400gall purpose flourplus up to ½ cup if it's too sticky
100gpure cane sugar
50gcocoa powder
5gactive dry yeast
5gpink himalayan sea salt
¾cupfiltered water110ºF
¼cupvegetable oil
2largeeggsroom temperature
1Tbspvanilla extract
Filling
3Tbspbuttermelted
2tspground cinnamon
2Tbspcocoa powder
½cuppure cane sugar
½cupmini chocolate chips
Glaze *optional
⅓cupwater
⅓cuppure cane sugar
Marshmallow Icing *optional
2Tbspmarshmallow fluff
2Tbspmilk
2Tbsppowdered sugar
½tspvanilla extract
Instructions
To form the dough, start by weighing all the dry ingredients in your stand mixer's bowl.
Mix the yeast into your warm water, and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Pour this into your dry ingredients, and run the mixer on low until fully combined.
Turn the mixer up to medium to knead. After 5 minutes, if it's very loose add in up to ½ cup more flour. The dough should be soft, but it should also come away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on medium speed for 10 minutes.
Lightly coat your proofing bowl with oil. Remove your dough from the stand mixer bowl, and coax it into a ball. Place in the oiled bowl and cover to rise in a warm spot for 1 hour. It should double in size.
Prepare your loaf pan by buttering the sides and bottom well.
Lightly flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Roll it into an 18x12 rectangle.
In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, cocoa powder, and sugar.
Brush melted butter over the entire surface. Sprinkle the cocoa cinnamon mixture over the butter. Follow with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips.
From the long side, begin rolling the dough. Once your dough is rolled into a tube, pinch the seam down to seal. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half lengthwise.
Carefully place one half of the dough across the other. Then, rope up one end with 3 crossovers, and do the same on the other end. This will make all the dough look like a twist.
With one hand on either end, gently press the dough in like an accordion until it's the length of your pan. Set your loaf in that buttered loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
Make sure there's an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350ºF.
Place your loaf on the center rack and bake for 20 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, cover the loaf with a tent of aluminum foil to reduce browning. Bake an additional 20 minutes for a metal pan or 40 minutes for a glass pan.
Your babka is done when a thermometer reads 190ºF when inserted into the center.
When there are 10 minutes left, add equal parts water and sugar (the ingredients for the optional glaze) to your saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes or until it's syrupy.
When your babka comes out, brush the top and sides with the glaze for a shiny finish.
For the marshmallow icing, beat together the fluff and milk until the fluff mostly dissolves. Then add in the powdered sugar as needed to thicken the icing (it should flow off the whisk, not drip). You can also flavor with vanilla if you want. Drizzle the icing over your cooled babka.