Chocolate Swirl Babka Gold Medal Flour Food

CHOCOLATE-SWIRL BABKA

Steps:

• Combine flour, yeast and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, milk, whole egg and egg yolk; beat with mixer until mixture forms soft dough.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface; knead 5 min. or until smooth and elastic. Shape into ball. Place in bowl sprayed with cooking spray; turn. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, combine chopped chocolate, cinnamon and remaining sugar.
• Punch down dough; place on floured surface. Roll out to 16-inch square. Reserve 1/4 cup chocolate mixture; sprinkle dough with remaining chocolate mixture to within 1 inch of edges.
• Line 8x4-inch loaf pan with parchment; spray with cooking spray. Roll up dough into log; pinch ends together to seal. Hold both ends of log, then twist several times in opposite directions. Bring both short ends together to fold dough in half; pinch ends together to seal. Hold both ends to twist roll twice; place in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place 30 min. to 1 hour or until nearly doubled in volume.
• Heat oven to 350ºF. Uncover dough. Bake 40 to 45 min. or until bread is golden brown, sprinkling with reserved chocolate mixture after 20 min. Cool bread in pan 10 min. Remove to wire rack; cool completely.

CHOCOLATE BABKA (JEWISH CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAD)

Steps:

• Add yeast to lukewarm milk, stir, and let sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to a stand mixer. Make a well with your finger, add milk/yeast, vanilla extract, eggs, and egg yolk, briefly mixing the eggs.
• Turn on stand mixer with bread hook extension and slowly add room temp butter, piece-by-piece, until it has all become incorporated. Let the mixer knead for a few more minutes.
• On a floured surface, knead by hand a few times and fold into roughly a brick shape. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours at room temp and then 1-2 hours in the fridge.
• When dough is almost finished rising, make the chocolate filling by melting the butter in a glass bowl set over a pot of water on simmer. Add chocolate, piece-by-piece, and stirring constantly, until melting. Stir in powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
• Divide dough into two pieces. On the same floured surface, roll out dough using a rolling pin into a thin rectangle. Scoop half of the chocolate filling onto this and gently spread it over the dough, leaving about a ½ inch on all sides.
• On the long-side, gently roll dough into a swirl. Place on a baking sheet in the freezer for 6-8minutes (you can make the other loaf meanwhile).
• Remove dough swirl from the freezer and cut it in half, longitudinally. With the cut ends facing up, braid the two half swirls together. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and coat with some oil. Place braid into this pan (if the braid is too long, just fold it inwards on both sides). Repeat for the other loaf.
• Let rest, covered with a dish towel, for 2-3 hours. After it has risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the water with sugar to a boil and then take off the heat. When the bread is ready, spoon over the simple syrup you made onto the top of the bread. Let rest on a cooling rack for a bit but feel free to slice and eat it while still warm.

CHOCOLATE BRAIDED SWIRL BREAD (BABKA) RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Combine the yeast and warm milk and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• In large mixing bowl, add the egg, egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, and honey and whisk to combine.
• Add in the milk and yeast mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
• Gradually add in the flour and mix until fully incorporated.
• Gradually add in the butter and mix until fully incorporated.
• Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Bring out the dough onto floured work surface and knead until smooth.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts and place in bowls and cover each with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature for at least two hours, or when it has doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
• For the chocolate sauce, combine bittersweet chocolate, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, espresso powder, and turbinado sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Stir to combine and set aside.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer to a floured work surface and roll both pieces of dough into a rectangle roughly 10x15-inches.
• Cover the dough with half of the chocolate sauce leaving an ½ inch - 1 inch of room on all sides.
• Gently roll the dough up and repeat with second piece of dough and remaining chocolate sauce.
• Using a bench scraper or a knife, carefully cut each log vertically in half making sure the seam is side down.
• Lay one piece of dough horizontally and lay another piece over it vertically so you have a rough 'plus sign'.
• Lay another piece horizontally over the vertical piece and above the other horizontal piece.
• Lay the final piece vertically on the right of the other vertical piece having it go over the top horizontal piece but weaving it under the lower horizontal piece.
• Starting with the bottom vertical piece on the right side, bring it to the left layering it over the other vertical lower piece.
• Follow this method around the dough clockwise.
• Once returned to the bottom lower vertical pieces. Take the original piece you crossed over (the lower left vertical piece) and cross that over to the right layering it over the last piece you used. Continue this counterclockwise until back at the bottom or you are unable to layer the dough anymore.
• Tuck in the excess pieces of dough under the bread.
• Transfer the bread into a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.
• Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE BABKA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Sprinkle the yeast over the milk in a liquid measuring cup; add a pinch of sugar and set aside until bubbly, about 7 minutes. Combine the flour, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, the eggs, yeast mixture, salt, vanilla, nutmeg and lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until soft and smooth, about 5 minutes. Knead in the butter in three additions, dusting the dough with flour if it's too sticky. Transfer the dough to a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough, re-cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the fridge overnight.
• Make the filling: Heat the sugar, heavy cream and salt in a saucepan until scalding. Pour over the bittersweet chocolate chips, butter and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and shiny. Let cool to room temperature.
• Make the topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a separate bowl; work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is sandy and chunky. Stir in the mini chocolate chips; set the topping aside.
• Form the loaves: Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper or chef's knife. Using a rolling pin, roll each half into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the filling on both dough rectangles, all the way to the edges. Starting from a long side, tightly roll each rectangle into a log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Unwrap the logs; cut each in half lengthwise with a bench scraper or chef's knife. Twist the halves together a few times, starting from the middle. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and line with parchment, then spray the parchment. Place a dough twist snugly in each pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 1/2 hours.
• Finish and bake the babka: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush each loaf with butter and sprinkle with the topping. Bake until browned, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, make some simple syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan; simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. Pull the loaves out of the oven and immediately poke a bunch of holes in each with a wooden skewer. Pour 1 1/4 cups simple syrup evenly over the loaves.
• Let sit 10 minutes, then remove the babka from the pans, remove the parchment and let cool completely on a rack.

CHOCOLATE SWIRL BABKA - GOLD MEDAL FLOUR

Steps:

• Make Dough: In large bowl, stir yeast, warm milk, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/3 cup of the flour. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface.
• Use wooden spoon to stir in 6 tablespoons softened butter, egg and salt. Stir in 1 2/3 cups of the flour until dough forms. Transfer dough to well-floured surface. Knead 10 minutes, adding just enough remaining flour until dough is soft, smooth and elastic. Return dough to bowl. Cover with towel or lightly greased plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough 6 hours.
• Grease 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray; line with cooking parchment paper. Grease parchment paper with butter or cooking spray. Make Filling: In 1-quart saucepan, melt 7 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup sugar until nearly dissolved. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate to saucepan. Let stand 1 minute, then add cocoa and cinnamon; stir until smooth.
• In 6-inch skillet, cook and stir walnuts 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat until just toasted.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to 12x20-inch rectangle. Spread filling evenly over dough to edges. Sprinkle walnuts evenly on top. Roll dough up, starting at one long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on work surface. Using sharp knife, slice dough lengthwise to within 1/2 inch from bottom of dough. Keeping cut sides up, bring ends together, twisting dough together. Place in loaf pan in rough coil. Cover and let rise about 2 hours or until doubled.
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat Syrup ingredients to boiling. Boil 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Bake loaf 30 to 35 minutes or until deep golden brown. Drizzle syrup evenly over top of warm loaf. Cool loaf completely in pan on cooling rack.
• Bread can be stored, fully cooled and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature, for up to 2 days. To freeze, wrap cooled bread in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze up to 2 months.
• Swap chopped walnuts for chopped almonds or pecans, if desired.