Chocolate Babka Swirl Buns
שבלולי שמרים·(shab-loo-ley shma-reem)
Afternoon Nosh at the Bakery Case
The cold dough sits on the counter, dense with butter and ready for a heavy coat of filling. Walking into an old-school Jewish deli, you know the real smell: deep, buttery supermarket yeast laced with an earthy, bittersweet hit of cocoa. Forget the viral internet monstrosities loaded with commercial hazelnut spread. Making the buns as individual snails maximizes the crispy, caramelized edges and cuts the baking time in half. Pull the warm pastries from a standard 12-cup muffin tin, brew a black coffee, and eat one while the dark chocolate smears.
Before you start
Plan for an overnight cold-proof.
The dough needs 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. This develops complex yeasty flavors and firms up the butter, transforming a sticky enriched dough into something you can easily roll out on a weeknight.
Respect the butter temperature.
Your butter for the filling must be incredibly soft to mix into a paste, but strictly un-melted. Melted butter destroys the emulsion and guarantees your chocolate will bleed out onto the pan.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour3 1/2 cup
- instant yeast1 tbsp
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- eggs2 large
- whole milk3/4 cup
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- unsalted butter7 tbsp
- unsalted butter14 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 cup
- unsweetened cocoa powder3/4 cup
- ground cinnamon1 tsp
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- water1/2 cup
- egg1 large
Method
- 01
Build the dough the night before.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, instant yeast, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the 2 room-temperature eggs, lukewarm milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low speed until a shaggy dough forms.
- 02
Knead in the butter and let it sleep.
With the mixer running, add the 7 tablespoons of softened butter one tablespoon at a time, letting each piece incorporate before adding the next. Knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and clears the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
- 03
Mash together the authentic cocoa paste.
In a medium bowl, combine the incredibly soft 14 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Vigorously mash and stir with a rubber spatula until it becomes a smooth, spreadable paste that looks like thick chocolate frosting. Do not melt the butter, or the filling will leak in the oven.
- 04
Roll and fill the cold dough.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the cold dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Roll the first half into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Spread half the cocoa paste evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch bare border around the edges.
- 05
Roll the dough into a tight log and slice.
Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log, pinching the final seam to seal. Trim the uneven ends, then use a sharp serrated knife to slice the log into 1-inch thick rounds.
- 06
Proof the buns until puffy.
Place the swirls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each. Repeat the rolling and slicing process with the remaining dough. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let them proof in a warm spot for 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled in size.
- 07
Bake until deeply golden.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Gently brush the proofed buns with the egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until golden brown and intensely fragrant.
- 08
Boil the simple syrup.
While the buns bake, combine the water and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- 09
Drench the hot buns immediately.
The exact second the buns come out of the oven, take a pastry brush and generously dab the hot simple syrup all over them. It will sizzle and soak in immediately. Do not be shy—this is the ultimate bakery secret that seals the crumb and leaves that iconic, sticky finish.
Notes
Keeping it pareve.
For a traditional dairy-free variant meant to follow a Kosher meat meal, substitute the milk with water and the butter with an equal volume of neutral oil or baking margarine.
Trust the syrup.
It will seem like an excessive amount of liquid, but brushing the syrup onto the hot pastry is a non-negotiable chemical step. It stops staling dead in its tracks and gives you the exact texture of an old-school bakery case.