This Nutella Babka Bread Recipe is a soft brioche loaf filled with chocolate hazelnut spread. My recipe is an easy version of a Chocolate Babka, made with a jar of Nutella instead of a cooked filling. The dough rises twice, and the rest of the work is quick.
My step photos show you how to roll, cut, and twist the loaf. It freezes well too, so you can bake ahead and save some for later. A slice with a cup of coffee is my favorite weekend breakfast.
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If you'd rather watch than read, here's a quick video that walks through the whole process.
What is Babka?
Babka is a sweet yeast bread that sits somewhere between a cake and a bread. The name means grandmother in Polish, and Ashkenazi Jewish bakers in Eastern Europe have been making it since the early 1800s.
The dough is a soft brioche, rolled out and spread with a filling such as chocolate, cinnamon, or fruit jam. It then gets rolled up, cut, and twisted before baking, which is what gives every slice its swirl.
Babka took off in the United States around 2010, when New York bakeries started selling modern versions of it.
The chocolate one is still the most famous, but bakeries now fill babka with everything from cinnamon and apple to cheesecake and even za’atar with feta. My Nutella Babka Bread keeps it simple with a jar of the spread.
If you love sweet breads and cakes, you might want to check out my Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread, Berliner - German Jam Donuts, Carrot Cake, Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins, Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake, and Paskalya Çöreği (Tsoureki) - Easter Bread recipes.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Most of the time is rising time, not work. You mix the dough, shape the loaves, and wait in between.
- This Nutella Babka Bread Recipe makes two medium loaves, so you can keep one and give the other away as a gift.
- The filling comes straight out of the jar. There is nothing to cook or cool before you start.
- Both loaves freeze well for up to 3 months, so you can wrap and save whatever you do not eat.
- It looks like a loaf from a bakery, but there is no tricky technique in it. If you can roll and cut dough, you can make babka.
- Different fillings work in the same dough. Fruit jam, cinnamon sugar, or chopped nuts all swap straight in.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Ingredients For Brioche Dough
- Butter - Use unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. Make sure it is soft enough to knead into the dough but not melted.
- Flour - Use white bread flour if you can. It has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour and gives a light and fluffy crumb. You can use all-purpose flour instead and still get excellent results.
- Eggs - Use large fresh, free-range eggs at room temperature.
- Yeast - You can use fast-action dry yeast, instant yeast, or fresh yeast. If using fresh yeast, mix it with warm water and sugar, then let it develop for 10 minutes before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
- Milk - I prefer whole milk, but reduced fat milk works too. Do not use skim milk, and make sure it is lukewarm before it goes into the dough.
Ingredients for the Filling and Syrup
- Nutella - You can use store-bought or a homemade version of chocolate hazelnut spread. You can adjust the amount to your taste.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar is all you need, for both the dough and the syrup. Superfine sugar works too.
- Lemon juice - A few drops of lemon juice stop the syrup from crystallizing.
How to Make Nutella Babka Bread?
Prepare the Dough
Place the milk, sugar, yeast, salt, and flour in a bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix well until all are combined and formed a dough.
Add the eggs one at a time, and keep whisking until the dough comes together.
Add the softened butter in very small portions piece by piece, and let it incorporate into the dough before adding more. Let the mixer knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and slightly sticky.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours, or until it doubles the size in a warm place.
Shape the Nutella Babka
When the dough is ready, line a pair of loaf pans with parchment paper and lightly oil them with a brush. Divide the dough in half and shape them into two equal-sized balls.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls out, one at a time, on a lightly floured surface into a 33cm x 25cm (13" × 10") rectangle.
Spread half of the Nutella over the dough with an offset spatula.
Tightly roll the dough from the long side to the long side to turn it into a log.
Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place it into the freezer for 10 minutes while you shape the other dough ball. This step is necessary to let the filling and the dough firm up and set a bit to make it much easier to shape in the next stage.
When the dough is firmed up and cooled, cut the dough in half lengthwise with a serrated knife.
Turn the cut sides up and twist the two halves together around each other, keeping the cut sides facing up.
Transfer the shaped dough to your lined loaf pan, and repeat the same with the second dough ball.
Second Rise and Bake
Cover the loaf pans with plastic wrap, and let them rise in a warm place for another two hours.
Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F).
Place the babka loaves in the oven and bake them for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out without any wet dough sticking to it.
Prepare the syrup while baking the babka. The syrup for Babka is very similar to the one I make for my Authentic Middle Eastern Baklawa and Baklava Cheesecake.
Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan and put them over medium heat.
Stir it until the sugar dissolves, bring it to a boil, and let it gently boil for 10 minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice, let it simmer for a few more minutes, and then remove the pan from heat.
When the babka loaves are baked, brush or drizzle them with the syrup to add a nice sheen to the loaf while also keeping the babka moist.
Allow them to cool for another 10-15 minutes before slicing them with a large serrated knife.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale rather than using cups. Bread dough needs accurate quantities.
- The butter should be soft enough to knead into the dough, but not melted.
- Use white bread flour if you can. It has more protein than all-purpose flour and gives a lighter, airier crumb. All-purpose flour still works well if that is what you have.
- Do not use skim milk, and make sure the milk is lukewarm before it goes into the dough. Hot milk can kill the yeast.
- Shape the babka while the dough is cold but not frozen. Firm dough is much easier to roll, cut, and twist.
- Warm the Nutella for a few seconds, or loosen it with a teaspoon of neutral oil. It spreads more easily and will not tear the dough. An offset spatula helps too.
- Do not overfill the loaves. Too much filling leaks out during baking and the swirl loses its shape.
- The loaves are done when the middle reaches 93° C - 200° F. Check with a digital thermometer if you have one.
- Do not skip the syrup glaze. It keeps the loaves moist and gives them their shine.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
The dough needs at least 3 hours in the fridge and can rest overnight, so you can make it the evening before and bake the loaves fresh in the morning.
Once baked, Nutella Babka Bread keeps wrapped at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
For longer storage, slice the babka, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw slices at room temperature, and refresh them in a low oven at 150° C - 300° F for a few minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Nutella Babka Bread is best eaten warm, on the day it is baked.
Serve it for breakfast or brunch, as a dessert, or as an afternoon snack with a cup of Salep, Turkish Coffee, or Turkish Tea - Çay.
Recipe FAQs
If you want a fruit bake instead of chocolate, try my Plum Cake Recipe.
The usual causes are too much filling and dough that was too warm when you cut it. Chill the rolled log before cutting, keep the cut sides facing up while you twist, and do not go over the amount of Nutella in the recipe.
It was probably overbaked. Take the loaves out when the middle reaches 93° C - 200° F, and do not skip the syrup glaze, which keeps the crumb moist.
The most common reason is milk that was too hot, which kills the yeast. Old yeast and a cold kitchen slow things down too. Give the dough a warm spot and more time before giving up on it.
Yes. Bread flour has more protein and gives a lighter crumb, but all-purpose flour still gives very good results.
Related Recipes
For more chocolatey treats why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Chocolate Nutella Babka Bread as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Nutella Babka Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread
- ⅓ cup +1 tablespoon milk (at room temperature) 95 ml - 3 ¼ fl oz in total
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 g - 3 ½ oz
- 2 ¼ teaspoon fast action dried yeast 7 g - ¼ oz
- ½ teaspoon salt 3 g
- 4 ⅓ cups bread flour/white strong flour 540 g - 19 oz
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 ⅓ sticks unsalted butter (softened at room temperature) 150 g - 5 ⅓ oz
- 1 cup Nutella or any other chocolate spread 280 g - 10 oz
For the Syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 g - 3 ½ oz
- ½ cup water 120 ml - 4 fl oz
- few drops of lemon juice
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- Place the milk, sugar, yeast, salt, and flour in a bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and mix well until all combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, and keep whisking until nicely combined.
- Add the softened butter in very small portions piece by piece, and let it incorporate into the dough before adding more.
- Let the mixer knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and slightly sticky.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, covet it with cling film and let it rise for 2 hours, or until it doubles the size in a warm place.
Shape the Nutella Babka
- When the dough is ready, line a pair of loaf pans with parchment paper and lightly oil them with a brush.
- Divide the dough in half and shape them into two equal-sized balls.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls out, one at a time, on a lightly floured surface into a 33cm x 25cm (13" × 10") rectangle.
- Spread half of the Nutella over the dough with an offset spatula.
- Tightly roll the dough from the long side to the long side to turn it into a log.
- Wrap the log in a cling film and place it into the freezer for 10 minutes while you shape the other dough ball. This step is necessary to let the filling and the dough firm up and set a bit to make it much easier to shape in the next stage.
- When the dough is firmed up and cooled, cut the dough in half lengthwise with a serrated knife.
- Turn the cut sides up and twist the two halves together around each other, keeping the cut sides facing up.
- Transfer the shaped dough to your lined loaf pan, and repeat the same with the second dough ball.
Second Rise and Bake
- Cover the loaf pans with cling film, and let them rise in a warm place for another two hours.
- Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F).
- Place the babka loaves in the oven and bake them for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out without any wet dough sticking to it.
- Prepare the syrup while baking the babka. Place the water and sugar in a pan and put them on medium heat.
- Stir it until the sugar dissolves, bring it to a boil, and let it gently boil for 10 minutes.
- Add a few drops of lemon juice, let it simmer for a few more minutes, and then remove the pan from heat.
- When the babka loaves are baked, brush or drizzle them with the syrup to add a nice sheen to the loaf while also keeping the babka moist.
- Allow them to cool for another 10-15 minutes before slicing them with a large serrated knife.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale rather than using cups. Bread dough needs accurate quantities.
- Use white bread flour if you can. It has more protein and gives a lighter crumb. All-purpose flour still works well.
- The butter should be soft enough to knead into the dough, but not melted.
- Do not use skim milk, and make sure the milk is lukewarm. Hot milk can kill the yeast.
- Shape the babka while the dough is cold but not frozen. Firm dough is much easier to roll, cut, and twist.
- Warm the Nutella for a few seconds, or loosen it with a teaspoon of neutral oil, so it spreads without tearing the dough. An offset spatula helps too.
- Do not overfill the loaves. Too much filling leaks out during baking and the swirl loses its shape.
- The loaves are done when the middle reaches 93° C - 200° F.
- Do not skip the syrup glaze. It keeps the loaves moist and gives them their shine.
- The loaves keep wrapped at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, slice, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Refresh slices in a low oven at 150° C - 300° F.
- The recipe makes two loaves, so you can keep one and give the other away as a gift.
- To use fresh yeast instead of dry, use 15 g - ½ oz and let it develop in the warm milk with the sugar for 10 minutes before adding it.
Karen says
This is a very easy recipe to follow. It turned out incredibly delicious! Thank you for the recipe.