Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Babka

By Tatyana's Everyday Food · 180 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Warm the milk to 120–130°F, sprinkle the yeast over it and let it stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add the cooled melted butter, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and pumpkin puree and whisk until the eggs are well beaten.
3. Gradually add the flour, whisking until smooth, then switch to a spatula or wooden spoon once a dough forms.
4. Knead for 4–6 minutes until elastic and smooth; the dough should be very soft and slightly sticky. Keep any unused flour for dusting.
5. Return the dough to the bowl, set the bowl over a pot of steaming (not boiling) water, cover with a clean towel and proof in a warm place for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled.
6. For the filling, melt the butter over medium heat, add the chocolate chips, cocoa powder and fine sugar, and heat until the chocolate has fully dissolved. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla, then chill until spreadable.
7. Punch down the dough, divide it in half and work one piece at a time without kneading again. Roll into a rectangle about 17x14 inches.
8. Brush the edges with beaten egg, spread half the filling over the dough leaving a ½-inch border, then roll into a log lengthwise and pinch the seam closed.
9. Cut the log lengthwise in half with a serrated knife, leaving about 1½ inches uncut at the end. Twist the two halves together and lift into a 9-inch loaf pan lined with parchment. Repeat with the second half.
10. Cover the loaves and proof next to the stove for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled. Optionally, proof in an oven that is off with a pot of boiling water on the bottom, then remove the loaves before preheating.
11. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 190–200°F. Cool in the pans for about 30 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack to cool completely.
12. Make the syrup: heat the sugar and water without stirring until dissolved and simmering, then cool. Brush generously over the warm loaves as soon as they come out of the oven, in several coats; optionally poke holes with a toothpick first.
13. Eat within 24–36 hours. Once fully cooled, wrap well in plastic and keep at room temperature, not in the fridge.

Summarized from Tatyana's Everyday Food's video. Watch it for the details.

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