Chocolate Pecan Babka Twists

Chocolate Pecan Babka Twists

Servings: 6 | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the Dough:
⅓ cup water
2 ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons bread flour, divided
¼ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 packet instant yeast
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 cubes

For the Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup chopped toasted pecans

For the Glaze:
1 large egg, well-beaten

How to Make It

In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Over medium-low heat, whisk the mixture constantly until it becomes a thick paste. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the mixture into a small bowl. Let the paste cool completely.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining 2. cups of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast, and mix with a wooden spoon or on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Add the cooled flour paste, milk, egg, and butter and mix just until the dough comes together in a crumbly mass, then switch to the dough hook or your hands and mix on low speed or knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the rack in the lower third of the oven, then place the bowl of dough on top. Proof at 85° for 45-60 minutes or until the dough is nearly doubled in size.

While the dough proofs, make the filling. In a small bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured countertop and press gently into a disc. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into an 8x4” rectangle. Spread a thin layer of the chocolate filling onto each dough rectangle, leaving a ½” border all the way around. Sprinkle lightly with the chocolate and pecans. Starting with a long edge, roll the dough up as tightly as possible into a jelly roll shape.

Starting at one of the short sides, use kitchen shears to cut the dough lengthwise in half to expose the filling, leaving the halves connected at the opposite end. Twist the two strands of dough together, then coil the twisted dough into a round spiral shape like a snail shell, tucking the ends of the dough underneath.

Line the baking pan with parchment paper and place the twists on it, leaving a little space between them. Place the baking pan in the center of the oven and Proof at 85° for 30 minutes or until puffy.

Remove the twists from the oven, and set the mode to Bake at 350°, allowing the oven to preheat. Brush the twists with the beaten egg.

Once the oven is preheated, place the baking pan in the center of the oven and bake until golden brown and cooked through, 15–20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Chef Notes

This recipe can be baked a day before, then reheated in the oven, loosely covered with foil, using the Bake setting at 325° for 10 minutes.

This recipe was created especially for the Café Couture Oven with Air Fry