Chocolate Babka Bread

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Chocolate Babka is a sweet, buttery, rich and dense bread that has swirls of chocolate and is Jewish in origin. To make this first prepare the yeast mixture for which- Take a bowl and add 1/3 cup warm water(not hot), 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp dry instant yeast and mix. After a minute or two when bubbles start forming and the yeast is activated pour this mixture in a big bowl containing 2 cups all purpose flour. 

Add 1 tsp salt and one beaten egg at room temperature. Also add 1/4 cup melted butter along with 1/2 cup lukewarm milk and mix the dough first with a spatula and then knead it using your hands. If you feel that the dough is too sticky, keep dusting flour little by little so that it becomes a little firm and doesn't stick badly to clean dry fingers. Leave the dough in the bowl after covering it with a transparent wrap for proving and after 3-4 hours it will rise and double in size.


After the dough has risen and fermented, pick it up with gentle hands and roll it on a flat surface dusted with flour to avoid sticking. Roll it in a roughly rectangular shape and spread plain melted chocolate generously on it leaving little bit of the borders. The chocolate can be of any brand and I personally used dark compound chocolate. Then roll the dough along the width into a long log and cut the log from between into two equal halves.


Braid the two small logs together and seal the ends. Another way to do it is- instead of cutting it into two halves, split the original log from the centre and then braid it but I avoided this method due to its complexity. While braiding the chocolate might ooze out a bit giving a rustic look. Put it carefully on a well greased baking tray.


Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 40-45 mins and then cool it down before cutting it.


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