My Challah-Babka hybrid

The babka of my dreams lives in one of my favourite New York neighbourhoods, and is made by Russ & Daughters, where it makes for the most indulgent breakfast or coffee accompaniment. If you’re lucky to live in the US, you can order online from them, they have the most delicious lox and so many other deli specialties I am addicted to. If not, you can do like me and bake your own homemade version.

Not quite as sweet as a cake but definitely leaning towards dessert, babka is a sweet buttery yeast bread, usually with swirls of chocolate or cinnamon running through. Those swirls pull apart into the most irresistible layers, so rolling and braiding your babka is quite key. Also, like all enriched doughs, making babka is time-consuming, mostly inactive time, waiting for the dough to rise, but patience is a big thing here. Good news, we all have a little extra time these days.

Disclaimer: my recipe is not a real babka one, because it has no eggs (hence it doesn’t raise as much), less butter and less sugar than the original recipe. My dough is almost that of a challah, although it does have milk and butter, so I call this is a hybrid… I do this for two reasons: the original babka recipe creates a dough that is very soft and I find it difficult to roll and braid, and my version is a little “healthier” (in the sweet bread category, this is not spinach soup clearly), so you can have some every fortnight without fearing a heart attack.

I always start by activating the instant yeast, by mixing it with the milk at room temperature and the sugar. I then add the flour, salt and butter and make a dough. If you like a little vanilla in your dough this is the time to add it; I find orange blossom doesn’t work well with chocolate (it does work in plain challah though… oh so well…) but orange zest does. If you have a stand mixer with a dough attachment or a Thermomix, it’s easier, otherwise using a hand whisk and your hands is also fine.

Now you wait. Your dough needs to rest at least an hour; I usually leave it in a bowl covered with a slightly wet cloth, in a dark and warm place. If you’re making your babka ahead, you can also put the bowl in the fridge and bring it out the next morning when you’re ready to work it. This recipe will make one large babka, or two smaller ones (just divide the dough after the first proof and repeat each step twice… maybe trying different flavours).

Roll out the dough onto a floured surface, making a rough rectangle, then spread the chocolate paste (we all know which one tastes amazing on this… don’t make me spell it, it’s the one that’s really loaded with palm oil, I haven’t been able to find good enough alternatives in South Africa but in London I used to get some really delicious palm oil free ones from Whole Foods, oh well, sorry…) to the edges of your sheet, and sprinkle with the nuts, and for extra deliciousness you can add some chocolate chunks in the middle, but remember the more stuff you add the harder rolling this baby will be. If you’re making a cinnamon babka then you make a spreadable paste with butter, sugar and cinnamon.

You then roll your dough: try to do it by rolling the short side over, so that you get more swirls into your babka. Once rolled, use a sharp knife to cut your roll down the middle to expose the chocolate and dough layers. You now have two long half rolls, which you cross at the middle before recrossing on both sides until you have a braid-like shape.

Transfer into a buttered loaf tin and, you guessed it, let it rest again. An hour to an hour and a half is perfect. Place into a warm oven and bake at 180°C for about 45 minutes. Test for done-ness (is that a word?) by poking with a skewer and checking if it comes out clean and dry. Or use a thermometer and see that the inside of your babka is at about 100°C.  Bring the loaf out and leave it to cool in its tin over a cooling rack.

Ok, if you want to go really out out you make a syrup during the bake by mixing equal parts of sugar and water, and you can pour it over the cooling babka (make some little holes in it with a little pick). It makes for a super soft and sweet bread, but I prefer it a little dryer so I usually just egg-wash the babka before baking… Like I said, I don’t have the sweetest tooth… Happiness is when you cut the babka into slices and discover all the swirls and folds you worked into your bread. I like it with strong coffee for breakfast… but also as an afternoon treat, anytime really. This is the perfect recipe for people who aren’t into the heavy butter in things like pain au chocolat (I really can’t take the crumbly buttery texture of croissanterie) but love the mix of bread and chocolate. Let me know if you try it…

With love, S.