Twice-Glazed Chocolate Babka with Pecans

This chocolate babka recipe has a barely sweet, dark chocolate and pecan filling balanced by a brown sugar syrup and coffee and chocolate glazes. Heavenly! NOTE: All ounce measurements, dry and wet, are by weight. Please use a kitchen scale so your measurements are as accurate as possible.

Course sweet bread

Cuisine New York Jewish by Way of North Carolina

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 35

Fridge Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 463kcal

Author Jennifer Field

Ingredients

For the Dough

4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt I used Morton's
2 oz brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
20 oz all purpose flour I used King Arthur
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
10 oz buttermilk
6 oz unsalted butter softened

For the Filling

¼ cup honey
½ cup butter melted
6 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped (about 6 oz)
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 oz cocoa powder sifted
heavy pinch kosher salt
1 cup toasted pecans very finely chopped

For the Brown Sugar Syrup

8 oz brown sugar
8 oz water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Coffee Glaze

5 teaspoons milk any kind
1 oz unsalted butter 2 Tablespoons
pinch salt
1 ½ teaspoons espresso powder
6 oz confectioners sugar about 1 1/2 cups

For the Chocolate Glaze

3 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

For the Dough

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the yolks, egg, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Dump all the flour on top followed by the yeast.
Pour the buttermilk on top and mix on low with the dough hook for 5 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, add the softened butter, a bit at a time, until completely incorporated. This should take about 10 minutes, and the dough will be very soft.
Turn the mixer up to medium high and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is very smooth, shiny, and extensible (stretchy), and clears the sides of the bowl. You will think it will never clear the sides, but it will. I promise.
Scrape the soft dough into a ball in the bottom of the mixer bowl. Spray with pan spray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.a

For the Filling

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and honey together with the espresso powder and bittersweet chocolate. Start with 30 seconds and then stir well. If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave again for 15 seconds at a time until smooth.
Slowly whisk in the cocoa powder and salt until smooth and well-combined.
Thoroughly stir in the finely chopped nuts. Mixture will be loose. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, then stir. You want the mixture to be about the consistency of crunchy peanut butter to make it easy to spread.

To Shape and Bake

Line 2 9"x5" loaf pans with parchment, allowing the parchment to hang over the two long sides of the pans.
Remove the dough from the fridge and divide in two, about 21 oz each. Leave half in the bowl and put back in the fridge.
Spray a work surface lightly with pan spray.
Plop the cold dough onto your work surface and press into a rectangle. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle, approximately 16" x 12", long side toward you.
Spoon on half the filling in blobs and then use an offset spatula to spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving 1" of the far side of the rectangle clear of filling.
Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, using a bench knife to help you if the dough wants to stick.
Pinch the seam and place the roll, seam side down, on the counter.
Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half, long way, and turn the halves so the cut sides are up.
Place one half over the other, like a cross. Then make 2 twists on either side of the cross, keeping the cut sides up. Pinch ends together.
Use your hands to press on either end of the twist to tighten it up just a bit.
Carefully pick up your twist and place in a prepared pan, tucking each end of the twist under the loaf.
Repeat with the other half of the dough and filling.
Cover both pans with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 12.
Remove from the fridge and, depending on how much time you have, allow the loaves to come to room temperature and then slowly rise until doubled. This could take several hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. I preheated the oven for 30 seconds and then turned it off. I let the dough rise in the barely heated oven until doubled, about 2 hours.
Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375F.
Bake the risen loaves for 15 minutes.
Turn the heat down to 325F, loosely tent the loaves with foil, and bake until the internal temperature reaches 190-195F, about 20-25 additional minutes.`
Take the loaves out of the oven and use the parchment to lift them from the pans. Peel the paper off and let cool on racks for about 20 minutes. Then brush the syrup evenly over each loaf. Once the loaves have cooled completely, glaze with one or both of the glazes. (Instructions follow for the syrup and glazes.)

To Make the Brown Sugar Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, bring the water and brown sugar to a boil. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Let cool until just warm.

For the Coffee Glaze

Put the milk, butter, salt, and espresso powder in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until the butter melts. Whisk until smooth.
Sift the confectioners sugar over the milk-butter mixture and whisk until smooth. If you'd like the glaze a bit thinner, add milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you like the consistency.

To Make the Chocolate Glaze

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butter. Whisk until smooth. You can either drizzle this glaze over the babkas or put in a zip top bag and then snip off a tiny corner to make lines like I did. If you have a piping bag, fit it with a #2 tip.

Notes

Nutrition information calculated to include the sugar syrup and both glazes. Results will differ if you only use one glaze or leave off the sugar syrup, or just serve it "plain."

Nutrition