How to bake a babka

Babka is the best of both worlds: it combines soft cinnamon bread with gooey chocolate and a sugar crumble. Just looking at this bake makes our mouths water. We want to bake one right now.

Babka originates from Eastern Europe, where brioche-like bread was originally made only with cinnamon. When Eastern Europeans later moved to New York, chocolate was added to the dough. Delicious, affordable and available everywhere.

Nowadays, you can also find almond paste and nuts in babka, and bakers create Instagram-worthy variations with Nutella, apricot and pumpkin. Moreover, the bread is no longer braided into a round shape or baked in a Bundt pan, but simply placed in a regular loaf tin and put in the oven.

These candied chestnuts are gone in no time

Rolling and braiding

The bread is so beautiful because you roll, cut and then braid the ice-cold yeast dough – spread with a layer of chocolate. On the outside, you can see exactly how much attention the babka baker has devoted to the technique: the more chocolate stripes you see, the more tightly they have rolled the dough.

What makes babka so irresistibly delicious? The combination of the soft bread and the gooey layers of chocolate. In terms of texture, it reminds us of brioche meets sugar bread. Even better: sometimes babka is topped with a crunchy cinnamon crumble. 

Want to make it yourself?

Set aside an afternoon for it. The dough needs to rise, and braiding requires some practice. Just check out the Tasty video above. The level of difficulty shouldn’t spoil the fun, because making babka yourself is incredibly enjoyable. Especially when you can put it in your mouth afterwards. You can find the recipe for babka with chocolate and crumble here.