Chocolate Babka

what the h** Babka is ?? A very first time saw this cake or bread *hmm* it was at P* Bread Company, still confuse what the taste is so I bought 2 slices, what i can say that the taste is so damn good but a slice is way too much to me so yesterday I make my own Babka, and this morning i have a babka for breakfast. cost less than $7,5 !! I can make 2 loaves.

Babka is : described in many ways, and its origins tend to be obscured. Some say babka is a classic Czech coffee cake, while others call it a traditional Polish cake. What is known is that babka is a yeasted sweet cake, popular in most of Eastern Europe, which is flavored with rum, studded with raisins, and considered a traditional treat on Easter but why need to wait until easter LOL .. make now and you won't regret

you see, my daily breakfast usually starts at 11am ! just enjoy a quite morning *eerr.. not really quite since I can hear a bunch of kids playing around school playground close to my backyard :D and perhaps one of those kids is my daughter too.. but I love it, no complain .. especially with a slice of warm babka ? hmmm.. heaven

*I had trouble to put picture into the blog lately, so if you didn't see any picture especially the second pict.please just klik a little white dot above, the picture will comes. - I've been reporting this to admin of blogspot but no response so far .. :( *

Chocolate Babka (add Pecan - my way :D )

Recipe : Epicurious

For dough

3/4 cup warm milk (105–115°F)

1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons active dry yeast (from two 1/4-oz packages)

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting

2 whole large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

For egg wash

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk

For Pecan chocolate filling

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, well softened

2 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) bars fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped

1/4 cup sugar

Chopped Pecan or whatever nuts you like to add

Special equipment: a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; 2 (8 3/4- by 4 1/2- by 2 3/4-inch) loaf pans; parchment paper

Preparation

Make dough:

Stir together warm milk and 2 teaspoons sugar in measure cup. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Pour the yeast mixture into mixer bowl add 1/2 cup flour to yeast mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. Add whole eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in remaining 2 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. Increase speed to medium, then beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to beat until dough is shiny and forms strands from paddle to bowl, about 4 minutes. (Dough will be very soft and sticky.)

Scrape dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. - hmmm.. I went to fabric store, and before i know it was already 3 hours spent time in the store and bring home a bunch of new fabrics *grin*

Assemble babkas with filling:

Line each loaf pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (1 lengthwise and 1 crosswise).

Punch down dough with a lightly oiled rubber spatula, then halve dough. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a well-floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 18- by 10-inch rectangle and arrange with a long side nearest you.

Beat together yolk and cream. Spread 2 1/2 tablespoons softened butter on dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush some of egg wash on long border nearest you.

Sprinkle half of chocolate evenly over buttered dough, then sprinkle with half of sugar (2 tablespoons). Starting with long side farthest from you, roll dough into a snug log, pinching firmly along egg-washed seam to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal. Twist entire ring twice to form a double figure 8 and fit into one of lined loaf pans.

Make another babka with remaining dough, some of egg wash, and remaining butter and chocolate in same manner. Chill remaining egg wash, covered, to use later. Loosely cover pans with buttered plastic wrap (buttered side down) and let babkas rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough reaches top of pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, let dough rise in pans in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours; bring to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before baking.)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush tops of dough with remaining egg wash. Bake until tops are deep golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped (when loaves are removed from pans), about 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool to room temperature.

Babkas keep, wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil, frozen 3 weeks