Nutella babka (Chocolate babka)
Nutella babka is a delicious enriched dough, filled with Nutella and plaited for a scrumptious loaf. This super easy recipe is perfect for kids and beginner bakers to try.
Nutella babka takes a delicious soft enriched dough, and fills it with Nutella, before plaiting and baking it. The result is a tasty swirled loaf, with Nutella in every bite. It’s a bit like a chocolate cinnamon roll in the form of a loaf. Serve it as a treat at breakfast time or with a morning or afternoon cup of tea or coffee.
Once you’ve mastered this babka recipe, you can experiment with different fillings. Cinnamon, apple, or add some mince meat for a festive version.
We’ve wanted to make a chocolate babka for a while, ever since it was a challenge in an episode of the Great British Bake Off. As it can be quite a long recipe however, I wanted to find a way of simplifying it it make it easier for children. Swapping the traditional chocolate and hazelnut mixture for a simple filling of Nutella is a really easy way of removing a few of the steps in the recipe, and it still tastes just as good.
We’ve also based the dough on Paul Hollywood’s babka recipe, as it doesn’t require it to be double proved (ie, you just leave to rise once, after the babka is formed.) Not having to leave the dough to prove twice saves you at least an hours worth of proving time, and means your kids are less likely to lose interest half way through making this!
What is a babka?
A babka is a bread/cake made from an enriched brioche style dough. It’s filled often with cinnamon, but in this case Nutella, and plaited to make a delicious swirled loaf.
Where does babka come from?
Babka comes from the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe (Poland and Ukraine.)
How can kids help to make a Nutella babka?
Nutella babka has a few steps in it to keep your kids busy, but none of them are tricky which makes this a great recipe for kids to help with.
Kids can help to measure out the ingredients and mix them all together to make the dough. Once you’ve made the dough, rolling it out and spreading on the Nutella are great jobs for little ones, although they might need a little bit of help to make sure you make a nice neat rectangle.
Making the babka itself is quite a fun, hands on job kids can help with, from rolling it up, cutting it and doing the two-stranded plait. With a little bit of help, most children should be able to do these steps.
What do you serve a chocolate babka with?
A slice of chocolate babka makes a delicious breakfast treat or goes beautifully with a morning or afternoon cup of tea of coffee. I think it’s best served still warm (or warmed up) if you can with a little bit of butter or margarine.
How long does Nutella babka keep?
Babka keeps for a day or two in an air tight container. After that it will go a little bit stale, but it can still be toasted, or used for a decadent French toast or in some bread and butter pudding.
Similar recipes
If you’ve enjoyed making this Nutella babka, why not try one of these recipes:
Cinnamon rolls
Schnecken
Belgian buns
Monkey bread
Iced buns
Or if you’d like to make something else with Nutella, try one of these delicious treats:
Nutella fudge
Banana Nutella muffins
Nutella cupcakes
Nutella stuffed cookies
Chocolate dodgers
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this Nutella babka:
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoons
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
900g loaf tin
Wire rack
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Ingredients
For the dough
275g plain / all-purpose flour
5g fast action yeast
25g caster sugar
½ teaspoon salt
50ml whole milk
2 eggs
80g butter, softened
For the filling
200g Nutella
For the syrup (optional)
100g caster sugar
How to make a Nutella babka
Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 900g loaf tin with oil or butter.
Make the babka dough
Measure out the dry ingredients
Get your kids to measure out the flour and add it to a large mixing bowl or a free-standing mixer.
In separate corners of the bowl, add the yeast, salt and sugar. When your kids are measuring out the salt and sugar, make sure they use their finger to level the teaspoon so that you add just the right amount.
Add the wet ingredients
Measure the milk out and heat it gently heat it either in a pan on the hob, or briefly in the microwave. Heat it just until it has warmed slightly – it should be a nice temperature if you put your finger in it. Not too hot.
Get your kids to crack the eggs into a small bowl (just in case any shell goes in), then add the eggs to your milk and whisk them together.
Make a well in the middle of the flour in your mixing bowl and slowly add the milk/egg mixture.
Mix everything together
Mix everything together, either with the dough hook of your free-standing mixer or wooden spoons. Keep mixing it for a few minutes on a slow speed until it has all come together. It will be quite a firm dough at this point.
Add the butter
Get your kids to measure out the butter and cut it into small pieces. If it’s not soft, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds – just long enough to soften it, no melt it.
Turn the speed up on your mixer, and get your kids to add the butter, a little piece at a time. Let the butter mix in completely before adding the next piece.
Keep kneading the dough until it is no longer sticky, but nice and smooth and silky.
Make the Nutella babka
Roll out the dough
On a lightly floured work surface get your kids to help you roll out the dough to a 40 x 30xm rectangle (approximately).
Spread on the Nutella
Now, get your kids to gently spread the Nutella all over your dough with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. You might find it easier to heat the Nutella a little in the microwave beforehand to make it more spreadable.
Form the babka
Starting with the longest edge closest to you, roll up the babka into a tight spiral. When you’re finished put the seam underneath. Trim each end a little to neaten up the edges.
Turn the dough 90 degrees so that the small spiral end is facing you. Starting a few inches from the top, cut the babka dough in half lengthways down through the middle, cutting it into 2 long pieces that are joined at the top.
Get your kids to lift one side over the top of the other, and repeat all the way down until you have a two-stranded plait.
Now you need to lift the babka and place it into your prepared tin. We folded ours in half first so that it would fit more easily.
Cover your baking tin with cling film / glad wrap or a clean tea towel and leave it somewhere warm to rise. Leave it for an hour or two until it has doubled in size.
Bake the Nutella babka
Heat your oven to 190C / 170C Fan / 375F.
Bake your Nutella babka for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 170C / 150C Fan / 325F and bake it for a further 25-30 minutes.
When it’s ready it should have browned nicely on top and and skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle should come out clean. If it’s browning too much on top before it’s ready, cover it with foil.
Make the glaze (optional)
If you want to glaze the top of your babka, heat the sugar with 100ml of water in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and leave it simmering for 5 minutes until it’s nice and thick and syrupy.
Brush the glaze on top of the babka while it’s still warm.
Serve and enjoy.
Nutella (Chocolate) babka
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 900g loaf tin with oil or butter.
- Measure out the flour and add it to a large mixing bowl or a free-standing mixer.In separate corners of the bowl, add the yeast, salt and sugar. When you are measuring out the salt and sugar, make sure you use your finger to level the teaspoon so that you add just the right amount
- Measure the milk out and heat it gently heat it either in a pan on the hob, or briefly in the microwave. Heat it just until it has warmed slightly – it should be a nice temperature if you put your finger in it. Not too hot.Crack the eggs into a small bowl (just in case any shell goes in), then add the eggs to your milk and whisk them together.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour in your mixing bowl and slowly add the milk/egg mixture.Mix everything together, either with the dough hook of your free-standing mixer or wooden spoons. Keep mixing it for a few minutes on a slow speed until it has all come together. It will be quite a firm dough at this point.
- Measure out the butter and cut it into small pieces. If it's not soft, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds – just long enough to soften it, no melt it.Turn the speed up on your mixer, and add the butter, a little piece at a time. Let the butter mix in completely before adding the next piece.Keep kneading the dough until it is no longer sticky, but nice and smooth and silky.
- On a lightly floured work surface roll out the dough to a 40 x 30xm rectangle (approximately).
- Now, gently spread the Nutella all over your dough with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1cm border around the edges. You might find it easier to heat the Nutella a little in the microwave beforehand to make it more spreadable.
- Starting with the longest edge closest to you, roll up the babka into a tight spiral. When you're finished put the seam underneath. Trim each end a little to neaten up the edges.
- Turn the dough 90 degrees so that the small spiral end is facing you. Starting a few inches from the top, cut the babka dough in half lengthways down through the middle, cutting it into 2 long pieces that are joined at the top.
- Lift one side over the top of the other, and repeat all the way down until you have a two-stranded plait.
- Now you need to lift the babka and place it into your prepared tin. We folded ours in half first so that it would fit more easily.Cover your baking tin with cling film / glad wrap or a clean tea towel and leave it somewhere warm to rise. Leave it for an hour or two until it has doubled in size.
- Heat your oven to 190C / 170C Fan / 375F.
- Bake your Nutella babka for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 170C / 150C Fan / 325F and bake it for a further 25-30 minutes.
- When it's ready it should have browned nicely on top and and skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle should come out clean. If it's browning too much on top before it's ready, cover it with foil.
- If you want to glaze the top of your babka, heat the sugar with 100ml of water in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and leave it simmering for 5 minutes until it's nice and thick and syrupy.Brush the glaze on top of the babka while it's still warm.
- Serve and enjoy.
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