The Hirshon Ultimate Jewish Chocolate Chestnut Babka – באַבקע

Citizens – I have a deep and heartfelt confession to make, and it is not an easy one for me to share publicly. Despite being a proud, Brooklyn-born Jew – replete with nearly stereotypical Jewish behavior like hanging out with Lubavitcher Chassids (ultra-orthodox Jews) in Crown Heights and eating at practically every deli in 3 boroughs (Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens) – I have always hated babka, that iconic dessert of NYC’s Jewish delis.

THE SHAME!!!

Babka was even referenced in the iconic Seinfeld episode “The Dinner Party.” Jerry and Elaine stop at Royal Bakery to purchase a chocolate babka (because they have taste – chocolate is the best!) while Kramer and George go to buy wine. Unfortunately, Jerry and Elaine forget to take a number at the counter. As a result, David and Barbara Benedict, a couple on their way to the same dinner party, get ahead of them on line and purchase the last chocolate babka. Jerry and Elaine resort to purchasing a cinnamon babka, which Elaine considers a “lesser babka” (TFD anecdote – she’s right).

I can’t really be blamed for my intense dislike of babka though – many babka sold in stores are so dried-out and desiccated it looks like they were made when Jews labored under Egyptian bondage and preserved to remind us of the gastronomic terrors of millennia past. Plus, many babkas in NYC – even the chocolate ones – include a large dose of cinnamon, a spice I really loathe when overused. However, TFD is never shaken (merely stirred on a regular basis) by these qualms – my quest was clear: I would make a babka worthy of TFD and in fact all of TFD Nation and that is EXACTLY what I have given you today!

For the record – a babka is a sweet braided bread or cake which originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine.

It consists of either an enriched or laminated dough; which are similar to those used for challah, and croissants respectively, that has been rolled out and spread with a variety of sweet fillings such as chocolate, cinnamon sugar, apples, sweet cheese, Nutella, mohn, or raisins, which is then braided either as an open or closed plait, topped with a sugar syrup in order to preserve freshness and make the bread moister. It is sometimes topped with a streusel topping and is popular in Israel and throughout the Jewish diaspora – but has become an iconic dessert of New York City Jews.

Babka developed in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in the early 19th century. Extra challah dough was rolled up with fruit jam or cinnamon and baked as a loaf alongside the challah. Chocolate was not originally used, as it was not generally available; the chocolate babka was likely a mid-20th century American development. Its name (though not necessarily the dish itself) may be related to a type of Easter cake popular in Poland and western Ukraine known as baba or the diminutive babka, which means ‘grandmother’ in Polish, related to the Yiddish ‘bubbe’.

Although the Polish and Ukrainian babka are mutually eponymous with their Jewish counterparts, the appearance and preparation of each babka is drastically different. The Eastern European babka draws its name from its tall, stout, fluted sides formed in a traditional pan, and reminiscent of a grandma’s skirt. In comparison, the variant introduced to Western culture by émigrés to New York consists of strands of rich yeasted dough interwoven and baked in a loaf tin.

The roots of the traditional Slavic babka go back many centuries, with historian and food writer Lesley Chamberlain suggesting that it was a vernacular adaptation of the Italian pannetone, imported by the Queen of the Kingdom of Poland, Queen Bona Sforza. Another theory suggests that babka is endemic to Ukraine, where it is an ancient symbol of fertility, prominent in the matriarchal system once in place.

Babka was mostly unheard of outside of the Polish Jewish community until the latter part of the 20th century. European-style bakeries started to offer it in late 1950s Israel and in the US. In addition to chocolate, various fillings including poppy seeds, almond paste, cheese, and others became popular, and some bakers began to top it with streusel – a change TFD heartily approves of.

Beginning in the 2010s, the popularity of babka increased across the United States, especially in New York, where a handful of traditionally Jewish-owned bakeries and delicatessens began to sell their own versions of babka, filled with traditional fillings such as cinnamon alongside non-traditional fillings such as Nutella and apples, as well as savory variations. They became well known for their chocolate babka.

The newfound popularity of babka across the United States and Canada among both Jews and non-Jews has resulted in many non-traditional variations filled with such fillings as buffalo chicken, rainbow, everything bagel, and cookie butter, among others – for the record, these are all TRAVESTIES. Babka has also been featured on restaurant menus and in such dishes as french toast, babka ice cream, and babka ice cream sandwiches, among others. Babka has become available at grocery stores across the US, with Trader Joe’s offering their own chocolate version made in Brooklyn.

American-style babka is traditionally made with a dough similar to challah dough and is often topped with streusel, poppy seeds or a crumb topping.

Israeli-style babka is made with a laminated dough, enriched with butter, which is then folded and rolled it multiple times to create many distinct layers, similar to that used for Israeli style rugelach, and also croissant dough. Israeli-style babka is available with a wider array of fillings and shapes. It is most often shaped into a loaf pan, but it is also sometimes made into individual babkas, a pie-shaped babka, formed into a ring shape, or braided and baked free form or formed into individual twists similar to a cheese straw.

For the record – my recipe is for the classic American-style babka, as that is what I grew up with.

Now – to making babka palatable for my palate – the first order of business is to nuke the cinnamon. Sorry, it just doesn’t belong in a chocolate babka IMHO but I have instead substituted spices more congenial to my tastes. Traditionalists should not be too outraged by choices of vanilla and nutmeg, however. Instead of simple vanilla extract, I have instead gone with vanilla paste which has a far more intense flavor and is to my preference. You can buy it here – trust me, it will become your new secret baking weapon!

The best chocolate is critical to this babka and I use my baking favorites throughout the recipe. For the fudge filling – I am VERY particular about this, and it needs to be Guittard 70% dark baking chocolate – you can buy it here. For the chocolate chips – once again, it’s Guittard – specifically, their best! For the cocoa – I insist on only using King Arthur-brand black cocoa which is the darkest and richest you can buy – get it here. Fancier chcocolates tend to use South American cacao beans, and honestly they are just too fruity for my palate – I prefer the West African beans used in the products listed above.

As it happens, I also dearly love the deep flavor of chestnuts and it happens to pair PERFECTLY with chocolate in my recipe! I use chocolate to chestnut in a 2:1 ratio – this is by far my preferred brand (be sure you get UNSWEETENED chestnut paste for this recipe!). If you prefer, you can leave it out. I also switched out the grated lemon zest found in the original recipe (which – unsurprisingly – I found on the New York Times cooking app) for grated orange zest – I think it works better.

My last two changes are affectations and I will be the first to admit it – but they are DELICIOUS affectations that you can use as you see fit – they are optional if your blood pressure rises to boiling at atypical babka ingredients. First – as previously noted, a good babka is soaked in a simple syrup of sugar and water to keep it from being dry – but I actually call for adding in a tiny bit of pomegranate juice for tartness and flavor. I also add nutmeg to the simple syrup as well.

For the record – this is the first babka that truly excites me and I hope it excites you as well, my Citizens! Happy Holidays to you and yours and good riddance to 2020, it cannot be gone soon enough!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

THE HIRSHON ULTIMATE JEWISH CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT BABKA – באַבקע

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• Author: The Generalissimo

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• FOR THE DOUGH:
• 1/2 cup/118 milliliters whole milk, preferably organic and from a Jersey cow
• 1 package (1/4 ounce/7 grams) active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup/67 grams granulated sugar, plus a pinch
• 4 1/4 cups/531 grams all-purpose flour, more as needed
• 1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla paste (TFD change – original was extract)
• 1 tsp. finely-grated or microplaned orange zest (optional) (TFD change – original was lemon)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-grated nutmeg
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten – TFD prefers duck eggs as they are richer
• 10 Tbsp./140 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing bowls and pans
• ***
• FOR THE FUDGE FILLING:
• 1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup/177 milliliters heavy cream
• Pinch kosher salt
• 4 oz./170 grams 70 percent or thereabouts chocolate, coarsely chopped – TFD prefers Guittard brand
• 2 oz. unsweetened Chestnut paste (strongly preferred) or Nutella brand chocolate hazelnut paste (TFD change, original was 70% dark chocolate)
• 8 Tbsp./112 grams/1 stick unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
• 2 tsp./10 milliliters vanilla paste (TFD change, original was extract)
• ***
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE STREUSEL:
• 1/2 cup/60 grams all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp./45 grams granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp./11 grams King Arthur brand black cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 1/2 Tbsp./64 grams unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup/60 grams chopped-up semisweet chocolate chips – TFD strongly prefers Guittard Akoma brand
• ***
• FOR THE SYRUP:
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar combined with 2/3 cup water
• 3 Tbsp. Pom brand pomegranate juice (TFD VERY optional addition – omit for original recipe)
• 1 Tbsp. freshly-grated nutmeg (TFD addition – optional, omit for original recipe)

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Instructions

1. Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan or a bowl in the microwave, warm the milk until it’s lukewarm but not hot (about 110 degrees). Add yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, or in a food processor, mix together flour, ⅓ cup sugar, the salt, the vanilla, the orange zest (if using) and the nutmeg. (If you don’t have a mixer or processor, use a large bowl and a wooden spoon.)
3. Beat or process in the yeast mixture and eggs until the dough comes together in a soft mass, about 2 minutes. If the dough sticks to the side of the bowl and doesn’t come together, add a tablespoon more flour at a time until it does, beating very well in between additions.
4. Add half the butter and beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Beat in the rest of the butter and continue to beat or pulse until the dough is smooth and stretchy, another 5 to 7 minutes. Again, if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
5. Butter a clean bowl, form the dough into a ball and roll it around in the bowl so all sides are buttered. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place (inside of a turned-off oven with the oven light on is good) until it puffs and rises, about 1 to 2 hours. It may not double in bulk but it should rise.
6. Press the dough down with your hands, re-cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (or, in a pinch, for at least 4 hours, but the flavor won’t be as developed).
7. Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cream and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Scrape mixture into a bowl.
8. Stir in chocolate, chestnut paste or Nutella, butter and vanilla until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Filling can be made up to a week ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge. Let come to room temperature before using.
9. Prepare the streusel: In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Stir in melted butter until it is evenly distributed and forms large, moist crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. Streusel can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the fridge.
10. Prepare the syrup: In a small saucepan, add all ingredients and heat over medium for 2 ½ minutes.
11. Butter two 9-inch loaf pans, then line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of paper hanging over on the sides to use as handles later.
12. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. On a floured surface, roll one piece into a 9-by-17-inch rectangle. Spread with half the filling (there’s no need to leave a border). Starting with a long side, roll into a tight coil. Transfer the coil onto a dish towel or piece of plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Repeat with the other piece of dough.
13. Slice one of the dough coils in half lengthwise to expose the filling. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them, then fold the braid in half so it’s about 9 inches long. Place into a prepared pan, letting it curl around itself if it’s a little too long for the pan.
14. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until puffy (it won’t quite double). Alternatively, you can cover the pans with plastic wrap and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight; bring them back to room temperature for an hour before baking.
15. When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Use your fingers to clump streusel together and scatter all over the tops of the cakes. Transfer to oven and bake until a tester goes into the cakes without any rubbery resistance and comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. The cakes will also sound hollow if you unmold them and tap on the bottom. An instant-read thermometer will read between 185 and 210 degrees.
16. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, use a skewer or paring knife to pierce them all over going all the way to the bottom of the cakes, and then pour the syrup on top of the cakes, making sure to use half the syrup for each cake.
17. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.