The BEST Chocolate Babka Recipe

There’s nothing like a slice of tender, chocolate-swirled babka. In this straightforward recipe, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to nail the brioche dough and master the bread (trust us, it’s easier than you think). 

What is Chocolate Babka? 

Chocolate babka is a sweet braided brioche bread. It’s made by rolling a yeasted dough with a chocolate filling and then braiding the pieces together. Once baked, babka is tender, buttery, and makes for a beautiful presentation. Although Jewish in heritage, you’ll find this bread eaten all over Europe.

How to Make Chocolate Babka from Scratch

To make things easier, we’ve broken up the process for making chocolate babka into four different steps – making the dough, making the filling, shaping the loaf (braiding), and baking the babka. 

How to Make Babka Dough

• Mix the Ingredients: Mix the all-purpose flour, sugar, active dry yeast, and salt. Add the large eggs and water, then knead to combine.
• Add in the Butter Slices: Knead the dough on medium speed while slowly adding the butter slices in until the dough is shiny and elastic.
• Refrigerate the Dough: Allow the dough to rest in a well-oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 40 minutes before shaping.

How to Make Chocolate Babka Filling

• Divide the Dough: Divide the dough into two pieces and roll them into rectangles with a rolling pin. Spread the chocolate filling over each rectangle with a knife or offset spatula.
• Roll & Seal the Dough: Roll the rectangle (starting at one of the long edges) into a tight roll. Pinch the end to seal.
• Braid the Bread: Cut each roll into two pieces and twist the two pieces (with the cut sides up) to form two babka rolls. Add shaped babka to loaf pans lined with parchment paper and let them rise covered with a towel in a warm spot for 45 minutes.

How to Shape Chocolate Babka

• Divide the Dough: Divide the dough into two pieces and roll them into rectangles with a rolling pin. Spread the chocolate filling over each rectangle with a knife or offset spatula.
• Roll & Seal the Dough: Roll the rectangle (starting at one of the long edges) into a tight roll. Pinch the end to seal.
• Braid the Bread: Cut each roll into two pieces and twist the two pieces (with the cut sides up) to form two babka rolls. Add shaped babka to loaf pans lined with parchment paper and let them rise covered with a towel in a warm spot for 45 minutes.

Baking Chocolate Babka

• Bake the Babka: Bake the babka loaves in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
• Make the Soaking Syrup: While the babka is baking, make the syrup by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan and simmering until the sugar is dissolved.
• Brush the Bread: Brush the baked babkas with syrup. Remove the loaves from the pans and allow them to cool on a wire rack before serving.

3 Tips for Making Bakery-Worthy Chocolate Babka 

These pointers will help you make a chocolate babka worthy of any bakery window. 

• Use a standing mixer to speed up the process. To save your forearms the work and speed up the process, enlist the help of a standing mixer with a dough hook to turn the dough perfectly elastic. 
• Shape the dough on a well-floured surface. To prevent the dough from sticking and being too difficult to work with, shape it on a well-floured surface. 
• Opt for unsalted butter. Avoid altering the sweet taste of the bread but use unsalted butter for the dough and chocolate filling.

Making Chocolate Babka in Advance

There are two different ways you can prep your babka in advance – storing the dough or freezing it unbaked.

• Refrigerate the Dough: To make chocolate babka in advance, you can refrigerate the babka dough for up to two days. You can also freeze the fully baked babka that has been tightly sealed and fully wrapped.
• Freeze the Babka Unbaked: Optionally, you can freeze the unbaked babka. After you form the babka into shape, place it on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze. Once fully frozen you can transfer it to an airtight container. When ready to bake, allow to thaw at room temperature for 5 hours before baking.

Storing Baked Chocolate Babka 

To store chocolate babka for up to 3 days, keep it at room temperature in an airtight container. You can keep it fresh for even longer by wrapping it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freezing it for up to 1 month. To thaw the babka, place it on the countertop for a couple of hours and optionally reheat it in the oven for a couple of minutes. 

FAQ

More of Brioche & Sweet Bread Recipes

• Brioche Bread – Airy, flaky, and great for french toast!
• Brioche Buns – Fluffy, light, and perfect for your next BBQ
• Poppy Seed Rolls – No-rise sweet poppy seed rolls
• Fruit Piroshki Recipe – Eastern European jam-filled pastry

Recipe

The best Chocolate Babka Recipe

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Servings

16 servings

Prep Time 1 hr 20 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 2 hrs

Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin

This tasty chocolate babka is a classic Eastern European bread that’s lightly sweet and swirled with chocolate. So easy to make and a real work of art!

Ingredients

Babka Dough

• 4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup lukwarm water 110°F
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature

Babka Chocolate Filling

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
• 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar or chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Babka Syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

US Units – Metric

Instructions

Babka Dough

• Add all-purpose flour, sugar, active dry yeast, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine.
  
• Stir in the eggs and water. Knead until the ingredients are well-incorporated.
  
• Cut the butter into small cubes. Add one cube in at a time as you knead the dough until it's shiny and elastic.
  
• Place the dough into a large, oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 40 minutes.
  

Chocolate Babka Filling

• When using a whole chocolate bar, chop the chocolate into pieces and set it aside. If using chocolate chips, keep them as is. In a heavy saucepan over medium-low, combine the butter, sugar, chocolate, and cocoa powder.
  
• Cook and stir until the chocolate sauce becomes creamy. Set in the fridge so it cools and thickens into a spreadable consistency.
  

Making Chocolate Babka

• Butter two 9-inch bread pans. Line them with parchment paper.
  
• Divide the dough into two pieces. Roll each piece into a rectangle.
  
• Use a knife to spread the filling on each rectangle of dough.
  
• Starting from the long side, roll the dough rectangle into a roll and pinch the end to seal it.
  
• Use a sharp knife to cut the roll lengthwise into two pieces. With the cut side facing up, twist the two pieces together. Pinch the edges and gently press them together to seal.
  
• Move each babka into a loaf pan. Cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
  
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the towel from the loaves and place them in the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
  

Babka Syrup

• Combine the sugar with water in a heavy bottom pot. Bring it to a simmer and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
  
• Once the babkas are fully-baked, brush the tops with the syrup. Remove the babkas from the pan and allow them to fully cool before serving.
  

Nutrition Facts

The best Chocolate Babka Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 400 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 12g60%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 67mg22%

Sodium 90mg4%

Potassium 168mg5%

Carbohydrates 51g17%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 23g26%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 464IU9%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 24mg2%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.