Sourdough Babka

5 from 1 vote

Babka is a braided bread that can contain both savory and sweet fillings. The babka is leaveaned using sourdough starter, but is not sour at all.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Proofing8

Total Time9 5

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Jewish

Keyword: babka, chocolate babka, sourdough

Servings: babka

Calories: 3360kcal

Author: Sune Trudslev

Makes: 9 x 4inch rectangle, 4inch height

To the bowl of your stand mixer add: 320g all-purpose flour, 7g salt, and 40g sugar.
Mix it a bit to distribute the salt.
Then add: 100g egg, 100g milk, and 80g sourdough starter.
The starter should be at or before the peak to eliminate any tang.
Mix on two with a dough hook at 2 out of 10. Scrape down the sides as needed.
Then when the dough looks lovely and cohesive, add 60g of cubed butter, a couple of pieces at a time.
When all of the butter is kneaded into the dough, move the dough to a bulking container with straight sides. Level the dough.

Mark the top of the dough, mark where the dough will have grown 50%, and set the dough somewhere warm for proofing.

In a microwave safe bowl add: 75g dark chocolate, 75g granulated sugar, 75g butter, and 25g dutch processed cocoa powder.
Put it in the microwave at full power for a minute until the butter is melted. Then mix it up so that everything is combined.
Put it back in the microwave at full power for a minute more. Mix it until it’s smooth.

When the dough has finished fermenting, flour your counter.
Flip the dough out onto the floured counter. Flour the top of the dough.
And roll it out into a rectangle of about 20 cms x 30 cms, about 8 inches x 12 inches.

Spread the chocolate filling on top of the dough.
Roll the dough up on the short edge.
Put it in a pan lined with baking paper and put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm up the dough.
Get a very sharp knife and slice the roll in half. Then braid it making sure the chocolate parts stay upright.
Grab a small bread pan and spray it with baking spray. Move the dough to the pan.
Cover it with plastic wrap, and do a second proof. The dough should rise 25% to 50%.
It took around 5 hours in the proofer, but the growth is essential, not time.

When the dough is about there, heat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
Brush with egg wash by mixing one egg with one tablespoon of water.
Put it in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until it’s done. Aim for an internal temperature of about 95°C/203°F.

While the babka is baking, prepare the simple syrup:
Add to a microwave-safe bowl: 50g sugar, and 50g water. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Take out the bowl and stir to make sure the last of the sugar is melted. Then leave it until you need it.

When the babka is done, remove it from the oven, and put the pan on a wire rack.
Brush the top of the babka with simple syrup. Leave it to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove the babka from the pan to let it cool completely.
Don’t wait longer than 5 minutes because it might get stuck because of the sugar in the syrup hardening. Enjoy!