Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Chocolate Babka

December 27, 2022 at 10:38 pm | Posted in breakfast things, BWD, groups, muffins/quick breads, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 8 Comments
Tags: baking, brekkie, cake

I don’t really have a baking bucket list, but if I did, I’d now be able tick babka off it. Any good New Yorker knows that Chocolate Babka is the superior babka, so I was pretty excited (but a little intimidated) to make this. Turns out, it’s not too hard; it just requires some time spread out over a couple of days. Dorie’s buttery brioche dough is the base for this sweet yeasted loaf, and we’ve made that dough a number of times now. Like making cinnamon buns, you roll out your well-chilled dough, smear it with a sweet cocoa paste and then spiral it into a log. Unlike cinnamon buns, you cut the log in half lengthwise to expose long ribbons of the chocolate filling, and then twist the two halves into a ropey thing and squeeze it into a loaf pan to proof. Before going into the oven, Dorie tops her babka with a crust of crisp, rubbly streusel, which not all babkas have and is kind of gilding the lily, but I’m here for it.

My loaf rose and baked tall, and I was so excited to cut into it and see what kind of pattern the chocolate took on. Some slices had stripes and others had swirls. All tasted equally delicious…buttery soft bread with chocolate pockets and crunchy topping. Elaine is right that it is dinner party-worthy.

If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan yet, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!

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Wow! That is impressive. And lovely!

Comment by lovielou— December 28, 2022 #

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This is very cool!

Comment by Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen— December 28, 2022 #

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My goodness, your babka has tremendous height! Well done.

Comment by Shirley @ EverOpenSauce— December 28, 2022 #

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- thank you! I have a pullman pan that measures 9×4, and I used that rather than a 9×5.
  
  Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— December 28, 2022 #
  
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  - That’s brilliant!
    
    Comment by Shirley @ EverOpenSauce— December 30, 2022 #
The chocolate gooey-ness in your picture makes me want that slice haha. Good job on checking the “non-existent” bucket list 😃✅

Comment by isthisakeeper— December 29, 2022 #

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Your babka looks great. The pattern is lovely. And yes, chocolate is the superior babka!

Comment by Cakelaw— December 30, 2022 #

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Glad you were able to tick this one off the list. It is an impressive loaf. Happy New Year!

Comment by Diane Zwang— December 31, 2022 #

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