My husband bought me an espresso machine for Christmas and ever since I have been making myself lattes as an afternoon treat. But today is Sunday and I wanted to make something a little extra special to go with my coffee. Citrus fruits are beautiful this time of year so chocolate orange babka it was. The subtle bitter orange balances the sweet creamy chocolate making this babka lovely for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Ingredients:
Dough:
113g-142g (1/2- 3/4cup) warm water
1 egg, room temperature
375g (3cups) all-purpose flour
21g dry milk
9g (1 tablespoon) instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
50g (1/4 cup) white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
71g (5 tablespoons) butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
Filling:
50g (1/4 cup) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
14g (1/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons butter, melted
85g (1/2 cup) chocolate chips, chopped
Glaze:
Powder sugar
Orange Juice
Method:
Combine all the dough ingredients starting with the lesser amount of water and mix until everything is moistened. Add additional water if necessary to bring the dough together. Knead the dough until it’s soft and smooth. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until it’s quite puffy.
To make the filling, combine the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and stir in the melted butter. Roll the dough out into approximately a 9 x 18-inch rectangle, if the dough fights back, let it rest for 10 minutes and then try again.
Spread the filling over the dough and scattered the chocolate chips on top. Starting with the short end, roll the dough into a log sealing the ends. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half length wise to make two pieces of dough about 10 inches long. Twist the two pieces into a braid filling side up, tucking the ends underneath. Place the bread into a 9x5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the bread and allow it to rise for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 300°F. Bake the bread for 35 minutes. Tent the bread lightly with foil and bake another 15 to 20 minutes for a total of 50 to 60 minutes. The loaf should be a nice golden brown.
Remove the loaf from the oven and then cool it on a wire rack for 10 minutes then turn it out of the pan. Once your loaf is mostly cooled, generously pour over the orange glaze. Slice the chocolate orange babka thickly and enjoy.
Dipping this sweet bread into my latte made me so happy. I don't think there will be any leftovers at my house today. But if you happen to have some, chocolate orange babka makes decadent French toast the next morning!
I sure hope you this Chocolate Orange Babka a try! If you want to stay in the loop and never miss another blog post, subscribe to my blog here.
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