Chocolate Babka Wreath with Sesame

Steps 10

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1. 1

   Make the dough the night before if you can: it is far easier to roll cold, and the flavour is better. Warm the milk to blood temperature and stir in the yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar. Leave 5 minutes until frothy.

2. 2

   In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt. Add the yeasty milk, the eggs and the vanilla and knead on low for 5 minutes. Add the soft butter a cube at a time, then knead 8–10 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, glossy and pulls away from the bowl. It will be soft and a little sticky; do not add more flour.

3. 3

   Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

4. 4

   For the filling, melt the chocolate and butter together, then stir in the icing sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Leave to cool until spreadable, like soft Nutella — warm filling melts the dough and leaks.

5. 5

   Grease and line a 23 cm round tin. On a lightly floured surface roll the cold dough into a 40 × 30 cm rectangle, long side facing you. Spread the filling right to the edges, leaving a 1 cm strip clear along the far side.

6. 6

   Roll up tightly from the long side towards the clear strip and pinch the seam shut. Chill the log 15 minutes: a firm log cuts cleanly.

7. 7

   Trim the ends, then cut the log in half lengthways so the layers face up. Twist the two halves over each other, cut sides up, and curl the twist into a ring in the tin, tucking the ends under.

8. 8

   Cover and prove somewhere warm for 1–1½ hours, until puffy and about a third bigger. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).

9. 9

   Brush gently with beaten egg and scatter the sesame seeds. Bake on the middle shelf for 35–40 minutes, until deep golden; cover loosely with foil after 25 minutes if it browns too fast. A skewer pushed into the bread (not the chocolate) should come out clean.

10. 10

    While it bakes, simmer the sugar and water for the syrup for 2 minutes. Brush the syrup over the hot babka the moment it comes out — this keeps it moist for days. Cool 20 minutes in the tin, lift it out and serve warm, torn rather than sliced.