Nutella Babka

finished babka, with knife of nutella alongside

5 from 7 votes

My ooey-gooey Nutella babka is sure to please, with a luscious chocolate hazelnut filling, all wrapped up in a braided brioche bread and topped with sweet simple syrup.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Proofing Time4

Total Time5 10

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, jewish, polish, russian, ukranian

Keyword: babka, chocolate mousse, hazelnut, nutella, nutella babka

Servings:

Calories: 433kcal

Author: Viana Boenzli

Ingredients

Babka Dough

¾ cup whole milk, warm
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes

Nutella Filling

1-¼ cups Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Simple Syrup

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water

Instructions

The first step is to let the yeast bloom for a few minutes while you gather the rest of your ingredients.
Stir together warm milk, sugar, vanilla, and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
Next, using a dough hook attachment, add the flour, salt, and eggs, and mix again at low speed.
Keeping the dough hook on low speed, add the butter a few cubes at a time, and then let it continue kneading on the same speed for 5 minutes. During this time, the dough will pull together nicely and form into a sticky dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to proof for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out on a lightly floured surface, until it measures approximately 14" x 16".
Cut the edges to make a rectangle shape (I like to use a pizza cutter to easily make smooth, straight lines).
Stir together the Nutella and melted butter.
Very gently spread the Nutella and butter mixture over the dough using a rubber spatula, being careful not to tear the dough, then sprinkle finely chopped hazelnuts over the spread.
Starting on a long side, tightly roll up the dough into a log shape.
Then, with the seam side facing down, slice the roll in half lengthwise, with the filling side facing up.
Twist the two sides and pinch the ends together to form a long braided loaf.
Place in a parchment lined 9" loaf pan.
Lightly cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to let it rise again for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Remove the plastic wrap from your loaf pan and bake the bakba on the middle rack of your oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.
While the babka is baking, make the simple syrup.
Simply stir together sugar and water and simmer on the stove for a few minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved. Then remove from heat and let cool.
Once the babka has finished baking but while it's still warm and in the lined loaf pan, brush the simple syrup over the top. Yes, all of it!
Let the babka soak up all the syrup and cool completely before removing from the pan.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Kneading: While this babka can be kneaded by hand, using a stand mixer with a dough hook makes it much easier.

Rolling out the dough: This is the slightly tricky part. The dough will be pretty thin, so be careful that it doesn't stick to your countertop. When you're first rolling it out, occasionally dust with flour and very carefully flip it over, to make sure it's not sticking. But don't try this when it's getting large, or the dough will tear (take my word for it!).

Note regarding Nutella: If you're making this babka in the middle of a freezing winter day, like I did, and your Nutella mixture firms up a bit too much in your cold kitchen, just pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften it right back up. It should be easily spreadable.

Babka dough size: If you made your babka a bit on the long side and it doesn't fit perfectly, just smush it a bit or give it an S-turn. The other option is to slice the rolled up log of babka in half and make two smaller babkas!

Cutting and shaping the dough: If you're having any trouble at this point with cutting and shaping the dough, just place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and try again. Chilled dough is much easier to work with.

Making the dough ahead of time: If you prefer, you can prepare the babka in the evening, place it in the fridge overnight for the second proofing, then bake the next morning.

Storage and freezing: Although my Nutella babka is at its most delicious when enjoyed the same day it's baked, it will stay good when stored on the counter, covered in plastic wrap, for several days. A fully baked babka can also be frozen for up to 2 months, when sealed in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.

Suggestion: If you enjoyed this, you're gonna love my fudgy Nutella brownies with salted caramel sauce!

Nutrition