Kelly said this is the best thing that’s ever come out of our kitchen.
And that means something, since you know how he feels about my pie.
Nutella Babka
Created with inspiration from this post and this post
For dough
- 1 c warm milk (warmed to 110°F)
- 1 pkg instant yeast
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
- 4 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 t salt
- 2/3 c unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces at room temperature
For filling
- 1 1/2 c nutella
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1 t cinnamon
For syrup
- 1/3 c water
- 6 T sugar
Preparation
In medium bowl, stir together the milk and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, whisk in the sugar, egg, and egg yolk. Add flour and salt and mix to combine. Add the yeast mixture and mix until most of the flour has been incorporated. Add the butter a few chunks at a time and knead until the dough forms a soft, smooth dough that is just slightly sticky when squeezed together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just a few times until the dough is smooth, then place in a greased bowl, turning to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Grease four mini loaf pans with butter, then line with parchment paper; set aside. Gently punch down the dough, then turn out to a clean work surface and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Divide the dough in fourths and keep the pieces you are not working with covered with plastic wrap. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a 16-inch square. Spread quarter of the nutella over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges of the dough. Sprinkle with a quarter of the cinnamon-sugar mix. Starting at one side, roll the dough up tightly into a log, pinching the ends together to seal.
Once rolled, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the log (completely) lengthwise down the middle. Carefully take one side of dough and lift it over the other, twisting dough together the full length. Place twisted loaf in the greased and lined baking pan, adjusting dough as needed to fit. Repeat process for remaining 3 pieces of dough.
Preheat oven to 350F with rack in lower third of oven. Bake the loaves, rotating halfway through, until a light golden brown, about 55 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F and continue baking until deep golden brown and a digital instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaves registers 190F (about 15 to 30 more minutes). Transfer the pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Storage
- Room temperature – Baked: Once completely cooled, the babka can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 4 days.
- Freezing Instructions – Unbaked: Babka can be frozen in the pan for up to 1 month before baking. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and then in foil. When ready to bake, remove from freezer; let stand at room temperature for about five hours before baking as directed.
- Freezing Instructions – Baked: Once baked and completely cooled, the babka can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, and placed in a zipper freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving. You could also slice the loaf and freeze the slices individually.
Options
- Fill with 24 oz chocolate (melted) instead of nutella
- Fill with cinnamon-sugar like you would for cinnamon rolls
- Fill with sugar and fruit preserves (like peach or apricot)
- Top with cinnamon roll icing
- Top with orange roll icing
The process at work:
