Nutella Babka- Chocolate Brioche Bread

Chocolate Brioche Bread -Sweet, Rich Yeasty bread filled with Nutella

Course Baking

Cuisine Jewish

Keyword Chocolate Babka

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 40

Proofing Time 2

Total Time 1 40

Servings Loaves

Calories 1805kcal

Author Chhavi

Equipment

Oven

Ingredients

3 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour Refined White Flour (read notes)
2 Teaspoon Instant Active Yeast
2 Teaspoon Salt Reduce if using Salted Butter
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoon Butter Unsalted, Cold
2 Eggs
12 Ounces Milk 1.5 cups; add little at a time.

Filling( for 2 babka loaves )

24 Ounces Nutella 700 gms; 2 Full jars; one for each loaf.

Syrup

2 Ounces Water ¼ cup
2 Ounces of Sugar ¼ Cup

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Kneading Using a Stand Mixer(Option 1)

Add the flour, yeast, salt, sugar and cubed cold butter in the stand mixer.
Pulse till the butter disintegrates and mixes with the flour.(but you should see the specks)
Add the eggs one by one.
Slowly add in the ¾ cup of milk . The dough should start to come together now. Process for 1 minute. If it seems too dry add 1 tablespoon of milk in increments till you get a soft dough.
Take the dough out.

Kneading with Hand(Option 2)

Mix in the flour, yeast,sugar and salt in a large sturdy bowl.Add the cold cubed butter.
Now pinch the butter with your index finger and thumb and mix it with the flour. Rub the butter in the flour till you don't have any big cubes of butter left but small clumps of it.
Add the eggs and ¾ cup milk. Start by mixing and wetting all the ingredients. Once the dough starts to come together , add more milk in 1 tablespoon increments if the dough is dry or if it's too wet add more flour.
Knead the dough well for about 10 minute. Stretch and fold..and Repeat.This is done to develop Gluten.If this step is omitted the bread will be chewy instead of pillowy.

Proofing the Bread

Use a large bowl for this step. It should be big enough to fit a triple amount of the dough.
Keep the kneaded bread in a bowl, covered with wet kitchen towel for 2-4 hours.
The slower way is to keep the dough in a covered bowl(use cling film) in the refridgerator for 8-10 hours.

Rolling the Dough and last proof

If in the refrigerator, take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Knead the dough for 2 minutes to make it pliable.Divide it into two halves.
Make a ball(rectangularish) of the one half and roll it into a rectangle. About ¼ inch thick.
Spread the Nutella in the rectangle by leaving 1 inch space. Be generous.
Optional step : Keep it in the fridge for 10 minutes to make it easier to cut.
Cut the log along it's length and then braid it. Take one over the other alternatively.
Tuck the ends under. Lift this into a prepared loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Cover again with cling film or damp kitchen towel. It's okay if it doesnt look spectacular yet. It will,once it rises.
Let it rise for another 30 min-1 hour.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 356 F.
Place the babka on a baking tray.Tent it with aluminium foil.
Bake the babka in the oven for about 35-40 minutes.Remove the aluminimu foil at the 20 minute mark.
Bread is done if the skewer inserted comes in clean.Also when you knock on the back of the bread and it feels hollow.

Syrup

Make this ahead of time so that it can be brushed over the bread as soon as it's out of the oven.
Heat the sugar and water in a sauce pan together till the sugar crystals dissolve and the syrup thickens.
Brush it generously over the babka for the beautiful glossy look.

Notes

Milk - Start by adding ¾ cup of milk.If needed, add more 1 tablespoon at a time.You might not need to use up 1 ½ cup of milk fully.

All Purpose Flour- Don't use whole wheat flour or any other substitution. The texture will not be the same.

Nutella - Feel free to use any other chocolate spread to make this babka too.

Tips and Tricks

Use the Slap-and-Fold Method: Flap the dough down on the counter and fold. Do this a couple of times until the dough turns from sticky to smooth.

Sticky Dough - A sticky dough will become smoother when you knead it. Also, it will get better once you let it rise the first time.

Slow Ferment—Overnight Refrigerator Ferment will make your babka super soft. If you use this method for the first rise, let the dough come to room temperature before rolling.

Cold dough will be super difficult to roll.

Switch up the filling—Add Cinnamon and nutmeg for special holiday cheer. You can also add sea salt and orange or lemon zest.

Nutrition