Chocolate babka & candied peel #GBBOBloggers2016

Ant was delighted to be named STAR BAKER by Jenny at Mummy Mishaps for the signature bake category 🙂

Chocolate babka with candied peel

I absolutely loved this chocolate babka with candied peel! The kids weren’t as enamoured as me! Ant made this for us because Kaycee and I were away for the weekend and we were running out of time.

This recipe makes 4 babkas.

I used a recipe I found on Eater.com and adapted it for our candied peel version.

You will need:

For the dough

170g whole milk
7g easy bake yeast
325g bread flour, sifted
325g plain flour, sifted
2 large eggs
110g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
120g unsalted butter at room temperature cut into cubes

For the filling

1 jar chocolate hazelnut spread (we used a jar of smart price Asda chocolate spread)
1 tub (200g) mixed peel

For the sugar syrup

160g granulated sugar
120g water

Method

1. Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
2. Put the yeast into the milk and dissolve it into the milk with a whisk.
3. Dump the flour on top of the milk, then the eggs on top of the flour.
4. Add the sugar, then the vanilla, then the salt and half of the butter.
5. Begin mixing at the lowest speed. After 2 minutes increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for another 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl, if necessary, so that it all mixes together.
   The dough should begin to come together but won’t be smooth.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the rest of the butter, cube by cube, only adding more butter once the previous cube disappears into the dough.
   This process should take 2 to 3 minutes. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn off the mixer — the dough should be smooth and elastic.
7. Lightly flour a work surface with bread flour, and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead the dough into a smooth ball.
8. Form the dough into a rectangle (measuring about 10 inches by 6 inches) and place on a tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but up to 12 hours.

Take a break!

1. Lightly grease four 8 1/2-inch-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans with nonstick baking spray or butter.
2. Flour a work surface with bread flour, and transfer the dough to the floured surface.
3. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle measuring about 36 inches by 9 inches — it’s fine if the rectangle is bigger (up to 40 inches by 12 inches) but no smaller than 36 inches by 9 inches.
   If the dough shrinks back as you roll it out, cover it with a towel or plastic wrap for 5 minutes to let it rest and then continue rolling again.
4. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate spread evenly out onto the dough, spreading it out to all of the edges. Sprinkle the mixed peel evenly out over the chocolate spread.
5. Place the dough in front of you with the long, 36-inch side towards you.
6. Starting from the lower left side of the dough, use your fingertips to roll the dough, working your way from the left side to the right side and using your fingertips to the roll the dough into a roulade as tightly as possible.
   The tighter the roulade is rolled, the more layers of chocolate the babka will have.

Time to shape

1. Once you’ve rolled the dough, gently pull the roulade so that it reaches about 48 to 50 inches in length.
2. Using a serrated knife, cut the roulade in half lengthwise, along its 36-inch length.
3. Cut the dough crosswise into 4 even pieces. You should now have 8 roulade halves in 4 pairs of 2.
4. Place one of the pieces cut-side up. Place another piece on top (also with the cut-side up) to make an X with the two pieces. Twist the two halves around each other, gently pulling the dough to wrap the two pieces around each other.
   This is what gives the babka its telltale braided characteristic.
5. Transfer the babka to one of the loaf pans and repeat this process with the remaining 6 roulade halves to make 4 babkas in total.
6. Cover the babkas with a towel or place in a clean plastic bag to cover completely.
   Set in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Sugar syrup

1. In the meantime, make the sugar syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
   Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. The sugar should be completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the babkas for 25 minutes in a fan oven or 30 minutes in a regular oven. Once they’re done baking, the babkas should be golden brown.
3. Remove from the oven and immediately brush generously with the sugar syrup.