Chocolate Babka
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Chocolate and Nutella-swirled babka makes a crave-worthy treat any time of day.
Babka is a braided yeast bread or cake that originated in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. It is prepared with an enriched bread dough, like challah or brioche, that is filled with a sweet or savory filling, rolled up, twisted, and baked. The name “babka” comes from the Polish babcia, which translates to “grandmother,” as the bread is said to have been created by resourceful Jewish grandmothers who used leftover challah dough to make an early version of babka. Over time, the recipe evolved and the bread became sweeter and richer, with chocolate being a popular filling.
Perhaps the most famous babka, after the one mentioned on Seinfeld in 1994, is sold at Breads Bakery in NYC. It is outrageously good, and since it’s filled with Nutella rather than a homemade chocolate spread, it’s easy to make at home. I used their recipe as my starting point, but modified it to use my favorite brioche dough. Heads up: the dough requires two separate rises as well as at least 3 hours in the fridge. If you plan to bake and serve babka on the same day, it’s best to start the process the day before.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Babka
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, warm water, sugar, salt, and yeast. 
Whisk to combine, then add the eggs and egg yolk.
Whisk again to combine.
Add the flour all at once.
Stir with a wooden spoon until uniform and all of the flour is absorbed. The dough will be wet, lumpy and somewhat elastic (it will firm up in the fridge and smooth out when you knead it later).
Cover loosely with plastic wrap (be sure the bowl is completely covered but don’t make it airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to three days.
Step 2: Form the Babka
On the day of baking, grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan generously with butter. Dust a clean work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, transfer it to the work surface, and dust it lightly with flour. Knead with your hands, sprinkling more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick, for 30 seconds.
Roll out the dough into a 14-inch square, dusting more flour underneath and over the dough as necessary; it should be about ⅛ inch thick.
Using an offset spatula, spread the Nutella over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border.
Sprinkle the chocolate over the Nutella.
Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log; turn it vertically, so one end of the log is facing you, and place seam side down.
Using a sharp serrated bread knife, cut the log in half lengthwise.
Turn the cut sides up and twist the strands together, keeping the cut sides facing up.
Transfer the twisted dough to the prepared loaf pan. (This is a messy process; just do your best – it will look pretty no matter how messy it is).
Cover the babka loosely with plastic wrap (not airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 90 minutes. It will rise just a bit. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
Step 3: Bake and Glaze
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the babka is a rich golden brown color. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf should come out without any wet dough sticking to it (melted chocolate is okay). If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read between 190°F to 200°F in the center of the loaf.
Meanwhile, make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the pan with the baked babka on a rack. Immediately brush or drizzle the syrup over top. The syrup helps to add a nice sheen to the loaf while also keeping the babka moist.
Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before slicing.
How To Freeze Babka
Once the babka is completely cooled, wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap, then in foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw the wrapped babka at room temperature. Before serving, warm the babka in a 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
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Chocolate Babka
Chocolate and Nutella-swirled babka makes a crave-worthy treat any time of day.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing the pans
- ½ cup warm water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1⅛ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon rapid-rise/instant yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off, plus more for kneading and rolling
For the Chocolate Filling
- ½ cup Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread, at room temperature
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (⅔ cup), best quality
For the Syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- Generous pinch salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, warm water, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the eggs and egg yolk and whisk until evenly combined. Add the flour all at once, and stir with a wooden spoon until uniform and all of the flour is absorbed. The dough will be wet, lumpy and somewhat elastic (it will firm up in the fridge and smooth out when you knead it later). Cover loosely with plastic wrap (be sure the bowl is completely covered but don't make it airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to three days.
- On the day of baking, grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan generously with butter.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, transfer it to the work surface, and dust it lightly with flour. Knead with your hands, sprinkling more flour as necessary so the dough doesn't stick, for 30 seconds. Roll out the dough into a 14-inch square, dusting more flour underneath and over the dough as necessary; it should be about ⅛ inch thick.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the Nutella over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Sprinkle the chocolate over the Nutella. Starting with the side closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log; turn it vertically, so one end of the log is facing you, and place seam side down. Using a sharp serrated bread knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. Turn the cut sides up and twist the strands together, keeping the cut sides facing up. Transfer the twisted dough to the prepared loaf pan, tucking the ends under if necessary. (This is a messy process; just do your best – it will look pretty no matter how messy it is).
- Cover the babka loosely with plastic wrap (not airtight) and let sit at room temperature for 90 minutes. It will rise just a bit.
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the babka is a rich golden brown color. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf should come out without any wet dough sticking to it (melted chocolate is okay). If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read between 190°F to 200°F in the center of the loaf.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the pan with the baked babka on a rack. Immediately brush or drizzle the syrup over top. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before slicing.
- Babka is best enjoyed fresh on the day of baking, but it will keep wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for a few days.
- Freezing Instructions: Once the babka is completely cooled, wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap, then in foil. Store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw the wrapped babka at room temperature. Before serving, warm the babka in a 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 273
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 162 mg
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made a loaf of this a few days ago and shocked even myself. It was so easy to do following Jen’s foolproof instructions. I thought I would never be a bread baker, but this recipe has me ready to venture out and try other types of yeast loaves!
You were right, no mixer required. Delicious. This one belongs in your cookbook. Thank you Jenn!!
Jenn! I have wanted to make a babka for a long time but was scared to try it since we live at 6700 elevation in CO. Had tried a number of your recipes in the past, all with great results, so figured I would give this one a go. It was a great success!! The only change I made was to use 3 whole eggs rather than 2 and 1 yolk as written to adjust for high altitude. Received rave reviews! Thanks for another stellar recipe!!
So delicious, and so easy, just time consuming. Thanks Jenn for always breaking it down in easy to follow steps!
If I wanted to make two, should I make each separately or is it okay to mix a doubled portion of the dough? Thanks.
Hi Stella, It’s perfectly fine to make a double portion of dough; instead of two egg yolks, you can just 1 whole egg. Hope you enjoy!
Looks great! Any chance I can use bread flour for the recipe? I have a lot of it…
Hi Sara, It should work. Please LMK how it turns out. 🙂
What an amazing recipe! The bread flour worked fine. I did add a little bit more water to make sure the dough was “wet” as you described it. It turned out fabulous! Thank you for the recipe!
Will Active Dry yeast do? Or should I go buy Instant/rapid rise.
Hi Lisa, Yes active dry yeast will work. I would just add it the warm water first and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy.
Can you use cinnamon sugar to make a cinnamon Babka with the same recipe? And what would you do
Hi Angela, I would use the cinnamon filling in this recipe. Hope that helps, and please LMK how it turns out if you try it.
I baked it today with the cinnamon filling that you suggested. The cake was wonderful. I would not use that cinnamon filling again a lot of it seeped out and it didn’t have enough cinnamon for me. I’m definitely going to try it with Nutella I’m sure I’ll like it better although it really was good…. So much better than anything I have reached recently found in the stores. it’s a great recipe I’ll definitely make it again
Just made a couple loaves of this today. Thanks for the great recipe! So easy to do (just time consuming waiting on dough to rise). It looks so fancy and I feel like a pro!
Yum, this looks amazing. Can’t wait to make it.
Jen, is there any way I can mix up the dough in my Kitchenaid using the dough hook? I don’t want to ruin the dough but am all about making life easier too.
Hi Ashley, You could use your mixer but I would use the paddle attachment; it’s a very wet dough. That said, the mixer really isn’t necessary – this dough is super easy to mix by hand. 🙂
Because of nut allergies, I was wondering what I could substitute for the Nutella?
Hi Amy, You could use a nut-free chocolate spread (unfortunately, I don’t know of a good one to recommend) or you could make your own chocolate filling in place of the Nutella and chopped chocolate, like the chocolate paste in this recipe (keep in mind you’d need less, as the linked recipe makes 2 loaves).
My son is allergic to peanuts and most tree nuts except for almonds. Trader Joe’s has a nice almond-based Nutella-like spread, and I’ve seen similar with sunflower seeds at Berkeley Bowl (similar to Whole Foods).