Chocolate Babka

Ingredients

The dough

• 530g All-purpose flour
• 95g Caster sugar
• 1.5 Packets of instant dry yeast
• 175g Lukewarm water
• Pinch Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 125g Unsalted butter softened
• Pinch Salt

Sugar syrup

• 100g Caster sugar
• 100g Water

• As much Nutella as you like!
• 75g Dark chocolate chips

Method

The night before make your dough by combining your instant yeast and lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar and stir to activate your yeast (you want to make sure your water is not too hot or you will kill the yeast) – set to one side.

Next add your flour to a bowl (or stand mixer if you have one), mix the flour with the salt and 3 eggs slowly, then add your yeast mixture to this. Keep mixing until you get a smooth dough and once this has happened add your butter a tablespoon at a time. Keep going until you have a smooth and elastic dough. It will be wet but don’t panic just keep kneading! When your dough is smooth place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day butter 2 loaf tins and line the sides with strips of parchment paper and dust lightly with flour. Take your dough out of the fridge, then with floured hands, a rolling pin and surface begin to roll your dough out into a big oval/square until it’s about the thickness of a pound coin. Next spread the Nutella liberally over your dough covering all of your edges (you can warm your Nutella in a microwave to make it easier to spread). Then scatter your chocolate drops evenly across the dough. Next pull the dough from the bottom and roll tightly until you get a log shape.

Next to divide your dough equally to fold. To do this place each hand at both ends of your dough and clap the dough together, this will help to find the centre; then cut into two pieces. To twist your dough cut it straight down the middle vertically and overlap them – you should have layers of chocolate rolls platted over each other. Place into your loaf tins.

To prove your dough loosely cover with clingfilm then place into an oven that is turned off with a small pan of freshly boiled water in and close the oven door. This will create a warm, environment with moisture. Leave them in the over like this for an hour – they won’t double in size but will grow by half. Once proved take the babkas and the pan of water out the oven and bake your babkas in the oven at 190c for around 35 mins.

Whilst your babkas are cooking place your sugar syrup ingredients into pan and boil for a minute until your sugar has dissolved. When you take your babkas out brush the syrup all over.

Leave to cool a little, then slice and enjoy!