Easy Chocolate Babka Recipe: So soft & moist! -Baking a Moment (2024)

Easy chocolate babka recipe! Moist & pillowy bread swirled with rich dark chocolate in every bite. Follow this simple step-by-step tutorial!

Original publish date: March 3, 2020.

This chocolate babka recipe has been completely reworked! It’s totally new and different. I’ve made it way easier and I think it’s also tastier and prettier than it was before.

Don’t you just love how the soft, pillowy bread swirls and loops around all that luscious chocolate?

Fresh-baked bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures. And I really love the process of making it! It’s slow and methodical but somehow so soothing. You just follow the steps and give it the time it needs, and you end up with the most incredible reward at the end.

I’m slowly making my way through, trying to create bread recipes of every make and model. And I’ve got quite a few here! Last week I made rye bread, and before that there were cheese Danish, and beer bread…

But there’s nothing else quite like chocolate babka. Where else can you get moist, fluffy white bread swirled with rich dark chocolate?

Table of Contents

• What is chocolate babka?
• Why this is the best chocolate babka recipe
• What does chocolate babka taste like?
• Ingredients
• Special equipment
• How to make chocolate babka
• How to serve
• Expert tips
• FAQ’s

Jump to Recipe

What is chocolate babka?

Babka is a classic bread that derives from Eastern Europe.

It consists of a rich, soft, and moist bread that’s swirled with a sweet filling, such as cinnamon sugar, fruit, or, as you see here, chocolate!

You’ll often find babka at a Jewish deli (remember that Seinfeld episode?), but this version is way better because it’s homemade!

Why this is the best chocolate babka recipe

What does chocolate babka taste like?

Imagine that soft, slightly sweet white bread from your childhood, but with the addition of chocolate! It’s a truly special treat.

Ingredients

Flour: Bread flour is best here, but all-purpose flour will work in a pinch (it just may not have quite the same satisfying, elastic texture).

Salt: Salt carries the flavors and intensifies them. The end result won’t taste salty, but it will make everything so much more flavorful! Kosher salt is best because it doesn’t have any additives (table salt usually contains iodine which can leave a bitter taste), so the flavor is pure. It’s also inexpensive and easy to find in a regular grocery store.

Sugar: Granulated white sugar adds a subtle sweetness to the bread, as well as feeding the yeast. Swap in another type of sweetener if you like. As long as it subs 1:1 it should work fine.

Butter: Adds a richer flavor to the bread and carries the flavors. Use unsalted butter because it lets you control the amount of salt in the babka. Different brands of butter can contain different amounts of salt, so this way you get a more consistent result.

Milk & cream: Works in tandem with the butter to enrich the bread. Use whatever kind you keep on hand. You could also just use all half & half, if that’s easier.

Eggs: Provide structure and added richness. Use large chicken eggs or a plant-based product that subs 1:1. It’s best if they’re at room temperature, but I don’t find this to be critical.

Yeast: Active dry yeast gets my recommendation here. It allows for a slower rise that yields a deeper flavor thanks to the fermentation that occurs during that time. Sourdough starter and instant yeast can also be used (see below), but I like active dry yeast best.

Chocolate: Chop baking bars for the best result, or use premium chips. I like semi-sweet chocolate here, but you could use a bittersweet product, milk chocolate, or white chocolate if you prefer.

Special equipment

How to make chocolate babka

This stunner of a loaf comes together in just 4 simple steps.

Step 1: Make the dough

Start by mixing about half the flour together with the salt in a big bowl. Then, make a well in the center, and pour in the milk, cream, melted butter, and sugar.

Sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquids and allow it to dissolve.

Stir everything together until you have a really thin, loose batter, then add the eggs.

Mix those in, and then add the remaining flour, about a quarter cup at a time, while continuing to mix.

Keep adding flour until you have a stiff dough that’s no longer sticky. It should gather itself into a ball and pull cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Once you see it doing that, stop adding flour. You may not end up using all of it, and that’s totally fine! Or you may need a bit more! It’s all about the consistency, kwim?

This is what it should look like. When you see this, you know it’s time to knead. And that’s an important step!

It creates that satisfying elastic texture that we love about good bread. If you skimp here, your bread could come out crumbly. Knead it for a full 10 minutes. Set a timer! I let my stand mixer do this job for me.

See how different it looks after a good knead? It’s smoother and stretchier.

Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place (like a sunny windowsill) to rest.

Step 2: Make the filling

While your bread dough has its nap, you can mix up the filling.

Chop the chocolate.

And heat some cream. You can do this in the microwave or on the stove. Just get it to where it’s steamy. It doesn’t need to be boiling.

Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for around 5 minutes.

Then stir it all together and set it aside.

Step 3: Fill & shape the loaf

Once the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and roll it out into a wide rectangle. The dimensions aren’t critical, but I will say that the thinner you can roll it, the more surface area you’ll have for chocolate. So I roll it as thin as I can, and I aim to have the shorter side of the rectangle be somewhat close to the length of the loaf pan.

Spread the chocolate filling all over, leaving a little bit of a bare edge so you can pinch and seal it in.

Then, starting at one of the shorter sides of the rectangle, roll it up into a tight log. It’s just like making cinnamon rolls!

Cut the log in half lengthwise, leaving it connected at the tippy-top.

Then just twist each of the long halves around each other.

Place the twist in your loaf pan, cover it lightly, and give it a second rest.

Step 4: Bake!

Once the unbaked bread has doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and preheat the oven.

This will bake until it registers an internal temperature of around 195 degrees F. It will puff up a ton, opening up all the chocolate-filled layers like the petals of a flower, and go really golden brown on top.

How to serve

Chocolate babka is perfect any time of day.

I love it for breakfast or brunch, or for a nice afternoon pick-me-up, along with a cup of coffee or tea.

And it’s great for dessert as well!

You can enjoy this bread warm, cold, or at room temperature. It doesn’t really need anything added to it, but a smear of soft butter or jam wouldn’t be unwelcome!

Expert tips

Check the expiration date: If your yeast is past the date, it could be dead and your bread won’t rise.

Keep it comfy: Yeast likes to be warm but not hot. Hot water will kill it. But a nice warm environment, such as a sunny windowsill or if your oven has a “Proof” setting, will help it to flourish. It’s amazing how much more the dough will rise and puff up if it’s kept a little warm.

Let the ganache cool: After you spread on the chocolate, allow it to set for a few minutes. If it’s really warm and liquid, it will slide around inside the roll and make the cutting and twisting really difficult.

Cover it: Keep an eye on your chocolate babka as it bakes. If it’s starting to get too brown on top but it’s still not cooked all the way through, you may want to tent it with foil.

Cool it in the pan: This will keep it from drying out.

FAQ’s

A few more of my best yeast bread recipes

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