Ingredients:

Dough

    Active dry yeast 1 ¼ tsp
    Warm milk 90 ml
    Sugar 50g + 1 tsp
    Butter 57g (¼ cup)
    Egg 1 large
    Vanilla essence ½ tsp
    All purpose flour 270g
    Salt ¼ tsp

Filling

    Chocolate hazelnut spread/nutella 150 ml
    Chopped walnuts 25 g

Sugar syrup

    Sugar 50 g
    Water 60 ml

 

Directions:

  1. Warm the milk (114-115 F) and stir in the 1 tsp sugar. Add the yeast and set aside for 6-8 minutes to allow yeast to bloom. (You will know it’s done when it’s foamy)
  2. In another bowl, beat the remaining sugar and butter until combined (I use kitchenaid speed 4)
  3. Add the egg and vanilla essence and continue mixing until combined.
  4. Add in the flour, salt, and the bloomed yeas. Stir until the mixture begins to come together. (At this step, I changed the whisk hook to the dough hook)
  5. Once the dough is mostly formed, remove from the mixer and continue kneading with hands. Dust flour if needed.
  6. Form the dough into a ball and place in greased bowl.
  7. Cover and let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about an hour to hour and a half).
  8. Punch the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
  9. Roll the dough into a rectangle slightly longer than the loaf pan.
  10. Layer with hazelnut spread leaving about an inch around the sides.
  11. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top.
  12. Roll the rectangle into a log and then cut in half lengthwise.
  13. Take the two cut strands and twist (braid) them together so that the cut part is upwards.
  14. Place the loaf in a pan lined with parchment paper.
  15. Let the dough sit in the pan for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
  16. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
  17. While the babka is baking, make the sugar syrup by heating the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
  18. Continue stirring for about 3-4 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  19. Brush the top of the babka with sugar syrup immediately when it comes out of the oven.

Enjoy with some hot coffee or tea!