Dark Chocolate Roasted Pecan Babka
An eggless recipe for a soft and pillow babka stuffed with a dark chocolate ganache and toasted pecans!
Ingredients
For the dough (makes one dough of 227 gm)
- 125 gm all-purpose flour
- 2.5 gm salt
- 7 gm sugar
- 2.5 gm fresh yeast/ 1.25 gm active dry yeast
- 70 gm milk
- 20 gm butter
For the chocolate ganache
- 100 gm dark chocolate
- 50 gm fresh cream
- pinch of salt
Extra for the babka dough
- 30 gm roasted pecans
- 30 gm chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- Weigh out all your ingredients together and place in the mixing bowl.
- Start to mix the ingredients on slow speed to form a dough. When there are no dry ingredients that can be seen, begin to mix the dough on medium speed (this will take about 5 mins).
- Check to see if the gluten has developed by doing the window pane test: when you can stretch the dough without it breaking, the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready to rise.
- If it passes the test, take the dough out from the mixing bowl and form it into a firm round ball; place it in a dry bowl and cover with cling wrap, leaving it for about 30 mins.
- While the dough rests, make the chocolate ganache by heating the chocolate and cream together in the microwave. Mix to combine until smooth, with no chocolate bits to be found. The ganache should not be too runny or too set but spreadable consistency.
- After 30 mins the dough will have risen in size and will feel pillowy.
- Lightly dust the work area with flour, deflate and roll out into a rectangle with the short side facing you. Roll the dough out to as long a length as possible to ensure a proper dough to chocolate ratio.
- Spread the ganache on the rolled out dough, sprinkle with chocolate and roasted pecans.
- Gently roll the dough inwards from the side that is closest to you; place it in the refrigerator for 30 mins so that the chocolate filling can set slightly, making it easier to braid the loaf.
- Once the dough is firm enough, make a straight cut down the middle of the length of the loaf. This will expose the filling.
- Holding one half in either hand, cross each side over so it begins to look like a rope, turn it around and do the same on the other end.
- Place in a greased baking tin/ mould and let it rise again for 30 to 45 mins
- Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Once final proofing is done, bake the babka in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 mins.
- Once baked, glaze the top with a simple sugar syrup (of equal parts water and sugar, mixed with some cinnamon); or simply dust with some icing sugar
