Happy March! Ok I know I’m a few days late, but really, can you believe it’s already March?? I feel like Christmas is already around the corner.
I am still braving the cold out here in Denver. Just counting the days until summer. I know I say this a lot, but I hate the cold! It’s a good thing I like to bake because I can just stay roasty toasty at home and bake in my little kitchen all day.
BABKA! I love babka. And you should too! It’s basically just chocolate bread, right? For this version I’ve added in freeze dried raspberry powder. If you haven’t used freeze dried fruits or powders before – THEY’RE AMAZING. Talk about getting a punch of fruit flavor! They aren’t sweetened so you just get that pure fruit flavor. I like to use them as garnishes for cupcakes, to flavor buttercreams, or just even in a bowl of oatmeal!
I’ve seen freeze dried fruits in Trader Joe’s, but if you can’t find any, then amazon is the way to go.
Chocolate Raspberry Babka
Yield 1 loaf
Flour 2 ¾ cups
Sugar 3 T
Salt 1 ½ tsp
Active dry yeast 1 T
Eggs 3
Warm milk ¼ cup (2 oz.)
Butter 8 T (4 oz.)
Cocoa Raspberry Filling
Butter 4 oz.
Sugar 3 T
Cocoa powder 2 T
Freeze dried raspberry powder 3 T
Egg wash
Egg 1
Water ¼ cup
Directions:
Sprinkle yeast over luke warm milk, add a pinch of sugar, and set aside for 5 minutes, or until yeast mixture is bubbly and frothy.
In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add flour, remaining sugar, salt and turn on low just to mix ingredients together. Add yeast mixture and mix for 1 minute.
Now switch to a dough hook.
Add eggs, then butter, and mix on low for 5-7 minutes. Dough should be in one ball going round and round the bowl before taking out.
Put the dough into a greased bowl, and cover it. Leave in a warm, non-windy area of your kitchen, and let proof for 45 minutes.
Prepare the filling next.
Mix softened butter with cocoa powder until smooth.
Process freeze dried raspberries into a powder.
Once dough is proofed, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll with a rolling pin. Roll it into a rectangle that’s about 10”x5” wide.
Using an offset spatula, spread cocoa filling over dough. Leave ½” clean on all edges. Sprinkle over freeze dried raspberry powder.
Starting from the bottom, roll the dough up tightly.
Cut dough down the center of the roll, exposing the filling. Wrap dough around itself and into a loaf pan.
Cover and proof for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Raspberry Babka
Babka loaf swirled with raspberry and chocolate
Ingredients
Babka Loaf
- 2 3/4 cup flour
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp dry active yeast
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup warm milk
- 8 Tbsp. butter, soft
Chocolate Raspberry Filling
- 8 Tbsp. butter
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsp. raspberry freeze dried powder
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp. water
Instructions
- Sprinkle yeast over luke warm milk, add a pinch of sugar, and set aside for 5 minutes, or until yeast mixture is bubbly and frothy.
- In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add flour, remaining sugar, salt and turn on low just to mix ingredients together. Add yeast mixture and mix for 1 minute.
- Now switch to a dough hook.
- Add eggs, then butter, and mix on low for 5-7 minutes. Dough should be in one ball going round and round the bowl before taking out.
- Put the dough into a greased bowl, and cover it. Leave in a warm, non-windy area of your kitchen, and let proof for 45 minutes.
- Prepare the filling next.
- Mix softened butter with cocoa powder until smooth.
- Process freeze dried raspberries into a powder.
- Once dough is proofed, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll with a rolling pin. Roll it into a rectangle that’s about 10”x5” wide.
- Using an offset spatula, spread cocoa filling over dough. Leave ½” clean on all edges. Sprinkle over freeze dried raspberry powder.
- Starting from the bottom, roll the dough up tightly.
- Cut dough down the center of the roll, exposing the filling. Wrap dough around itself and into a loaf pan.
- Cover and proof for 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.
Enjoy!
