Chocolate Swirl Babka

A community recipe by KitchenGoddess

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

Babka, also known as baba, is a sweet spongy yeast cake that is traditionally baked for Easter Sunday. Babka originated in Eastern Europe and was introduced to North America by early immigrants. Traditional babka has some type of fruit filling, especially raisins, and is glazed with a fruit-flavored icing, sometimes with rum added. Modern babka may be chocolate or have a cheese filling. Recipe from The King Arthur Flour Company

Ingredients

Serves: 12 slices approx

For the Dough

1¼ cups water
2 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces)
3 cups unbleached bread flour
⅓ cup powdered milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
2½ teaspoons dried yeast

For the Filling

5 ounces sugar
2½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon clear gelatine

For the Topping

3 tablespoons melted butter glazing

Method

Chocolate Swirl Babka is a community recipe submitted by KitchenGoddess and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Check the dough's consistency about 7 minutes after the kneading cycle begins, adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball of dough.

While the dough is rising, combine all the filling ingredients in a small bowl, and then set them aside.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and roll it into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle. Brush it lightly with melted butter, and sprinkle the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges.

Starting at a short end, roll the dough up jelly-roll style. Pinch the ends closed, and tuck them under.

Place the loaf, seam-side down, in a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Spray the top of the loaf lightly with vegetable oil spray, and cover it with plastic wrap (or a proof cover). Let it rise for about 45 minutes; it wonâ€™t double in size, but should just barely crown over the rim of the pan.

Baking: Bake the loaf in a preheated 350Â°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until its sides have pulled away slightly from the pan. Remove the loaf from the oven and, after about 5 minutes, remove it from the pan. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Brush loaf with melted butter and dust with confectionersâ€™ sugar (or the sugar of your choice) just before serving.

Yield: 1 loaf, 12 slices. Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 72g): 192 cal, 2g fat, 5g protein, 25g complex carbohydrates, 13g sugar, 2g dietary fibre, 6mg cholesterol, 287mg sodium, 149mg potassium, 37RE vitamin A, 2mg iron, 52mg calcium, 81mg phosphorus, 1mg caffeine.