Chocolate Coffee Pistachio Babka

I’ve been binge-watching the 2020 season of the Great British Bake Off recently. (I have to say I love what British reality TV has done during the pandemic. You can tell everyone is so much more connected and invested when they have to live in a bubble with each other. During chocolate week, the technical challenge was a chocolate Babka, and I was inspired because I’ve always wanted to try making babka. (And theirs all looked so good!) Enter: this Chocolate Coffee Pistachio Babka.

I have been wanting to try babka for a while, and I’ve also been wanting to revist the chocolate-coffee-pistachio combination that I have been obsessed with in the past. Nothing like fantasizing about being on Bake Off to make you think of a perfect combination. 

I definitely want to come back to babkas in the future – I think the possibilities for fillings are sort of endless. (Savory babka? Cinnamon babka?) And while the swirl and braiding process of the dough looked intimidating, it wasn’t too bad! The slightly sweet bread is a perfect base for a lot of flavors. My favorite way to eat this was by toast/frying it in some butter in a pan on the stove. (It was too fragile/filled with chocolate to withstand the toaster.) And frying it in butter infuses the bread with the butter instead of having to spread it. Win-win!

And as I alluded to earlier, this recipe is very flexible – you can sub out a different nut or leave them out entirely. You can leave out the coffee. You can add your own spices and flavorings. It’s very flexible. I just love this particular flavor combo.

It’s really fun to bake something for the first time! Between binge-watching Bake Off and coming back to this blog and trying to get my food inspiration back, I’m realizing just how much out there I’ve never even tried to bake or cook! Maybe finding inspiration (and staying inspired) is all about pushing your comfort zone? Trying new things? I’m sure someone older and smarter and wiser than me has said as much before. 

Back when I was a Young Teen and this blog was in its heyday, everything I was baking was a new and exciting challenge. But then I got complacent with it! I’ve done brownies 100s of times. But I’ve done Babka… once. So, here’s to trying new things! It’s exciting.

So, here you go, go nuts with this recipe! I know I’ll certainly be returning to this recipe again with my own different spins on it. 

Chocolate Coffee Pistachio Babka

• Author: Audrey

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Ingredients

DOUGH

½ cup whole milk, warmed

1 ¼-ounce envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons)

¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for bowl

FILLING AND ASSEMBLY

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

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Instructions

Dough

1. Pour milk into a measuring glass or small bowl; sprinkle yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar over milk. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk egg, egg yolk, and remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in yeast mixture.
3. Combine salt and 2 cups flour in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg mixture and beat on low speed until nearly incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to dough hook and add 7 Tbsp. butter; beat on medium-low until butter is completely incorporated and dough is smooth and just slightly sticky, 8–10 minutes.
4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until very smooth (dough will still be wet and a little sticky). Transfer to a large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1½–2 hours, then chill 45 minutes.

 

FILLING AND ASSEMBLY

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter a 8½x4½” loaf pan. Heat chocolate, cocoa, butter, granulated sugar, instant coffee, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, microwave on medium power 1 minute, stirring halfway through.)
2. Turn out chilled dough onto a clean lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 22×12″ rectangle and orient so a long side is facing you. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate filling over dough to extend to the edges. Roll up dough away from you like a jelly roll, pulling lightly on it as you roll to maintain thickness. (Use a metal bench scraper if needed to help dough release from surface.)
3. Cut log in half crosswise. Set halves so they are side by side and touching. A long side should still be facing you. Place one half over the other to make an X, then twist the two ends on one side twice. Repeat on opposite side. (You should have a total of 4 twists.) Transfer bread to pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 30 minutes.
4. Bake babka, rotating pan halfway through, until golden brown, 50–60 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let babka cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack, running a paring knife around edges to help loosen if needed. Let cool completely before slicing.