Nutella & Bourbon Babka
Remember when Jerry & Elaine had to get the “lesser babka” – the cinnamon one – because the last, greater babka – the chocolate one – was sold right in front of them?
It was the first thing I thought of when this Sandwich-inspired Babka article was recently published in a Lucky Peach newsletter. I thought to myself: what would be the ultimate babka? It would have to pair perfectly with a nice cup of coffee or black tea, enjoyed while sitting in a comfy chair, with some softly lulling melody that wouldn’t require too much attention. I’d need time to simmer on this…
Upon passing through the nut-butter aisle of my local market, the bold sans-serifed: n u t e l l a logo jumped out at me #goodmarketingguys. And on the fourth day, the nutella and bourbon babka with blood-orange glaze was born. Let me know what you think of the recipe!
INGREDIENTS
The babka:
- 5 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 package of instant yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of canola oil
- 3 eggs
- zest of 1 blood orange
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
The filling:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup nutella
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
The glaze:
- Juice of 1 blood orange (+ enough water to make 1/2 cup of liquid)
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
DIRECTIONS
- Combine 1 cup of the flour (reserve 4 cups) with yeast and warm water; cover with a towel and let rise for 30-40 minutes (it should look all bubbly).
- Add salt, sugar, oil, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla and stir until combined; then add the remaining flour slowly and mix. Gently knead the dough on a floured work surface until it becomes smooth and then let it sit in a bowl until it has risen (about 2x in size) for at least one hour
- While you’re waiting for your dough to rise, you can start making the filling. In a small saucepan on low heat, melt butter, chocolate, and nutella together until smooth. Slowly add in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar and stir until smooth.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down on a floured work surface and divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each piece out into a long rectangular shape and place on a piece of parchment paper, then spread filling over the top of each. Stack the pieces and roll it into a tight coil. To keep it together, wrap in the parchment paper and use a piece of tape to keep it securely coiled. Refrigerate overnight (or keep in freezer for 30 minutes if you’re in a crunch).
- After chilling, cut the log lengthwise, and with the cut sides up twist the 2 pieces together.
- Place on a parchment lined pan and bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes.
- While the babka bakes, you can make the blood orange glaze! In a small saucepan, add the orange juice and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and thickens slightly.
- Remove babka from oven and brush some glaze over it and let them cool for a bit before serving!
blood orange zest:
combining zest, eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla into the flour + yeast mixture:
pretty blood oranges:
blood orange glaze in the making:
pre-risen dough ball:
risen dough after about 90 minutes:
rolling out the babka dough:
baked in a cast iron pan:
baked in a loaf pan:
bon appetit my lovelies!
xx, huckleberry kim
