Chocolate and Orange Babka
Good morning everyone! Rise and shine!!!
Two things before we begin. This recipe yields two babka, and the color of my dough is darker than the one you’ll get since I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour because I got the wrong flour at the supermarket.
First and foremost, you may ask what a babka is. So here’s your response. Babka is a delicious braided brioche that originated in Polish and Ukrainian Jewish communities. It is well-known in Israel and across the Jewish diaspora. It’s made using a yeast-leavened dough that’s rolled out and filled with a filling like chocolate, cinnamon, fruit, or cheese before being rolled up and braided before baking.
This one is absolutely delicious, but I won’t lie, it takes a long time, which is why you should make two at the same time so you can freeze one and save it for later without having to restart the long process.
However, the work spent making is well worth it. It’s soft, and the orange flavor is delicious. It’s ideal for a Sunday brunch with friends and family.
I’ll let you test this recipe and keep an eye out for the third episode of my podcast on New Year’s resolutions, which will be broadcast next week.
Byye
Chocolate and Orange Babka
Ingredients
Dough
- 600 gr Flour
- 70 gr Sugar
- 240 gr Lukewarm water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 100 gr Vegetable oil
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Orange (only the zests)
- 10 gr Baking yeast
Filling
- 120 gr Butter
- 120 gr Dark chocolate
- 50 gr Sugar
- 30 gr Bitter cocoa
Sirup
- 1 Orange (only the juice, so you can use the one used for the dough)
- 80 gr Sugar
Instructions
Dough
- Pour the yeast into a glass and add a little lukewarm water and sugar, set aside for 10 minutes.
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Add the yeast mixture, water, oil, and eggs.
- On a floured work surface, knead in the orange peel. Knead the dough until it is smooth and comes off easily.
- Cover the dough and let it double in size. (I usually place the dough in an oven that has previously been preheated to 30 degrees but has now been turned off).
- In the meantime, prepare the filling.
- When the dough has doubled in size, place it on a lightly floured work surface. De-air the dough by pressing it down well, then separate it into 2 pieces.
- Spread the two parts out to the width of your cake tins and lengthwise enough to obtain a thickness of about 2 to 3 mm.
Filling
- Melt the chocolate with the butter for 1' in the microwave, whisk well then add the sugar and bitter cocoa, set aside.
- Spread the filling over each part, spread well and roll them up.
- Wrap each roll in cling film leaving room for them to expand, at this stage you can store them in the fridge overnight where they will rise slowly until the next morning.
- The next day, cut the ends of the 2 rolls and slice them in half lengthwise, twisting them out of the mould. Place them in the moulds and let them double in size once again in the oven.
- In the meantime, prepare the sirup.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and bake for 30'.
Sirup
- Combine the sugar and orange juice in a pot over medium heat and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Brush the babka with the sweet orange syrup as soon as they come out of the oven and enjoy!