Chocolate Tahini Babka by Jake Cohen

Excerpted from JEW-ISH: A COOKBOOK: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch © 2021 by Jake Cohen. Photography © 2021 by Matt Taylor-Gross. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

26 March, 2021

serves for

total time

1 HR 20 MIN

ingredients

Whole milk

1 cup whole milk, heated to 115°F

Caster sugar

⅓ cup (67g) sugar

Dried brewer’s yeast

1 (¼-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)

Butter

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Eggs

4 large eggs

All purpose flour

5 cups (675g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Vegetable oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Chocolate-Tahini Babka Filling

Dark chocolate

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Butter

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

Coarse sugar

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Tahini

¼ cup tahini

Sesame seeds

2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, for garnish

If it’s your first time making babka, I pass on to you my pearls of wisdom as someone who has persevered after slicing into dry loaves many times, as well as loaves that were still raw in the middle! You need to respect the dough. This ain’t a no- knead baking project. Since you’re going to have a softer dough than you might be used to, you want to make sure you mix it enough to build up a proper gluten structure. Then, don’t skimp on the proof. If you want a fluffy babka, make sure you give it the time to rise; how long it needs will fluctuate depending on the time of year and how warm (or cold) your kitchen gets. My visual cues are simple: double in size for the first proof and expand to fill the loaf pans for the second. Finally, fill ’em up however you want! These recipes are fun takes on ways you can step up your babka game, but with this master dough, the combinations are truly endless.

NOTES:

Make It Parve! If you’re looking to keep the dough parve, substitute 1 cup water for the milk and substitute ½ cup vegetable oil for the butter.

Twist and Shout! While I swear by the slice- and-twist method I use in my recipe, this is not the only way you can twist up your babka. The first variation I learned from Jared Plaxe, a former classmate who was working at Sadelle’s in NYC, baking up babka on the daily under Melissa Weller’s incredible bread program. After you roll each piece of dough into a log, instead of slicing it lengthwise, slice it crosswise for two equal- size rolls. Use your hands to gently stretch each slightly, then twist the two together and place in the prepared pan.

Then, of course, there is the method preferred by the equally iconic and Jewish Melissa, Melissa Clark. I absolutely adore her double twist, where you slice lengthwise and twist like I do, but then bring the two ends of the twist together to fold and then twist them again! If that didn’t make any sense, just go watch the video of her making it for NYT Cooking.

Step 01

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the warm milk and sugar together. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 02

Add the melted butter and 3 of the eggs, then whisk until well incorporated. Switch to the dough hook, then add the flour and salt. Beginning on low speed and gradually increasing to medium, knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes.

Step 03

Grease a medium bowl and your hands with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Using your hands, transfer the dough to the bowl, gently turning to coat it with the oil, and shape it into a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. (Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in the refrigerator, covered, overnight.)

Step 04

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans with the remaining oil, using 1 tablespoon for each pan.

Step 05

Divide the dough into 2 equal balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of dough into a 12 by 14-inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick and aligned horizontally.

Step 06

Spread half the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around the rectangle. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll up the dough tightly into a log. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the roll lengthwise in half. Twist the strands together and pinch the ends to seal. (See photos.) Carefully place the babka in one of the prepared loaf pans.

Step 07

Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling. Cover both babkas loosely with plastic wrap or clean kitchen towels and set aside in a warm area until the dough expands to fill the pan, about 45 minutes.

Step 08

In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg, then liberally brush each babka with the egg. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the babkas are golden and each has reached an internal temperature of 185°F.

Step 09

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly in the pans, then remove the loaves from the pans and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Babka is best served the day it’s baked.

Step 10

How to Make the Chocolate Tahini Babka Filling:

Place the chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until browned and nutty in aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour the melted butter over the chocolate, then add the sugar, salt, and tahini. Whisk until a smooth ganache forms, then let cool to room temperature.
Fill the babka dough and garnish the babkas with the sesame seeds right before baking.