Chocolate Babka

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This is my take on the delicious chocolate bread, a perfect blend between bread and cake, and this is one recipe you must try for sure. A bit of a labour of love but all worth it in the end!
This recipe makes 2 Babka.

Ingredients
For the dough
400g plain flour
200g strong white flour
10g yeast
10g salt
40g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
3 large eggs, whisked
250ml whole milk
50g unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling
140g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
40g cocoa butter
140g unsalted butter
3 drop rose water
100g pistachios, roughly chopped

For the Syrup
200g caster sugar
130ml water

Method
– Place all of the dry ingredients for the dough in a free standing electric mixer with the hook attachment. Mix well.

– Mix the milk and melted butter together in a bowl. Add this to the dry ingredients with the eggs. Knead for 10 minutes.

– Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and leave it to rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

– Place the dough in the fridge and let it firm up for 1 hour.

– Meanwhile, prepare the filling by placing the dark chocolate in a small pan. Add the cacao powder and butter. Let it melt on a very low heat. Take it off the heat, add the rose water and stir to combine.

– Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C with a fan.

– Lightly dust your worktop with plain flour. Transfer the dough to the worktop and divide into two equal portions.

– Roll one portion into a rectangle roughly 25x40cm in size. Spread half the chocolate mixture onto the dough, leaving an inch border around the edges. Sprinkle half the pistachios on top.

– Roll the dough up tightly on the long edge to form a cylinder. Take a sharp bread knife and cut it in half lengthways. Then twist the two pieces around each other. Place this in a greased loaf tin.

– Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients. Place them in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

– Meanwhile, place the sugar and water in a pan and bring it a boil. Take it off the heat.

– Remove the babka from the oven. Brush the syrup generously over the top while they are still warm.

– Allow them to cool slightly before you remove them from the tins and place onto a serving plate.

Time to tuck in!