A slice of this bread can be served plain and does not need any spread.

Chocolate babka makes a great holiday bread to bake for family get-togethers. This bread is so delicious and chocolaty that everyone will love it. The sweet and tender buttery dough is rolled with a rich chocolate spread that has a hint of warm cinnamon and is hyped with coffee granules. A slice of this bread can be served plain and does not need any spread.

MEK Chocolate Babka

For the dough:
2 ½ tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sugar
¾ cup warm water

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup dry milk powder
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup butter- soft
1 tsp salt

For the filling:
4 tbsp butter
1 cup chocolate chips
¼ cup sour cream
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tbsp sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
Some grated nutmeg

Chocolate chips for sprinkling on top
Egg glaze for brushing the top

Grease a bundt pan. We will be baking it at 325 F on the lowest third rack position.

Mix water and 2 tsp sugar. Sprinkle yeast on it and bloom it for 5 minutes. Then add ¼ cup sugar and milk powder to it and whisk.
Sift the flour over this wet yeast mixture. Add eggs to it and start kneading. Bring the dough together. Then add softened butter to it and continue kneading.
Cover the dough for 30 minutes and leave at a warm spot. Then add salt to it and knead it again. Knead it till smooth and supple. Cover the dough and let it rise for an hour or till it doubles in size.

For filling:
Melt butter and add chocolate chips to it. Once melted, add sour cream, sugar, instant coffee granules, cinnamon, and cocoa powder to it. Mix it all till smooth.

Take the dough out of the bowl and spread it on a floured surface. Spread the dough into an 8/14 inch rectangle and spread the filling evenly on top leaving ½ an inch border clear. Grate some fresh nutmeg on it. Start rolling the dough starting from the long edge. Roll it into a log and seal the edges.
Now leave the top of the log attached and cut through the rest of the log lengthwise. Start overlapping the cut sections on top of each other, keeping the cut tops upward. Then transfer the braided log to a buttered bundt pan and tuck the ends underneath. Cover the pan and let it rise till it doubles in size.
After the dough has risen, brush the top with egg glaze gently. Sprinkle chocolate chips on it. Bake at 325 F for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove from the pan. Cool it on the wire rack before slicing it. Enjoy with coffee.



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