Chocolate Babka Muffin
קראנץ שוקולד·(krantz shokolad)
Chapter 5 — Sides, Sweets & Drinks: The Peripheral Experience
If the malt-boiled bagel is the savory anchor of Saturday morning, the babka muffin is the unapologetic, decadent reward you order alongside it. Walk into any of the new generation of obsessive bagel shops and you'll see them in the pastry case: towering, impossibly glossy knots of brioche-like dough, laminated with absurd amounts of chocolate. This isn't the dry, crumbly cake of your youth. This is the modern standard, pioneered by Israeli bakers in New York. It relies on a rich, butter-heavy dough, a strict overnight cold proof, a filling of hazelnut spread and dark chocolate, and a hot syrup soak that seals in the moisture. You will need your kitchen scale, your stand mixer, and a bit of patience. The result is exactly what you'd pay six dollars for at the counter, hot out of your home oven.
Before you start
Plan ahead for the overnight proof.
This dough requires a 12 to 24 hour rest in the refrigerator before shaping. Begin the recipe the evening before you intend to bake.
Ingredients
- bread flour275 g
- pastry flour225 g
- instant yeast12 g
- granulated sugar100 g
- whole milk180 g
- large eggs2 large
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- fine sea salt1 1/2 tsp
- unsalted butter120 g
- Nutella350 g
- dark chocolate chips150 g
- granulated sugar100 g
- water100 g
Method
- 01
Combine the dry ingredients.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together the bread flour, pastry flour, instant yeast, and sugar.
- 02
Hydrate the dough.
Add the cold milk, eggs, and vanilla extract, mixing on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes until a shaggy, stiff dough forms.
- 03
Develop the gluten network.
Add the salt, increase the mixer speed to medium-low, and knead for 4 minutes until the dough begins to look smoother and wraps around the hook.
- 04
Emulsify the butter.
With the mixer running, add the room-temperature butter one or two cubes at a time, waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed before adding the next.
- 05
Knead until perfectly smooth.
Once all the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer to medium speed and knead for an additional 5 minutes until the dough transforms into a highly elastic sphere that slaps cleanly against the bowl.
- 06
Retard the dough overnight.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before placing in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
- 07
Prepare the tin and roll the dough.
Generously coat a standard 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Turn the firm, chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 12 by 24-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
- 08
Apply the chocolate filling.
Spread the Nutella in an even, thin layer across the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch clean border along the top edge, then scatter the dark chocolate chips evenly across the surface.
- 09
Roll into a tight cylinder.
Starting from the bottom edge, tightly roll the dough up into a long snake, pinching the clean seam at the top to seal it.
- 10
Expose the chocolate layers.
Using a sharp serrated knife, slice the entire cylinder exactly in half lengthwise to create two long ribbons of dough with exposed chocolate strata.
- 11
Twist and portion the babka.
Lay the two halves cut-sides up, cross them over each other repeatedly to form a long twist, then cut the log into 12 equal segments.
- 12
Knot and proof.
Gently coil each segment into a loose knot, tucking the ragged ends underneath, and drop them into the muffin tin. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
- 13
Prepare the simple syrup.
While the dough proofs, simmer 100 g sugar and 100 g water in a small saucepan until dissolved, then remove from heat to cool to room temperature.
- 14
Bake the muffins.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the muffin tin on the center rack for 22 to 25 minutes, until deep golden brown and the internal temperature registers 190°F.
- 15
Glaze immediately.
The exact moment you pull the pan from the oven, generously brush the room-temperature simple syrup all over the scorching hot babka muffins.
- 16
Cool and extract.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before carefully lifting them out with an offset spatula or butter knife.
Notes
Do not substitute the flour blend.
The 55/45 split of bread flour and pastry flour provides the exact structural integrity required to hold the heavy chocolate layers without rendering the crumb tough.
The cold proof is non-negotiable.
Chilling the dough overnight solidifies the 24 percent butter content, making the highly enriched dough manageable to roll out thinly while developing essential tangy flavors.
Compensate for the stand mixer.
Home mixers generate significant heat friction. Start with cold milk and cold eggs to prevent the butter from melting out of the dough during the long kneading process.