Chocolate Babka

Sweet Chocolate Babka is a wholesome, old-fashioned bake that’s perfect for a special breakfast or dessert. You’ll love this tender, rich yeast bread swirled generously with real chocolate!

A Traditional Sweet Yeast Bread with Chocolate Swirls!

If you’ve never had chocolate babka, let me tell you: it is a life-changing recipe. Bakeries worldwide serve up freshly made traditional babka to hungry customers day after day, year after year.

You can also make this beloved bake in your own kitchen – it’s actually fairly easy! All you have to do is make a basic yeast dough with a few enriching ingredients like eggs and milk, and then roll it out thinly. Add some chocolate filling, roll it up, and you’re well on your way to a luscious homemade chocolate swirl bread.

Is Babka a Dessert or Breakfast?

Neither! Both! Everything! Honestly chocolate babka is whatever you want it to be: a scrumptious breakfast, a lovely dessert, a special afternoon snack, a sweet treat to tuck into your lunchbox… it can be served as any or all of the above.

Is Babka Served Warm or Cold?

You can serve this delicious sweet bread warmed up or at room temperature – or cold, if you prefer. There’s really no wrong way to do it, although it will be extra moist and gooey if you warm it up. It will taste a bit more “dry” the colder it gets.

Recipe Ingredients

Like most baking projects, this one is made with simple, everyday ingredients: flour, sugar, milk, etc. Here’s the list of what you will need (and remember, you can get the printable recipe with amounts and nutrition facts at the end of this post):

For the Dough

• Flour: All-purpose flour is best for baking this recipe.
• Eggs: A few large, whole eggs add richness and structure to the dough.
• Milk: Warm up the milk until it’s at about body temperature or a little warmer.
• Yeast: Dry yeast, which you can find in the baking aisle at most grocery stores, usually with the baking powder and other rising agents.
• Lemon Zest: You don’t have to include zest, but it makes the dough extra-flavorful – I highly recommend it.
• Sugar: Regular granulated sugar sweetens the dough just a bit. You could also use brown sugar, raw sugar, or other sweeteners of your choice. A liquid sweetener like maple syrup may mean that you need to add an extra spoonful or two of flour.
• Salt
• Butter: Unsalted butter, melted.

For the Filling

• Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chocolate chips would be perfect. You could use milk chocolate chips or darker chips, but I think the semisweet chocolate chips strike the best balance.
• Butter: Again, unsalted butter.
• Cocoa Powder: Natural or Dutch process, either is fine.
• Almonds: Roasted, diced almonds can be sprinkled on top of the finished loaf for a little crunch – this is optional.

Let’s Make Chocolate Babka!

To make this bread, you’ll need some time: be sure to set aside not only time to make and shape the loaf, but about an hour and a half of additional time for rising. Here’s how to do it:

• Activate the Yeast. Pour the warm milk, sugar, a teaspoon of flour, and yeast into a large mixing bowl. Stir them together, and then let these ingredients sit for a few minutes. It should get bubbly or foamy. If not, then either your ingredients were too hot or too cold (see the “Tips” section below), or the yeast was too old. If this happens, you will need to redo it with fresh ingredients.
• Add the Remaining Dough Ingredients. Once the yeast has activated, add all of the other dough ingredients, except for the flour, and mix them well. Then gradually add the flour a little at a time, and knead it into a soft dough.

• First Rise. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.
• Make the Chocolate Filling. To make the filling, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir it well to make a smooth mixture.
• Roll Out the Dough. Sprinkle flour over your work surface, and roll out the dough. It should be fairly thin.

• Add the Filling and Cocoa Powder. Spread the melted chocolate filling over the dough, and sprinkle it with cocoa powder.

• Roll Up and Cut the Dough. Roll up the dough tightly into a long cylinder, and then cut the cylinder in half lengthwise.

• Twist the Dough to Make a Braid. Turn the halves facing up, so you can see the cut layers. Then pinch the ends of the dough together, and twist the pieces around each other to make a “braid.” Make sure to keep the cut layers facing up.
• Second Rise. Place the braided dough in a greased loaf pan, sprinkle with almonds (if using), and let it rest for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

• Bake! Bake the babka in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. (You can cover the pan with foil for the first 25 minutes of baking to keep the top of the bread from burning.)
• Cool and Enjoy! Once the babka is baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a bit before slicing and serving.

Helpful Tips

While baking your own yeast bread (especially one with a filling, like this) can seem a little bit intimidating, it doesn’t have to be difficult! These helpful tips will help you troubleshoot the process and make it more smooth.

• Measuring Flour: You don’t want the dough to be too dry or too wet, and so it’s important to measure your flour correctly. The best way to measure is by weight, but a lot of home bakers don’t use a scale, so the next best thing (and the easiest, for a lot of us) is to simply measure into a measuring cup. But there’s a “right” way to do that: spoon the flour into the cup, and level it off with a knife or by shaking the cup gently from side to side. Don’t pack the flour into the cup or dig it out of the bag with the cup.
• Temperature Counts: When you’re working with yeast, make sure to have your milk and other dough ingredients somewhere between room-temperature and warm. Cold ingredients won’t activate the yeast, while hot ingredients can kill the yeast. Both will stop the dough from rising.
• Make It Ahead: This is a little bonus tip – you can make the babka the night before, and bake it in the morning. Just make and shape the loaf, and then store it in your fridge overnight. Take it out and let it rise the next morning, and then bake it up!

Serving Suggestions

If you’re serving babka for dessert, serve it with coffee. If you’re serving it for breakfast… also serve it with coffee. I mean, you really can’t lose with a slice of swirled chocolate bread and a good cuppa! You can also make it part of a lovely brunch with a few additional dishes, like these:

• Eggs Benedict Casserole: Take the hassle out of Eggs Benny with this easy Eggs Benedict Casserole. With eggs, English muffins, Canadian bacon, and Hollandaise sauce, it’s got everything you could want in a breakfast dish.
• Egg Salad: A whole different breakfast and brunch favorite is Egg Salad with Pickles. Serve this with freshly-toasted bagels (set out a toaster, and guests can make their own!) for an absolutely irresistible main dish.
• Iced Coffee: As much as I love hot coffee with this chocolatey bread, a big glass of Mocha Iced Coffee is a special treat in and of itself – and the taste of the mocha works perfectly with the chocolate filling in the bread.

How to Store and Reheat Chocolate Babka

• If this babka doesn’t get gobbled up entirely in the first round, lucky you! Save those leftovers for a snack or a quick breakfast. It can be kept at room temperature for about three days in an airtight container or a layer of plastic wrap. Just wait to store it until it’s cooled off, please.

Can I Freeze This?

• Definitely! Chocolate babka freezes well, and when you’re ready to serve it, you can leave it on the counter and let it thaw.
• To freeze, ensure it stays as fresh as possible and wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap followed by foil or a freezer bag. Air is the enemy here, so keep it out! Babka freezes well for 1 to 2 months.

More Chocolate Treats

• Easy Chocolate Cake
• Mint Chocolate Skillet Cookie
• Cream Cheese Brownies