Sourdough Chocolate Babka
Sourdough chocolate babka is a sweet, enriched dough that’s filled with a smooth homemade chocolate filling, rolled, and braided before baking. It’s a simple bread that will make your house smell as amazing as the bread tastes!
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If you want to make this recipe but don’t have a sourdough starter, no worries! Grab my free guide so you can make your own starter at home.
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I never knew what Babka was until about a year ago. I saw a recipe in an issue of Southern Living as well as on Pinterest. Then again on a cooking show.
So I decided to do some research and figure out what Babka was. After doing some digging, I knew I had to learn how to make it and develop my own recipe.
This chocolate babka has become our new favorite winter baking item. It’s so delicious!
What is Babka?
Babka is an enriched, sweet bread that is filled with some type of filling rolled up and braided before baking. It’s a Jewish Easter bread that originated in Poland and Ukraine in the 19th century as a way of using up extra-enriched bread dough.
Today people from all over the world, of all religions, bake and enjoy babka, especially during the holidays!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Wholesome: I use wholesome ingredients like sourdough for the benefits of fermentation, raw honey for a natural sweetener, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Easy to Follow: I made sure this Babka recipe was simple to follow so every level of baker could whip it up.
Perfect for Holidays: Chocolate babka is the perfect holiday breakfast. It’s sweet, special, and makes your home smell so good.
Perfect for Hosting: This bread will impress your guests for sure, no matter what time of year it is. Plus, if you bake it a little before they arrive, your house will smell amazing!
Delicious Anytime of Day: You can enjoy this bread any time of the day. It’s not overly sweet, so you can eat it for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
Sourdough Babka Making Tips
- Make sure your starter is active! Before you get started with this recipe, you need to feed your starter a 2:1 ratio of flour to water 4–12 hours before you start. Your sourdough starter needs to be very active and bubbly to begin.
- Let the dough bulk ferment for 12 hours. It is important to let your dough bulk ferment for the full 12 hours. It should double in size and have air bubbles in it.
- Place the dough in a warm spot to rise. For both the bulk ferment and the second rise after shaping, your dough needs to be at room temperature in a non-drafty place. If your dough doesn’t look like it’s doing anything halfway through the rises, you need to place it in a slightly warmer area. This can be in a turned-off oven with the light on and oven door open, or you can slightly warm the oven to about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off and place your dough inside with the door shut. Never leave the oven on, even on the keep warm setting, with fermenting dough inside. Your dough, for both rises, needs to double.
- Shape the dough on parchment: Make sure you shape the babka on a slice of parchment for easy transferring!
Ingredients You Will Need
For the Bread
- fed sourdough starter (feed starter 4-12 hours before using)
- milk
- salt
- melted butter (salted)
- raw honey
- all-purpose flour
For the Filling
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- salted butter
- raw honey
- semi-sweet chocolate chips (chopped)
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Large Glass Bowl
- Bread Whisk
- 9×5″ loaf pan— this is the perfect loaf pan size; stainless steel is best.
- unbleached parchment paper
FAQs
Babka originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine.
They are both Easter breads and are very similar.
Babka is sweeter and a rectangle shape. Paska is less sweet and shaped into a round bread with symbols like crosses, braids, flowers, or wheat.
Babka is also a Jewish bread, while Paska is a Ukrainian bread.
They are both enriched bread doughs, but brioche is not filled with anything like babka is.
Eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, berries, and any other breakfast side will go great with babka.
Yes, you need to have a bubbly, active, starter to make this recipe. This ensure the bread will come out light and fluffy instead of dense.
How to Make Sourdough Babka
Prepare Your Sourdough Starter
Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of flour to water. It needs to be active and bubbly to begin this recipe.
Make the Babka Dough
In a large mixing bowl, add in sourdough starter, milk, salt, melted butter, and honey then stir until combined.
Add flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough into a ball. If this isn’t working add 1-2 Tablespoons of extra milk to help but don’t do this if not necessary.
Turn dough out on the counter. Knead dough by hand or with a mixer that has a dough attachment for 3 minutes. Only use a dusting of flour if the dough is sticking.
Cover dough with a lid loosely, a damp kitchen towel, or seran wrap and let it sit at room temperature on the counter for 12 hours until it doubles in size. (See notes for tips and help!)
Make the Chocolate Filling
When the bulk ferment ends, make your filling by placing the butter for the filling in a medium-sized pot on medium heat.
Add in honey and cocoa powder stir to combine. Once everything is combined and the butter is melted, take off heat and set aside.
Shape the Babka
Once bulk fermentation is complete your dough should have doubled in size. Punch it down to deflate then place the dough on the counter. No flour is needed.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle approximately 10″ x 14″.
Pour filling over rolled-out dough and use a butter knife to evenly spread the filling over the entire rectangle.
Sprinkle roughly chopped chocolate chips over the filling.
Starting at the shorter 10″ side of the rectangle begin to roll the dough into a log tightly. Pinch the seam together with your hands at the end.
IMPORTANT: Now place the log on a piece of parchment paper that’s already sized to fit a 9×5” loaf pan. This will make transporting easy.
Now cut the log down the center 3/4 of the way down the middle longwise so that 1/4 is still at the top uncut.
Twist the cut sides around each other like you’re doing a 2-strand braid.
Place the shaped babka on the parchment in a loaf pan. Cut down the excess parchment.
Cover the pan with a separate slice of parchment paper and then a dry kitchen towel. Let it rise for 3-4 hours at room temperature. (See notes for help and tips!)
Bake the Babka
After the babka has finished proofing preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place loaf pan on a sheet pan incase any chocolate spills over the sides. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
Let babka cool in the pan for 5 minutes then take it out using the parchment paper that it’s on. Let cool rest of the way on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Example Baker’s Schedule
- Prepare Starter: 3 pm
- Make the Dough: 7 pm
- Bulk Ferment: 7:10 pm – 7:10 am (the next day)
- Optional: you can place the dough in the fridge at this point up to 24 hours if you don’t have time to finish it right now
- Make Filling and Shape Babka: 7:10 am
- 2nd Rise (Proofing): 7:20 am – 11:20 am
- Bake Babka: 11:20 am
How to Store Babka
Store babka in an airtight container, preferably glass, for 3-4 days. After that, you can place it in the fridge for 2-3 more days.
Important: Make sure the bread is completely cooled before storing.
How to Freeze Babka
You can either freeze babka whole or sliced. If you plan to freeze it in slices, I recommend wrapping each slice in parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Store babka either way in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw it on the counter or in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to enjoy it.
Reheating Babka Instructions
When ready to warm slices of babka, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, place the slices on a sheet pan and put them in the oven. Warm for about 5 minutes or until a desired temperature.
If you want the babka toasted, you can also put it in the toaster or leave it in the oven longer.
Ways to Serve Sourdough Chocolate Babka
You can serve sourdough babka in many ways, whether it’s for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. Here’s two of my favorite ways to serve this bread:
- Toasted with a side of ham or bacon
- A few slices warmed and spread with butter
More Sourdough Bread Recipes To Try
- Sourdough Apple Bread
- Sourdough Sandwich Bread (light and fluffy)
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
Did you make this recipe?
- Give it a 5-star rating in the comments below 👇🏼
- Share a photo of your babka on your Instagram or Facebook stories. Be sure to tag @plumbranchhome and use the hashtag #plumbranchhome so I can see it!
Sourdough Chocolate Babka Recipe
Sourdough Chocolate Babka
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fed sourdough starter (feed starter 4-12 hours before using)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 Tbsp raw honey
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 Tbsp butter (salted)
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (chopped)
Instructions
Prepare Your Sourdough Starter
- Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of flour to water. It needs to be active and bubbly to begin this recipe.
Make the Babka Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, add in sourdough starter, milk, salt, melted butter, and honey then stir until combined.
- Add flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough into a ball. If this isn’t working add 1-2 Tablespoons of extra milk to help but don’t do this if not necessary.
- Turn dough out on the counter. Knead dough by hand or with a mixer that has a dough attachment for 3 minutes. Only use a dusting of flour if the dough is sticking.
- Cover dough with a lid loosely, a damp kitchen towel, or seran wrap and let it sit at room temperature on the counter for 12 hours until it doubles in size. (See notes for tips and help!)
Make the Chocolate Filling
- When the bulk ferment ends, make your filling by placing the butter for the filling in a medium-sized pot on medium heat.
- Add in honey and cocoa powder stir to combine. Once everything is combined and the butter is melted, take off heat and set aside.
Shape the Babka
- Once bulk fermentation is complete your dough should have doubled in size. Punch it down to deflate then place the dough on the counter. No flour is needed.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle approximately 10" x 14".
- Pour filling over rolled-out dough and use a butter knife to evenly spread the filling over the entire rectangle.
- Sprinkle roughly chopped chocolate chips over the filling.
- Starting at the shorter 10" side of the rectangle begin to roll the dough into a log tightly. Pinch the seam together with your hands at the end.
- IMPORTANT: Now place the log on a piece of parchment paper that’s already sized to fit a 9x5” loaf pan. This will make transporting easy.
- Now cut the log down the center 3/4 of the way down the middle longwise so that 1/4 is still at the top uncut.
- Twist the cut sides around each other like you’re doing a 2-strand braid.
- Place the shaped babka on the parchment in a loaf pan. Cut down the excess parchment.
- Cover the pan with a separate slice of parchment paper and then a dry kitchen towel. Let it rise for 3-4 hours at room temperature. (See notes for help and tips!)
Bake the Babka
- After the babka has finished proofing, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place loaf pan on a sheet pan incase any chocolate spills over the sides. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
- Let babka cool in the pan for 5 minutes then take it out using the parchment paper that it’s on. Let cool rest of the way on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure your starter is active! BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water to get the same results as I do when you make this recipe. Example: Feed 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water and let the starter sit on the counter at room temperature until it's bubbly and has grow in the jar. Your starter needs to be active, bubbly, and a thicker consistency to begin this recipe.
- Let the dough bulk ferment for 12 hours. It is important to let your dough bulk ferment for the full 12 hours. It should double in size and have air bubbles in it.
- Place the dough in a warm spot to rise. For both the bulk ferment and the second rise after shaping, your dough needs to be at room temperature in a non-drafty place.
- If your dough doesn't look like it's doing anything halfway through the rises, you need to place it in a slightly warmer area. This can be in a turned-off oven with the light on and oven door open, or you can slightly warm the oven to about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off and place your dough inside with the door shut. Never leave the oven on, even on the keep warm setting, with fermenting dough inside. Your dough, for both rises, needs to double.
- If your dough doesn't double in size even in the warmer area, there is a problem with your starter. It is too weak to ferment the dough even in a warm environment. To fix this, you will want to leave your starter out on the counter for 2 days and feed it every 12 hours a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water. For example, 1 cup unbleached flour + 1/2 cup filtered (or bottled) water. This will strengthen the cultures in your starter to give you fluffy baked breads and goods. After the 2 days you can go back to feeding it like usual (once a week if stored in the fridge or once a day if stored on the counter).
First time I had Babka, and it was very good. Looking at other Babka recipes on the web, I notice that most of them have 2 eggs in the ingredients list, I wonder what difference it makes to the final result ?
I am glad I tried this recipe !!! Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much Sylvain! I’m so glad you enjoyed my Babka recipe! Adding eggs to any dough enriches it and creates a slightly richer flavor and a fluffier crumb. It creates a brioche-like dough. But when I developed my recipe for babka I didn’t use eggs because we add the chocolate filling. This takes the show when it comes to this bread and allows a more firm dough to hold the filling. It also makes the steps easier but still gives you a delicious bread!