Chocolate-Orange Babka

This sweet loaf, with its rich chocolate filling, is a traditional Jewish recipe and is popular at Hanukkah. Try it with a cup of strong coffee: bliss!

MAKES: one 8-inch loaf

PREP TIME: 1 hour

RISING TIME: 26 hours

CHILLING TIME: about 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: about 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

DOUGH:

• ⅓ cup warm whole milk (about 110ºF)
• ⅓ cup lightly packed golden yellow sugar
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Chocolate-Orange Filling (recipe follows)
• ½ cup finely chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips

ORANGE SYRUP:

• 1 large orange
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup or liquid honey

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE FILLING FOR BABKA:

• ½ cup finely chopped dark chocolate or mini dark chocolate chips
• ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

DOUGH MAKING:

1. For the dough, pour the warm milk into a medium bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoonful of the sugar and the yeast over the milk. Let stand until puffy, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in ½ cup of the flour. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer), beat together the butter, oil and remaining sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. With the mixer running on medium speed, beat in the egg and egg yolks until well combined. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla extract.
5. Fit the stand mixer (if using) with the dough hook and turn the speed to low. Beat in the remaining flour in two additions, beating to incorporate after each addition. Beat for 1 minute.
6. Beat in the yeast mixture. Beat just until the dough starts to come together, about 2 minutes.
7. Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Increase the speed to medium-low. Beat until the dough is smooth and soft and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, leaving it clean.
8. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times to bring it together into a ball. (If not using a stand mixer, mix in the flour, yeast mixture and salt until combined, then turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until a smooth, soft dough forms.)
9. Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, turning the dough to coat it evenly with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, or loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the dough has doubled in size, 24 hours.
10. On a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough to remove the air. Grease a deep 8-inch round baking pan, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
11. Roll out the dough to an 18-x 14-inch rectangle, arranging the dough so that one long end is parallel to the edge of your work surface. (The dough will be quite thin.)
12. Using a rubber spatula, carefully spread the cooled chocolate orange filling over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along each long edge. Sprinkle the chocolate evenly over the filling.
13. Lightly brush water along the border of the long side furthest from you. Starting with the long side nearest you, roll up the dough to form a rope, pressing down gently to seal the dampened edge to the dough.
14. Using your palms, gently roll the rope of dough back and forth on the work surface until it has an even thickness of 2 to 2 ½ inches. Carefully place the rope of dough on a large baking sheet, coiling it loosely to fit. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. (This will make it easier to slice.)
15. Return the rope to the work surface with the seam side underneath. Using a sharp, serrated knife, carefully slice the rope in half lengthwise.
16. With the cut sides facing up, join the ends of the two pieces together to form an inverted V. Take the left arm of the V and lift it over the right. Repeat the process until the end is reached, twisting the two pieces into a braid. Gently press the ends together to seal.
17. Coil the braided dough into the prepared pan, making sure the cut sides are facing up. It should look almost like a knot. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
18. When ready to bake, preheat the oven 375ºF.
19. Bake until the babka is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centre registers 190ºF, 25 to 30 minutes.
20. While the babka is baking, make the orange syrup. Using a vegetable peeler, pare three strips of rind from the orange, avoiding the white pith. Cut the orange in half and squeeze out ⅓ cup of the juice.
21. In a small saucepan, combine the orange rind and juice, sugar and maple syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and discard the orange rind. Set aside until the babka is ready.
22. Remove the babka from the oven. Immediately brush all of the orange syrup over the top of the loaf. Let the babka cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before un moulding. (The babka can be stored, well wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 4 days, or wrapped in foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw it at room temperature before serving.)

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE FILLING FOR BABKA:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the orange juice just until it begins to simmer, 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Some of the chocolate will melt but the filling won’t be completely smooth. Let cool slightly before using.

BAKING DAY SECRETS

• Make sure the babka has cooled completely before removing it from the pan. If it’s still even slightly warm, it may fall apart.