Chocolate Tahini Babka
Serves 8
10 mins prep
30 mins cook
60 mins Rise Time
40 mins total
This chocolate sesame babka is soft, rich, and full of delicious chocolate tahini swirls. The enriched dough is so easy to make, and you don’t even need to knead it! Just mix and let rise, then fill and bake. Tahini brings out the chocolate flavour so beautifully, giving it an underlying richness and toasty flavour. This makes one 9" by 5" babka loaf.
Filling
cuptahinisesame butter
cupgood quality dark chocolate, chopped(50g)
tbspnatural cocoa powdersifted
tspsea salt
Dough
cupwaterwarm
gactive dry yeast½ package
cupall purpose flour(300g)
cupunsalted buttersoftened, almost melted
large eggbeaten
cupmilkwarm
tspsea salt
Eggwash
Filling
Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
cup tahini
cup unsalted butter
cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped
tbsp natural cocoa powder
cup powdered sugar
tsp pure vanilla extract
tsp sea salt
Dough
Dissolve yeast and granulated sugar in warm water. Stir until dissolved and let sit for a few minutes until a foam starts to form on top. See notes if a foam doesn’t form.
cup water
tsp granulated sugar
g active dry yeast
Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well. Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the ingredients into the well. Mix until a sticky dough forms and the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very wet and sticky. If it is too wet and doesn’t resemble a dough, add a bit more flour. It will be less sticky after rising.
cup all purpose flour
cup granulated sugar
cup unsalted butter
large egg
tsp pure vanilla extract
cup milk
tsp sea salt
Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm area to rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size (see notes).
Prepare loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper and leaving two “handles” to lift out after baking.
Punch down the dough and fold a few times to mix. On a lightly floured surface, and roll out to a 18” by 23” rectangle. Spread the chocolate sesame filling evenly over the dough and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll starting from the short side.
cup mini chocolate chips
Cut the log in half to make two shorter logs and in half longwise to reveal the filling. Filling face up, braid the four strands together by twisting and weaving the strands together. Alternatively, you can twist two strands together, twist the other two strands together, and twist both of the larger twists together to make a mega twist.
Carefully lift the babka into the loaf pan and let rise in a warm place (see notes) until it increases by about a third of its size - 30 minutes.
Whisk together the egg and milk to create an egg wash. Brush it over the risen loaf and sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt (optional).
large egg
tbsp milk
tsp sesame seeds
Flaky salt
Place the babka into the oven and heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the babka is golden brown and feels hollow when tapped. Let cool inside the pan until warm, then lift out and cool on a wire rack until room temperature.