Chocolate & hazelnut Babka from “Jeffrey Cagnes”

Method

• 1)

  Place the salt, flour, fresh yeast, sugar and the milk in a mixer bowl and use the dough hook attachment to stir everything together on a medium speed for 8-10 minutes. Until the dough comes together.
  Add the butter a few cubes at a time, until it all melts into the dough. Continue mixing on a medium speed until the dough is completely smooth and comes away from the side of the bowl.
  Transfer the dough in a large bowl brushed with sunflower, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.

   

  

• 2)

  Roll the dough out, making a rectangle the length of the mould and 3 times its width. Dust both sides lightly with flour as you work.
  Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate spread over the dough leaving 1 cm border all around. Sprinkle chocolate and hazelnut roughly chopped.

   

  

• 3)

  Use both hands to roll up the rectangle as tight as possible like a roulade, using a sharp knife trim about 2 cm of both ends of the roulade. Now use the knife to cut the roll into two lengthways, you are dividing the log into 2 even long halves. At this stage is really important that the dough is cold to be able to cut it, this is why i placed the roll 5 minutes in the freezer.

  

   

  

   

  With the cut facing up, gently press together one end of each half, and then lift the right half over the left half. Repeat this process, with the left half lifting over the right, to createa very simple, two-pronged plait. Gently squeeze together the other ends so that you are left with  two halves, Intertwined, showing the filling on top.

   

  

   

  Carefully lift the brioche into a loaf tin. Cover it with a clean tea towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes -1 hour in a warm place.

   

  

• 4)

  In a preheated oven 180C degrees, bake the brioche for 25 minutes  the Babka should have golden brown colour  or until a skewer inserted comes out clean of dough.

   

  

• 5)

  While the brioche is in the oven make the syrup by mixing the water and sugar in a saucepan. Place over a medium heat and as soon as the syrup boils and the sugar dissolved, remove and leave to cool down.
  As soon as the Babka comes out of the oven, brush the syrup over the brioche. Leave until the Babka is warm before trying.
   
  This brioche will start drying out after 24 hours, but the good news is that freezes well.

   

  

   

  Enjoy !