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Bread Bakery Chocolate Babka

 
4.50 from 2 votes
ByMarie On Updated on Breads, Desserts

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Transport your taste buds to a bustling New York City bakery with this decadent Nutella-based Breads bakery chocolate babka. Inspired by the rich, swirled loaves that line the shelves of NYC’s finest bread bakeries, this recipe combines the irresistible creaminess of Nutella with the comforting warmth of homemade bread.

Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a sweet treat any time of day, this babka is a slice of NYC you can enjoy right at home.

Bread bakery's chocolate babka

There are two main types of babka. The Polish version (typically a simple, sweet yeast cake, often flavored with citrus zest and raisins, and baked in a bundt or tall, cylindrical pan), and the Jewish version, included here, is a braided or twisted loaf filled with chocolate, cinnamon, or other sweet fillings, and baked in a loaf pan.

A slice and a loaf of chocolate babka on a white plate.

Babka became particularly popular in New York City, where Jewish immigrants brought it in the early 20th century. It became a staple in Jewish bakeries, and its fame spread beyond the Jewish community.

Babka’s popularity in the U.S. got a boost from a famous episode of the TV show Seinfeld, where characters debated the merits of chocolate vs. cinnamon babka. This episode helped cement babka’s place in American pop culture!

chocolate babka

Sure, there are plenty of recipes out there. But I wanted to try something that was out of this world. Something worthy of the calorie splurge. And so I researched and learned that Bread Bakery’s chocolate babka is one of the best in NYC. The very next day, I came across this list of 25 bakery’s to visit before you die, and Bread Bakery came up again.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Ingredients for this recipe are shown in the image below.
  • Note that instant dry yeast can be used in place of active dry yeast.
  • All-purpose flour can be used in place of the pastry and the bread flour.
  • A cinnamon sugar filling can replace the Nutella-chocolate chip filling (for more details, see Notes section of the recipe card below).
Ingredients for chocolate babka.

Method (Overview)

Rolled out dough ready for topping.
Dough topped with nutella and chips being rolled.

Shape the dough into a flattened square, then wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge, flour your workspace, and roll it out into a 10×28-inch rectangle. Spread Nutella evenly over the dough—this step is important to ensure even distribution—then sprinkle the surface with chocolate chips.

Rolls of dough ready to be cut and shaped.
Rolls of babka dough cut in half lengthwise.

Carefully roll the dough into a 28-inch log, and cut it into three equal pieces, about 9 inches each. Slice each piece lengthwise to create six strips in total.

Rolls after they have been cut and twisted.
Babka ready to be baked.

Take each pair of strips and form an “X,” then twist them together to create three twisted loaves. Place each twist into an 8×3 inch loaf pan, tuck the ends under neatly, cover the pans, and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 60 minutes before baking.

Two loaves just finished baking.

I suspect the real loaves from Breads Bakery are laminated (ie, like a croissant). You can take a peek at the “real thing” here and here!

Slices of chocolate babka on white plate.

If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!

📖 Recipe

Chocolate babka on white plate.

Bread Bakery’s Chocolate Babka

Indulge in the flavors of a New York City bakery with this Nutella-filled chocolate babka, inspired by the iconic, swirled loaves of Breads Bakery. This decadent treat brings the creamy richness of Nutella and the warmth of homemade bread to your kitchen, perfect for any time of day. Makes three small loaves of sweet and very chocolatey babka. Each loaf has twelve small servings.
4.50 from 2 votes
Author: Marie
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Prep Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 36
Calories 246 kcal

Equipment

  • 3 Loaf pans 8×3 inches in size

Ingredients
 

For the Syrup:

For the Dough:

  • 3/4 cup (183 g) whole milk
  • 3.5 teaspoons (10.89 g) active dry yeast
  • 2.5 cups (312.5 g) bread flour sifted plus more for work surface
  • 2.5 cups (300 g) pastry flour sifted
  • 2 (100 g) large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
  • 1 (113 g) stick unsalted butter room temperature

For the Chocolate Filing

  • 20 ounces (567 g) Nutella*
  • 3/4 cup (135 g) semisweet chocolate chips*

Instructions
 

For the Syrup

  • Combine sugar and water in a small pan.
  • Heat until boiling, then simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Set aside to cool.

For the Dough and Assembly

  • Pour milk into a bowl and activate the yeast per the package instructions (if using instant yeast, skip activation).
  • Add flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and half the butter. Mix for 3-4 minutes.
  • Gradually add the remaining butter and continue mixing/kneading for another 4 minutes until combined.
  • Shape the dough into a flattened square, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
  • Remove dough from the fridge, flour your workspace, and roll it into a 10×28-inch rectangle.
  • Spread Nutella evenly (important!) over the dough, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.
  • Roll the dough into a 28-inch log, then cut into three 9-inch pieces.
  • Slice each piece in half lengthwise to create six strips.
  • Form an “X” with each pair of strips, then twist them together to form three twists.
  • Place each twist into an 8×3 inch loaf pan, tuck the ends under, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 180°F.
  • Immediately brush the tops with the cooled syrup.
  • Allow loaves to cool completely for 2 hours before slicing to ensure they are fully set. This is important!

Notes

*It is very important to spread the Nutella evenly!
In August 2024, we republished this recipe, using 1/3 less filling (i.e., 20 instead of 30 ounces of Nutella and 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup of chips). 
To make 1/2 the recipe, use a 9×5 loaf pan for a single loaf and adjust the baking time accordingly (it will take about 5 to 10 minutes longer).
It is important to let the loaves cool completely (for 2 hours) before slicing. If you have a food thermometer, the loaves are finished when the center reads 180 to 190 degrees
Alternative filling (from reader Barb Chilton): 
Pulse these ingredients on low, keeping the chocolate chips intact. 
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips; 
1 tbsp powdered sugar; 
2 tbsp cinnamon; 
2 tbsp cocoa powder; 
2 cups walnuts (or pecans, hazelnuts); 
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter melted; 
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (necessary ingredient); 
1/2 cup white granulated sugar; 

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 49mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 3gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 26IUCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg
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If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!

Recipe based upon this one from Wall Street Journal, Baker Uri Scheft

Hello! My name is Marie, and I love to cook! I was born and raised in a Italian American community in Philadelphia. Many of my happiest memories were with my mother or father cooking happily in the kitchen and their passion definitely inspired me. I'd like to share my recipes for pizza, breads, Italian cakes and cookies, as well as other family favorites with you!

16 Comments

    1. I have never done this but you might want to try refrigerating it after you form the loaf. I’m not sure if it would be better to put it in the fridge after final proofing or if you can proof in the refrigerator. I’d try the first option first, personally – let us know how it works out

      Reply

  2. 4 stars
    I agree with you, Seinfeld was the inspiration, but then again it is for a lot of things, right. I was wondering if something else can be used instead of the Nutella. Maybe a chocolate pudding. Not a Nutella fan. That couldn’t have been in the original Tel Aviv recipe.

    Reply

      1. I use the following for my filling:

        1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
        1Tbsp powdered sugar
        2Tbsp Cinnamon
        2Tbsp Cocoa Powder
        2 Cups walnuts (or pecans, hazelnuts)
        1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter melted
        1/2 cup turbinado sugar (necessary ingredient)
        1/2 cup white granulated sugar

        I pulse all ingredients in a food processor on low but ensure the chocolate chips are still mostly whole so they melt into the dough during baking and create the warm chocolate gooey filing desired.

        I bake Babka every weekend and this is my tried and true filing.

  3. Hi

    I tried following your recipe, baking it at home. I am facing some issues even after my second attempt on this recipe. Somehow the babka is not thoroughly baked even letting it cool for more than 2 hours. I baked this at 350 for 30 mins in my convection oven (Fan Oven), and its still not fully baked inside, it is still doughy and some tiny parts powdery. Please help!

    Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Oh no! That’s disappointing. From what I understand, convection ovens run a lot hotter than conventional ovens. So, you should reduce the temperature to 325 (I’ve even seen some references say reduce by 25 to 50 degrees) and bake until golden. Also, you can cover the top with aluminum foil once it’s brown and keep it in another 10 minutes or so (depending on just how underbaked it is) if you know the center isn’t baked (it must reach 200 degrees F using a kitchen thermometer). The loaf should be finished when the reading is at 200 degrees F – that way, you will know the center is baked. I hope this helps!

      Reply

  4. HI Marie,

    I came across your blog, upon my search for a NY style pizza dough recipe and I’m so glad I did!!
    You can totally consider me as the (self-nominated) president of the newly founded Tel-Aviv fan club, here in Israel (-:
    ( I hope I won’t have that many mistakes with my English)

    A quick Trivia quiz:
    Did you know that Bread Bakery originated here in Tel-Aviv before opening their NYC branch? Lucky us!

    And on that note, this fab Babka recipe, was recently published on one of the main Israeli web sites (called ‘Walla’) as well, along with a quick fast-forward demonstration video, of which I’m adding the following link:
    http://food.walla.co.il/item/2816748

    Though the main article is in Hebrew, the short video itself isn’t narrated and I hope your readers will find it helpful for the tricky twist part.

    Many thanks and looking forward for future posts!

    (-:
    Guy

    Reply

    1. Hi Guy – That was a great video – thanks so much for sharing it! I was able to translate the page with Google Chrome to English from Hebrew and read the recipe as well. The recipe is nearly identical to the one published here, with few changes (fresh yeast vs instant/active which is easier to find here and they didn’t specifiy using both pastry and bread flour – I will probably just use all purpose when I make it again).

      Thank you!!

      Reply
4.50 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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