubled (1 ½-2 hours). You can use this time to clean up, prepare the loaf pans, make the egg wash, and make the filling.
2. Make the Egg Wash: Combine egg yolk and half and half in a small mixing bowl, cover, and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Assemble the Chocolate Babka Bread: Grease 2 loaf pans and line them with parchment paper. Punch the dough down. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, divide the dough in half and work with one at a time. Roll the dough out into a 10 x 18-inch rectangle (have the long side near to you). Using a brush, spread half of the 5 tablespoons of the softened butter on the surface of the bread in a thin layer. Sprinkle half the chocolate evenly over the dough, making sure to leave a ½-inch border around the edge of the bread dough. Sprinkle half the ¼ cup sugar evenly over the chocolate. Brush some of the egg wash along all edges of the bread dough. Roll the bread dough into a log slowly and carefully along the long edge, pinching the seams shut at the end and along the length of the dough. Bring the ends of the log together to form an "O" and pinch together. Twist it into a figure 8 and then again to make a double twist. Alternately, if you do a melted spread or chocolate hazelnut spread, you can cut the dough log lengthwise and twist it together and then place it in the pan) Place the dough into the loaf pan. Repeat with the other bread dough. Brush the dough with egg wash (reserve some for before baking). Cover with greased wrap (where it touches the dough). Allow the dough to have the 2nd rise in a draft-free area (or proofing setting on your oven) for 1-2 hours. The dough should reach the top of the loaf pans. Optionally, you can place the bread doughs in the refridgerator for 8-12 hours, when you are ready to bake, take them out of the refridgerator and allow them to warm up to room temperature 3-4 hours, and then bake. Place the rack in the middle of the oven. To bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (176.667°C), brush the loaves with any remaining egg wash, bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown (the bottom should also sound hollow when you tap it with your fingers as a test). Cool the loaves on a wire baking rack when done baking. Enjoy!

Notes

You can melt the chocolate to make a continuous chocolate ribbon in the chocolate babka bread

Chocolate Hazelnut Babka (Nutella Babka): You can use a chocolate hazelnut spread (for example, Nutella) instead of the chocolate chip filling

Storage: The bread will last up to 3 weeks if wrapped in plastic wrap and in tin foil when frozen in the freezer.

Nutritional Serving Estimate: The serving size is based on 1 slice and the recipe makes 2 loaves which make 11 slices each.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 22 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 180Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 97mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 4g

Please note that the Calculated Nutrition is an estimate at best.

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom. She lives in New Jersey by way of New England and New York, with her husband and 3 kids under 8. She loves design, being creative, and spending time with family and friends. She loves checking out local businesses and eats and being apart of the local farm to table community.

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