Nutella Babka

I had never had babka. I had certainly never made babka before - but I had seen a picture of it and wanted to give it a go. This recipe was a huge win.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH:

½ cup whole milk

2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast

⅓ cup granulated sugar

4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour to start

1 ½ teaspoons pink himalayan salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon zest from one lemon

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

4 large eggs, at room temperature

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

FOR THE FILLING:

One 24 oz jar of Nutella

FOR THE CHOCOLATE STREUSEL:

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Warm the milk to 110 degrees F - mix in the yeast + a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes.

2. In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Add the yeast mixture and eggs (one by one) until the dough comes together in a ball, about 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of flour if it is still too wet until it comes together.

3. Add half the butter and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the rest of the butter and continue to mixuntil the dough is smooth and stretchy, another 5 to 7 minutes. It’s going to look weird. I wasn’t expecting that.

4. Transfer to a buttered/greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.

5. Move to a refrigerator and let it chill overnight.

6. Divide the dough in half and roll one half into a rectangle. Thinner is better.

7. Spread the Nutella to cover the entirety of the dough.

8. Tightly roll and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the freezer while repeat with the other half of the dough.

9. After the dough has been in the freezer for 10 minutes, slice it halfway (hotdog style)

10. Braid it by twisting the two halves together and place it in a greased loaf pan. I had an extra along one so made a wreath in a larger pan - that worked out too.

11. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm spot for 1.5 hours.

12. Combine all of the streusel ingredients and put in the fridge until you’re ready to use it

13. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

14. Uncover the dough and sprinkle with the streusel

15. Bake for 45 minutes

16. Pass out from the sugary goodness.
    

This is the braided dough before it bakes

Fresh out the oven

SWIRL ON SWIRL. This probably is supposed to have more swirls - so roll the dough thinner than thicker