Chocolate & Orange Babka | Easter Ideas

Three lockdowns later and I finally succumbed to making bread. Fine, I didn’t get involved with sour dough and cultivating a starter (been there killed the starter…) but Babka has been on my mental to do list for a long time, the thing was I thought it would be really tricky and actually it isn’t, especially if you have a free standing mixer with a dough hook, which means you don’t have to spend 15 minutes kneading.

I’ve made this three times in the last week or so and this I think is the best version so I’m sharing the recipe with you.

It’s a chocolate and orange flavour and when eaten warm from the oven it’s just heavenly, I think it would make a wonderful afternoon tea treat or served post Easter lunch.

The first version I made had nuts which does add a lovely crunch but with nuts banned at school, this is a playground friendly version but feel free to add a small handful of crushed nuts to the filling (hazelnuts of pistachios) if you’d like to.

Chocolate Orange Babka

Serves 6-8

Hands on time 20 mins

Prove time 2 hours

Cook time 50 mins

Ingredients

For the Dough

375g Strong white bread flour

50g Caster Sugar

7g fast action yeast

1 tsp. mixed spice

Zest of 1 orange

100ml milk (I used oat milk)

Juice of 1 orange

1 egg beaten

100g butter, room temperature cut into small cubes

For the filling

50g butter

150g dark chocolate

25g caster sugar

Zest of 1 orange

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Optional

Dark chocolate drops

Method

In the bowl of a freestanding mixer add the flour, sugar, yeast, mixed spice and orange zest, mix to combine.

Heat the milk until warm and add to the dry ingredients along with the orange juice, egg and butter.

If using a free standing mixer, on a medium speed, mix for about 6-7 minutes (until the dough has formed into a soft, springy ball). If kneading by hand, mix first in the bowl to bring all the ingredients together then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 15 minutes.

For both methods, shape the dough into a ball and place into a large clean bowl, cover with cling film or a dry cloth and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

To make the filling, in a small saucepan add the butter and melt gently, add in the chocolate and stir to melt, add the sugar and zest and cinnamon and take off the heat, continue to stir until everything has melted. Allow to cool a little before using

When the dough is ready, punch out the air and turn it out onto a clean, floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 25 x 45 cm. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper.

Spread the dough with a generous layer of filling. Leave a 3 cm gap along one of the longest edges. Use the other longest edge to start rolling the dough as tightly as you can, the mixture will start to pool and may spill out as you finish the roll just use a spatula to spread it on the dough. Pick up the dough by the parchment and place it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes so the filling sets a little, making it easier when you cut and twist the dough.

Line a loaf tin with parchment and preheat the oven to 160C Fan (180C)

Remove the dough from the fridge and with a sharp knife cut the dough in half. Start about an inch from the top (leaving the dough connected) and cut all the way through to the bottom. Separate your two parts, and twist so the filling is facing upwards then start ‘braiding’ the parts, continue to keep twisting the filling upwards until you get to the end.

It will look longer than the tin but gently tuck the ends under and lift and place the dough into the prepared tin.

Sprinkle with chocolate drops if you want to and then place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven allow to cool a little before lifting it out of the tin with the parchment. You can let it cool completely on a rack or slice when still warm and serve.

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