Sourdough Babka with Chocolate Filling
This sourdough Babka is a rich sweet bread made with brioche dough and filled with a double chocolate filling, then braided, topped with heavy cream, and baked to perfection.
Ingredients
Sourdough Babka Dough
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour start with 3 cups and add 1/4 cup at a time if needed to make the dough come together
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar can sub cane sugar 1:1
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter active and bubbly
- 3 eggs
- 3 tsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 tbs butter softened and cut into tbs
Chocolate Filling
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Combine flour and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Once combined, add the sourdough starter, eggs, milk, and vanilla using the dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture comes together. Continue on low speed, and add the butter 1 tbs at a time, until incorporated. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add your salt then continue kneading on low-medium speed for another 15 minutes until the dough passes the windowpane test.
- For the bulk rise, place the dough in a greased bowl covered with a damp towel or beeswax wrap for about 6-8 hours at room temperature.
- After the bulk rise, if you have time in the day you can bake the babka, or you can place the dough in the fridge until the morning.
- If you placed the babka in the fridge overnight, remove about 2-4 hours before you want to bake so it can come back to room temperature.
- Grease 2 loaf pans and make the filling by combining the softened butter, honey, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.
- On a floured surface, divide the dough in half then roll one dough half into a rectangle about 9 x 12 inches and spread half the filling leaving about an inch of space on the perimeter of the rectangle.
- Roll up the long side of the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the ends and seem of the babka log so it creates a smooth log.
- If you're pinched for time continue to the next step, if not, place the log into the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Then using a sharp, greased knife, cut the log in half, lengthwise down the center. Braid the two halves together, by alternating each half over each other, then pinch the ends together. Place in one of the prepared pans.
- Repeat with the second dough.
- Pour 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream over each babka and allow to rise covered in a warm spot for about 1-4 hours until puffy.
- During the last 10 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Bake the sourdough babka in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. When finished baking, let them cool in the pan for about 20 minutes then serve.
Video
Notes
How to Store Sourdough Babka
As with any homemade bread recipe, sourdough babka is best enjoyed on day one of baking, however it can be stored for later.Room temperature
Store your sourdough babka in an air-tight container at room temp for 2-3 days.Freezing instructions
Freeze either the sourdough babka dough, or baked loaves. To freeze the dough, do so after the bulk ferment, or even after stuffing and rolling (but before cutting). Remove from the freezer and allow to come to room temp before moving to the next step in the instructions. To freeze the baked loaves, simply let them cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then in an airtight bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer, defrost, then heat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.In a Pinch Ideas
- Purchase a premade chocolate sauce (or dulce de leche would be amazing too) and use that as the filling.
- Follow the freezing instructions above so you already have most of the babka made and you can either just bake, or defrost and serve.
Sourdough Babka Tips
- Freeze before cutting - Freezing the babka right after filling and rolling for 15 minutes is very helpful. This will give you a cleaner and more beautiful cut, resulting in a more beautiful babka loaf.
- Grease or flour your knife before cutting the babka dough - This is key to making sure your knife doesn't tear apart your dough giving you a sloppy babka.
- Wait 15 minutes before adding salt to the dough - All my sourdough recipes call for this annoying, yet crucial step. It becomes all the more crucial for enriched doughs as they tend to need more help fermenting and rising. Waiting to add the salt ensures the starter has time to activate in the dough before the salt starts killing off the yeast.
