It cures EVERYTHING! from a hangover to a broken heart! Really! I like it served slightly warm, with gooey Nutella. It’s perfect for a tea party and picnics. This is one bread recipe that even beginners can make. The recipe is inspired by my viral dark chocolate babka recipe. It is one of the oldest and most loved recipes on the site.
Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make this Delicious Nutella Babka. Butter- You can use both salted and unsalted butter. I like little salt in my babka. One thing to note is that your butter should be cold. Cut it into small ¼—or ½-inch cubes. Using cold cubed butter has a specific purpose. It will make the babka bread crispy on the top. Milk- Use room temperature or cold milk. Please use whole or high fat milk. Add the milk slowly. Do not just dump the whole thing in. Yeast-Use fresh, dry, active yeast. I have used fast-acting active yeast and regular active dry yeast with equal success. Don’t use that old sachet of yeast lying behind your pantry. Old yeast is notorious for ruining bread!
How to make Nutella Babka
Let me take you through the steps to make a Nutella Babka.
Step 1: Prep
Gather all the ingredients and measure them. Cut the cold butter into cubes. Cold butter is essential to this recipe. Don’t skip on this! Either clean up some space on the counter to knead the dough or get your stand mixer ready to go or use a huge bowl like I do. Line the baking pan with parchment paper or brush it with butter.
Step 2 : Make the Dough
You can do this the easy way—in a stand mixer or by hand. Stand Mixer Method: Add the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar to the stand mixer bowl. Using the hook attachment, give it a whizz to mix it up. Add cold butter and mix it for another 30 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add ¾ cup of milk milk. Let the hook attachment work for 5-6 minutes. It would be best if you did this to develop gluten.
By hand: Add flour, yeast, salt, and sugar to a large bowl and mix well.
Add cold butter cubes, pinch, and rub the flour and butter to get a clumpy consistency. This should take 1-2 minutes. Mix the eggs and ¾ cup of the milk to make the dough. If the dough is dry, add more milk little by little. If the dough is too sticky, add flour; if it’s too tough, add more milk. The dough might feel sticky at first. It will become smoother the more you knead it. Knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes, stretching and folding it repeatedly to develop Gluten. When kneading by hand, you need to do it for longer because kneading by hand is a slower process.
Step 2: Proofing the Dough or the first rise
Cover the dough with a damp cloth or cling film and keep it on the counter for 1-2 hours. Let the yeast do it’s business until it rises and doubles in size. On a hot day, this could take 1 hour or less. On a cold day, it could take up to 4 hours. Make sure the dough is well covered, otherwise you will end up dry dough.
Step 3: Shaping the Chocolate Brioche Bread
Divide the dough into two equal portions. You can make two babka breads with this amount. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle(or something resembling a rectangle).
For the filling
This is a simple, right-out-of-the-jar filling. Scoop some Nutella onto the rolled dough and spread it with a butter knife. You should leave about an inch of space on the outside. This is done so that the seams can be sealed well.
Shaping the Chocolate Brioche
Pick a side and gently roll the dough into a log. Press the seam and put the seam side down. Slice the dough along the length using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Pinch the ends together and braid it. Just go one side over the other alternatively. Place it in the loaf pan or the cake pan you plan to use. Tuck the ends under. Repeat for loaf 2. Cover with cling film. And it will look even more impressive once you bake it. Trust me..this is a very forgiving recipe! As long as your yeast is good, you are good to go!
Step 4: Second Rise
After shaping, let the babka rise for the second time. This time, it will fill the loaf pan you used. Again, the time it takes depends on how hot your kitchen is. At 25 degrees Celsius, it takes about 1-3 hours.Preheat the oven at the end of one hour to 350 F or 180 Degree C.
Step 5:Baking the Nutella Babka
Tent the babka with aluminum foil. Place it on the middle rack and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the aluminum foil at the 20-minute mark.
Step 6: Brushing with syrup
Meanwhile, add the sugar and water in a pan and heat it till the sugar dissolves and the syrup starts bubbling. This will take 10-12 minutes. Once the babka comes out, brush it with the syrup immediately. Let it cool on a wire rack before cutting. This syrup will make the babka shiny and keep it moist.
How to Store & Freeze Babka
The babka will stay in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. To serve it, microwave the babka for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can also freeze the babka at various stages. You can freeze the dough if you like and use it another time. You can also freeze the raw, shaped, or fully baked babka in a tightly wrapped pan. To bake it, just let it come to room temperature and then bake it as per the recipe instructions. Looking to bake more this ? Here are some more dessert recipes that you are going to love!Chocolate Babka Recipe - using dark chopped chocolate. A reader fav!Apple Cinnamon Babka- Perfect cozy cold weather bread.The best Chocolate Cake - perfect for birthday cakesJapanese Cheesecake - My husband’s fav! A recipe as old as our marriage! If you make this delicious Nutella babka recipe, do leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you!
