Sourdough Chocolate Babka

Tender, fluffy brioche bread with ribbons of rich dark chocolate filling and sticky sweet simple syrup coating, this Sourdough Chocolate Babka will be your new favorite indulgence. Using sourdough starter makes for a really flavorful brioche, while coating the baked babka with simple syrup keeps the babka tasting fresh and moist for days. 

Sponsored by Imperial Sugar

Recipe Box Series

This Sourdough Chocolate Babka recipe is part of my Recipe Box Series with Imperial Sugar. Each month, I’ll be releasing familiar recipes made with a sourdough twist. You can look forward to comforting classics like Sourdough Sticky Buns, Apple Pie with Sourdough Crust, Sourdough Pumpkin Bundt Cake and Sourdough Monkey Bread. 

Sugar imparts flavor, texture, moisture, and without it, it would be impossible to make our favorite bakes.

Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar tenderizes dough resulting in an incredibly soft crumb and it also sweetens the chocolate filling. To top it all off, drizzling simple syrup over the still-warm baked loaf keeps gives the babka sticky sweet coating that will keeps it tasting fresher for longer. 

I’m so grateful to Imperial Sugar for making this series possible and so proud to be partnering with a company with such a long tradition of producing high-quality products. Imperial Sugar products are 100% pure cane sugar, non-GMO and provide consistently delicious results.

Naturally leavened brioche 

Sourdough Babka dough is made up of a naturally-leavened brioche base, which is heavily enriched with sugar, milk, eggs and butter. These ingredients can slow fermentation down drastically, so it’s important to make sure your starter is very active. Expect your dough to take longer than usual to rise (at least 6 hours). I’ll be giving time cues here but make sure you watch out for signs of fermentation, you should see a noticeable increase in volume and your dough should feel airy and bubbly.  

Even with all the enrichments in this dough, I was still able to mix this dough by hand. The trick to mixing this dough is to let it rest before kneading. Coating your work surface with a little bit of oil instead of flour will make kneading much easier. 

Using a sweet stiff starter

This recipe uses a sweet stiff starter. Stiff starters use a lower ratio of water than the usual 100% hydration starter. These types of starters are commonly used in pastry recipes that proof slower than lean doughs. Adding a little bit of sugar to the starter creates osmotic stress which limits the production of bacteria that causes acidity in sourdough. This results in babka without a sour flavor even with a longer fermentation period. 

Love sweet sourdough bread recipes? Try my recipes for Sourdough Sticky Buns, Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread, and Sourdough Chocolate Babka.

What you need

• All-purpose flour - Low protein content of all-purpose flour imparts a really soft and tender texture to your brioche 
• Cornstarch - Impedes gluten development which imparts a fluffy texture to this loaf
• Sweet stiff starter - Main leavener for this recipe, adding a little bit of sugar to your starter, impedes bacterial activity which reduces the sour flavor of the brioche
• Milk - Main source of moisture, tenderizes dough resulting in a softer, creamier loaf
• Butter - Adds fat which imparts richness, flavor and softness to the bread
• Eggs - Adds richness, softness and helps bread rise higher and brown better 
• Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar - Tenderizes the crumb, adds sweetness to the filling and keeps the baked loaf tasting fresher for longer
• Salt - Supports gluten structure and intensifies the flavor of the other ingredients in the loaf 
• Vanilla extract - Enhances the flavor of chocolate in the filling
• Dark chocolate - Use good quality 60 to 78% dark chocolate 
• Heavy cream - High milk fat of heavy cream allows the filling to set properly, don’t use half and half or whole milk, or your filling may be too runny 
• Cocoa powder - Intensifies chocolate flavor, adds a lovely bitterness that balances the sweet filling 
• Walnuts - Adds a lovely texture to the babka filling, optional but recommended

Step-by-step instructions

1. The night before, make the stiff starter
2. Make the dough
3. Knead the dough
4. Let the dough rise until doubled in volume (about 6 to 8 hours)
5. Deflate the dough and cold proof overnight
6. Make the chocolate filling
7. Fill and shape the dough
8. Let the dough rise until puffy and doubled in volume
9. Egg wash and bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes
10. Make the simple syrup
11. Pour syrup over warm babka

How to shape a babka

Shaping a babka is really easy, if you have trouble shaping sticky dough, refrigerate your rolled dough for 15 minutes before cutting (step 3) and twisting (step 4)

1. Spread filling over dough

2. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder

3. Split the dough lengthwise

4. Twist the dough portions together

Recipe FAQs

Sweet sourdough bread recipes you may also like

Sourdough Chocolate Babka Recipe

Hannah Dela Cruz

Tender, fluffy brioche bread with ribbons of rich dark chocolate filling finished with a sweet syrup, this Sourdough Chocolate Babka will be your new favorite indulgence. 

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 18 hours hrs

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices

Calories 322 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Rolling Pin
• ▢
  8 by 4 inch Pullman Pan

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Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

Sweet Stiff Starter

• ▢ 14 grams sourdough starter unfed
• ▢ 60 grams all-purpose flour
• ▢ 28 grams water
• ▢ 12 grams Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar

Dough

• ▢ 285 grams all-purpose flour
• ▢ 15 grams cornstarch
• ▢ 116 grams sweet stiff starter
• ▢ 2 eggs large
• ▢ 56 grams whole milk
• ▢ 5 grams salt
• ▢ 50 grams Imperial Sugar Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 70 grams unsalted butter softened

Filling

• ▢ 75 grams heavy cream
• ▢ 50 grams dark chocolate finely chopped
• ▢ 25 grams Dutch Processed cocoa powder
• ▢ 50 grams Imperial Sugar Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 56 grams unsalted butter
• ▢ 5 grams vanilla extract
• ▢ 25 grams walnuts finely chopped

Simple Syrup

• ▢ 66 grams Imperial Sugar Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 75 grams water

Click US Customary to view volume measurements

Instructions

 

• Activate sweet stiff starter: The night before, mix the sourdough starter, all-purpose flour, water and brown sugar in a container. Cover and set in a warm place overnight, or at least 8 hours. 
• Make the dough: Combine all-purpose flour, cornstarch, sweet stiff starter, milk, eggs and sugar in a large bowl and stir until all the flour is hydrated. Knead the butter into the dough one tablespoon at a time. Continue kneading until the butter has been absorbed and the dough no longer feels greasy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour. 
• Strengthen the dough: Coat a clean work surface with a light layer of oil. Turn your dough out onto your work surface. Gently knead the dough with the base of your palms about 5 to 10 times, or until the dough feels smooth and elastic. You don’t want to build too much strength in your dough or your babka will end up too tough. 
• First rise: Gather your dough into a tight ball and place it inside a clean lightly-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in volume, about 6 to 8 hours (this could be longer, pay attention to the increase in volume). 
• Cold proof: Deflate the dough and gather it into a tight ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place the dough into the refrigerator for an overnight rest. 
• Make the filling: Combine the chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder and butter in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream up in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer (don't let it boil over), about 5 minutes. Pour the cream over the chocolate mixture and let it sit for 2 minutes or until the chocolate and butter begins to soften. Stir the mixture with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until all the ingredients are fully combined. Set aside and let the mixture cool completely.
• Fill the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough out into a 10 by 14 inch rectangle (it doesn’t have to be exact). Spread all of your chocolate filling over the dough, sprinkle an even layer of walnuts over the chocolate (if using). 
• Shape your babka: Starting with the longer side of the rectangle, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough lengthwise into two equal portions. Twist the two portions of dough together. Gently place the dough into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. 
• Final rise: Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and let it rise until it appears puffy and has doubled in volume, about 3 to 4 hours. 
• Bake: Once your dough is almost ready, preheat your oven to 350 F. Bake your loaf for 35 to 40 minutes or until it has browned and the internal temperature registers at 180 to 200 F when probed with an instant read thermometer. 
• Make the syrup: Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Swirl and heat until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 to 5 minutes.   
• Finish loaf: While your loaf is still warm, poke holes all while inside the loaf pan using a bamboo skewer or a small knife. Pour the simple syrup all over the loaf. Let the syrup soak for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes. 
• Serve and store: Serve the babka while still warm or at room temperature. Store leftover slices in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 
• Instructions for freezing: Wrap slices in foil and freeze for up to a month. Let the slices defrost at room temperature before serving. 

Tips

These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.

Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 403IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

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