I bake this chocolate babka when I want a cozy kitchen and a soft slice. This chocolate bread recipe stays tender and rich. Friends ask for my chocolate bread pudding recipe and even a white chocolate bread pudding recipe so I point them here. It nods to my chocolate banana bread recipe my chocolate sourdough bread recipe and even my 1 banana bread recipe and 3 banana bread recipe.
Table of Contents
- 1 Key Takeaways
- 2 Easy Chocolate Babka Recipe
- 3 Ingredients for Chocolate Babka
- 4 How to Make Chocolate Babka
- 5 Tips for Making Chocolate Babka
- 6 Making Chocolate Babka Ahead of Time
- 7 Storing Leftover Chocolate Babka
- 8 Try these Bread next
- 9 Chocolate Babka
- 10 Nutrition
1 Key Takeaways
This bake gives soft crumb and deep cocoa swirls. The dough stays tender. The syrup adds shine and keeps each slice lush. I share a method that fits real life. We rest the dough when the kitchen runs warm. We twist the strands with calm hands. We brush syrup right when the loaf leaves the oven. I test this often in my home kitchen at Elena Cooks at www.elenacooks.com. I keep notes and tweak small steps. You get a smooth path from bowl to pan to plate.
We use pantry flour sugar yeast butter eggs milk and chocolate. Nothing odd. You can swap milk chocolate for dark if kids ask for a sweeter slice. You can add orange zest for a bright note. This method scales for two loaves. You can freeze one for later. The braid looks fancy yet the work stays simple. You will cut clean ribbons. You will feel the dough spring under your fingers.
Flavor stays balanced. Texture stays soft. Steps stay short and clear. A chocolate bread recipe can sound fussy. This one reads calm. The crumb holds. The crust takes the syrup. The kitchen smells like a tiny bakery. Friends hover near the counter. We slice. We taste. We nod.
2 Easy Chocolate Babka Recipe
I pull a bowl. I weigh flour and sugar and yeast. I mix and watch small bubbles. I add eggs and warm milk and butter. The dough turns silky and smooth. Here I whisper chocolate bread recipe and again chocolate bread recipe so the point lands. I learned this pace from many quiet mornings. The braid waits at the end. The process feels steady not rushed.
You can make this on a weeknight. You start the dough after dinner. You chill the shaped loaf. You bake next day. The crumb sets with that slow rest. This path suits busy days. I write it for home cooks who juggle work family and a stubborn sweet tooth. I write it for me too.
We skip gadgets. A stand mixer helps yet hands work fine. We use a simple pan. We line with paper. We stir a shiny filling and spread it to the edge. The twist looks bold yet comes from two neat cuts and an easy cross. This sweet chocolate yeast bread sits in the pan and rises with quiet confidence.
3 Ingredients for Chocolate Babka
Bread flour High protein flour gives strength. The loaf holds shape and still stays soft.
Instant yeast Tiny granules wake fast in warm milk. The rise stays steady and kind.
Granulated sugar Sugar sweetens the crumb and feeds the yeast. Color turns golden in the oven.
Fine salt Salt brightens flavor and reins in the yeast so the crumb sets even.
Eggs Eggs enrich the dough and add that gentle spring you feel when you press the loaf.
Whole milk Warm milk softens the crumb and helps the dough relax during knead and rise.
Unsalted butter Soft butter rubs into the dough for a tender bite and melts into the chocolate swirl.
Dark chocolate Chopped bars melt smooth and give rich flavor in each ribbon.
Cocoa powder Cocoa boosts the swirl and deepens color without extra sweetness.
Sugar syrup Simple water and sugar brushed on the hot loaf lock in shine and moisture.
4 How to Make Chocolate Babka
Step 1 mix dry Whisk flour sugar yeast and salt. Keep the bowl close. The blend looks even and fine.
Step 2 add wet Beat eggs with warm milk. Pour into the bowl. Stir until a shaggy dough forms and no dry pockets stay.
Step 3 knead smooth Knead by mixer or by hand. Add soft butter in small bits. The dough turns glossy and elastic and pulls from the bowl.
Step 4 first rise Cover. Set in a warm spot. Let the dough puff until it looks light and airy and springs back slow when pressed.
Step 5 make filling Melt chocolate with butter. Stir in sugar and cocoa. The paste turns shiny and spreadable. Cool slightly.
Step 6 shape Roll dough to a neat rectangle. Spread filling edge to edge. Roll into a log with seam down. Cut lengthwise. Twist the two strands. Tuck the ends.
Step 7 second rise Lift the twist into a lined pan. Let it rise until it crowns above the rim.
Step 8 bake and glaze Bake until deep brown. Simmer water and sugar. Brush the hot loaf until the syrup vanishes into the crust. Cool then slice.
5 Tips for Making Chocolate Babka
Use room temp eggs milk and butter. Cold parts slow gluten and rise. Warm and gentle parts help the dough relax.
Chill the filled log for a short time. The chill sets the chocolate so the cut lines stay tidy. You get clear ribbons that twist with ease.
Tent with foil if color runs dark near the end. The crumb keeps baking and the crust stops from overbrowning. This braided chocolate bread loves that small guard.
6 Making Chocolate Babka Ahead of Time
Make the dough and let it rise once. Shape the twist. Set it in the pan. Wrap and chill. The cold slows the yeast and deepens flavor. Next day you bake with little prep.
For longer holds freeze the shaped loaf. Wrap well. Freeze flat. Move to the fridge a day before baking. Let it rise at room temp until puffy. Bake as written.
You can bake fully then cool and freeze slices. Wrap two slices together so they thaw fast for a quick treat. This approach turns a chocolate bread recipe into weekday comfort on demand.
7 Storing Leftover Chocolate Babka
Cool the loaf. Slip slices into a container with a snug lid. Store at room temp for two days. The syrup keeps crumb soft.
For day three and four move to the fridge. Warm slices in a low oven. The chocolate softens. The crumb wakes up.
For longer storage wrap and freeze. Reheat from frozen in a gentle oven. Serve with coffee. The sweet chocolate loaf tastes like fresh bake. Mention a white chocolate bread pudding recipe if you plan a second life for extra slices.
8 Try these Bread next
9 Chocolate Babka
Chocolate Babka That Feels Homemade chocolate bread recipe
Ingredients
For the dough
- 520 g bread flour
- 90 g sugar
- 7 g instant yeast
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 large eggs at room temp
- 120 ml warm milk
- 120 g unsalted butter soft
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling
- 150 g dark chocolate chopped
- 90 g unsalted butter
- 80 g sugar
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp instant espresso optional
For the syrup
- 120 ml water
- 120 g sugar
Instructions
Make the dough
- Whisk flour sugar yeast and salt in a bowl.
- Beat eggs and warm milk in a mixer then add the dry mix.
- Knead until smooth then add butter in small pieces and vanilla and keep mixing until the dough clears the bowl and feels elastic.
- Cover and let rise in a warm spot until puffy about 60 to 90 minutes.
Make the filling
- Melt chocolate and butter in a small pan on low heat.
- Stir in sugar cocoa and espresso to make a glossy paste.
- Cool until spreadable.
Shape
- Roll the dough to a large rectangle on a floured board.
- Spread the filling edge to edge and roll up into a log with the seam down.
- Slice the log lengthwise to reveal ribbons then twist the two strands and tuck the ends.
- Lift into a lined loaf pan and cover.
- Let rise until the dough crowns over the rim about 45 to 60 minutes.
Bake and finish
- Heat oven to 175 C.
- Bake until deep brown and set 35 to 40 minutes.
- Simmer water and sugar for the syrup until clear then cool a bit.
- Brush the hot loaf with syrup until it drinks it all.
- Cool in the pan 15 minutes then move to a rack and slice when warm.
10 Nutrition
Serving size one slice. Calories about three hundred twenty. Sugar near twenty two grams. Sodium near one hundred fifty milligrams. Fat near fourteen grams. Saturated fat near eight grams. Carbohydrates near forty two grams. Fiber near two grams. Protein near six grams. Values are estimates from my test runs at Elena Cooks. If you fold leftover slices into a chocolate bread pudding recipe or a chocolate sourdough bread recipe the numbers will shift. A chocolate banana bread recipe built from extra slices will change values too.
Author Elena for Elena Cooks at www.elenacooks.com.
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