CHOCOLATE BABKA

Rippled with thick, rich dark chocolate, this Eastern European sweet bread is delicious served for brunch, too.

Makes: 1 loaf

Preparation time: 55 minutes, plus rising and cooling Cooking time: about 1 hour 5 minutes

For the dough

100ml milk

350g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust

50g caster sugar

7g sachet fast action dried yeast 1 large egg, lightly beaten

100g butter, softened and chopped into small pieces, plus extra to grease

For the filling

75g unsalted butter

75g dark chocolate, chopped 150g caster sugar

25g cocoa powder 1tsp ground cinnamon

For the syrup

75g caster sugar

1 Heat the milk in a small pan until just warm. In a large bowl (or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook) mix the flour, sugar, yeast and a pinch of salt. Add the milk, egg and butter, and mix to bring together into a dough, adding another 1tbsp milk if it is looking a little dry. Shape into a ball, then knead by hand for about 15min (or about 6min in a stand mixer) until you have a soft dough that springs back when pressed. Return to the cleaned-out bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave to prove for 2hr until about doubled in size (or leave at room

temperature for 1hr, then transfer to the fridge overnight and complete recipe the following day).

2 If the dough was kept in the fridge, set aside at room temperature while you make the filling. Grease a 900g loaf tin with butter and line the base and sides with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to help get the bread out of the tin later.

3 To make the filling, melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Set aside to cool briefly.

4 Place the dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 50 x 30.5cm. Spread the filling over the dough, covering it completely. Roll up tightly from one of the longer sides into a sausage shape. Carefully lift dough on to a piece of baking parchment and chill in the fridge for 15min (to make it easier to cut).

5 When chilled, cut the dough in half lengthways so you have two long pieces with the inside exposed. Turn each piece so filling faces upwards. Starting from one end, lift one piece across the other, twisting together but keeping the filling exposed, to make one long twisted braid. Push ends of the twist together to make the length shorter, then squeeze the dough into the loaf tin (it will seem too big but it will fit!). Loosely cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm place for 11/2-2hr or until doubled in size.

6 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Bake the loaf for about 50min-1hr until deep golden, loosely covering with foil towards the end of cooking time if it is getting too dark. When the babka is almost cooked, make the syrup. In a small pan, gently heat the sugar and 75ml water and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Remove the loaf from the oven, brush the sugar syrup all over the top to soak in. Leave to cool completely in the tin before serving.