Let’s settle the debate right now. Cinnamon babka is fine. It’s cute. It’s perfectly edible. But Babka with Chocolate and Hazelnut? That is the superior babka. I will die on this hill. 🍫
If you watched that one famous Seinfeld episode, you know the struggle. But honestly, if you show up to a dinner party with a cinnamon babka when you could have brought chocolate, you made a choice. And IMO, it was the wrong one.
I remember the first time I tried to make this at home. I ended up with chocolate in my hair, flour on the cat, and a loaf that looked like it exploded. But the taste? It tasted like victory. It tasted like a cross between a brioche and a chocolate croissant, with that satisfying crunch of toasted hazelnuts.
This isn’t a 30-minute recipe. You can’t rush this. Babka demands your time, your patience, and a surprising amount of butter. But when you slice into that swirled masterpiece, you will understand why we do it.
Ready to get your hands dirty? Let’s bake the best loaf of bread you will ever eat. 👨🍳
Why This Recipe Works (And Why You Need It)
You might wonder, “Why can’t I just buy this?”
Sure, you can buy a babka. It will probably be dry. It will likely cost you $15. And it definitely won’t have that gooey, semi-molten center that a fresh homemade loaf possesses.
Making Babka with Chocolate and Hazelnut at home gives you total control. You control the quality of the chocolate (no waxiness here). You control the toast level of the hazelnuts. You control the syrup soak.
This recipe uses a brioche-style dough. We enrich it with eggs and butter to create a tender, pillowy crumb that contrasts perfectly with the dense, fudge-like filling. It’s messy to make, but that’s half the fun. If you aren’t covered in chocolate by step 4, you aren’t trying hard enough. 🤷♂️
Ingredients Breakdown
We don’t skimp on quality here. This bread relies on fat and sugar (the two food groups that actually matter).
The Dough
- All-Purpose Flour (530g / approx. 4 ¼ cups): You can use bread flour for more chew, but AP flour keeps it tender.
- Granulated Sugar (100g / ½ cup): Sweetens the dough slightly.
- Instant Yeast (10g / 1 tablespoon): The engine.
- Water (120ml / ½ cup): Lukewarm.
- Eggs (3 large): Room temperature. Cold eggs will shock the butter and ruin the emulsion.
- Unsalted Butter (150g / 10 ½ tablespoons): Room temperature. Soft, not melted.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): To balance the richness.
- Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon): For aroma.
The Chocolate Hazelnut Filling
- Dark Chocolate (130g / 4.5 oz): 70% cocoa is best. Chop it fine.
- Unsalted Butter (120g / 1 stick + 1 tbsp): Cubed.
- Powdered Sugar (50g / ½ cup): For sweetness and structure.
- Cocoa Powder (30g / 1/3 cup): Dutch-processed gives a deeper color.
- Hazelnuts (100g / 1 cup): Toast them. Skin them. Chop them roughly. 🌰
The Syrup (The Secret Weapon)
- Water (120ml / ½ cup)
- Granulated Sugar (100g / ½ cup)
Step 1: The Dough (The Waiting Game)
We start with the mixer.
Combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the lukewarm water, eggs, and vanilla.
Attach the dough hook. Mix on low speed just until the flour disappears.
Now, we add the butter. Add one tablespoon at a time while the mixer runs. Wait for each piece to incorporate before adding the next. This takes patience. If you dump it all in at once, you get a greasy mess sliding around the bowl.
Once all the butter is in, add the salt.
Turn the speed up to medium. Knead for 10 minutes. You want the dough to be smooth, shiny, and elastic. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl completely.
The Windowpane Test: Grab a small piece of dough. Stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches thin enough to let light through without tearing, you developed enough gluten. If it tears immediately, keep kneading.
The Chill Factor
Here is the pro tip: You must chill this dough.
Babka dough is rich and sticky. If you try to roll it out now, you will cry. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight).
Cold dough handles like clay. Warm dough handles like glue. Choose wisely. ❄️
Step 2: The Filling (Better Than Nutella)
While the dough naps, make the filling.
Melt the butter and chopped chocolate together. You can do this in a microwave in 30-minute bursts, stirring in between.
Stir in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. You want a thick, spreadable paste. It should look like fudge. If it’s too runny, stick it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up.
Toast your hazelnuts. Put them in a dry pan over medium heat. Shake the pan constantly until they smell amazing. Rub the skins off with a towel if they have skins. Chop them up. Do not skip the toasting; raw nuts are boring. 🥱
Step 3: Roll, Spread, and The Twist
Grease two 9×4 inch loaf pans. Line them with parchment paper.
Take your cold dough out of the fridge. Divide it in half. We are making two loaves (one for you, one to give away… or keep for yourself, I won’t judge).
Working with one half at a time, flour your surface lightly. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, roughly 10 x 14 inches.
The Spread
Using an offset spatula (or a spoon), spread half of your chocolate paste over the dough. Leave a small 1-inch border at the top edge.
Sprinkle half of the chopped hazelnuts over the chocolate.
The Roll
Start from the long edge closest to you. Roll the dough up tightly into a log, like a cinnamon roll. Dab a little water on that clean border at the end to seal the log shut.
The Surgery
This is the part that scares people. Grab a sharp knife.
Cut the log lengthwise right down the middle. You will have two long strands of dough with the layers of chocolate and dough exposed. It looks messy. That is the point.
The Twist
Place the two strands next to each other, cut side up. Pinch the top ends together. Lift the left strand over the right. Repeat until you have a two-strand braid. Pinch the bottom ends together.
Squish the braid slightly so it fits into your prepared loaf pan. Tuck the ends underneath.
Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Cover the pans with a damp towel. Let them rise in a warm spot for 1 ½ to 2 hours. They should look puffy and soft. 🍞
Step 4: The Bake and The Syrup
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Bake the loaves for 30 to 40 minutes.
Check them at the 25-minute mark. If the tops are getting too dark (chocolate burns easily), cover them loosely with aluminum foil.
You want an internal temperature of 190°F (88°C). Use a thermometer. Guessing leads to raw dough centers.
Make the Syrup
While the babkas bake, put the sugar and water for the syrup in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Let it simmer for 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely. Take it off the heat.
The Soak
This is crucial. FYI, this step preserves the bread.
As soon as the babkas come out of the oven, brush all the syrup over them.
“But it seems like too much syrup!”
Trust me. Use all of it. The hot bread will drink up the syrup. It creates that glossy, sticky finish and keeps the babka moist for days. If you skip this, your babka will be dry by tomorrow. 🍯
Troubleshooting: Why Does My Kitchen Look Like a War Zone?
If you are panicking, check this list.
- My filling leaked out everywhere. You probably rolled the dough too loosely. Roll it tight! Also, make sure your chocolate paste isn’t hot liquid when you spread it. It needs to be paste-like.
- The dough is impossible to roll. It got too warm. Put it back in the fridge for 20 minutes. Chill out (literally).
- The center is raw. You pulled it out too early. The sugar in the dough browns the crust fast, tricking you. Always trust the thermometer, not your eyes.
- It tastes dry. Did you use the syrup? I told you to use the syrup.
Nutritional Information (Per Slice)
Assuming 10 slices per loaf. Brace yourself.
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fat: 22g
- Protein: 6g
- Sugar: 20g
Look, nobody eats Babka with Chocolate and Hazelnut for the health benefits. You eat it for the soul benefits. 🧘♂️
Customization Ideas
Once you master the base, get weird with it.
- Orange Zest: Add the zest of an orange to the filling. Chocolate and orange are best friends.
- Cinnamon Sugar: If you really want to be that person, swap the chocolate for a cinnamon-sugar butter paste. (It’s good, I admit it).
- Halva: Crumble sesame halva over the chocolate before rolling. This adds a nutty, tahini flavor that is incredible.
- Cookie Butter: Swap the chocolate filling for Biscoff spread. Warning: This is dangerously sweet.
Storing and Eating
Let the babka cool completely in the pan. If you try to slice it hot, the chocolate will smear, and the structure will collapse.
To Store: Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. It stays fresh at room temperature for 3 days (thanks to that syrup).
To Freeze: Wrap the whole loaf (or slices) in foil and then plastic. Freeze for up to 2 months.
The Best Way to Eat It: Take a stale slice. Toast it lightly. Smear a little extra butter on it. The chocolate pockets get melty, the hazelnuts get crunchy again, and the butter soaks into the warm brioche.
It pairs perfectly with a strong black coffee. The bitterness of the coffee cuts through the richness of the chocolate. ☕
Conclusion
Baking a Babka with Chocolate and Hazelnut is a project. It takes two days. It makes a mess. You will find hazelnut skins in weird places for a week.
But when you pull that glossy, twisted loaf out of the oven, you feel like a champion. You took simple ingredients—flour, eggs, butter, cocoa—and turned them into something spectacular.
So, call your friends. Tell them you have babka. Watch them choose you over the person who brought the cinnamon one.
