Soft, sweet with incredible flavor, Sourdough Chocolate Orange Babka is a memorable treat that is perfect for St. Nicholas Day or any day! This recipe makes 8 small or mini babkas that are perfect for sharing!
Enjoy this festive treat that is featured in my book Celebrate with Bread Baking. I created them for St. Nicholas Day because this feast is celebrated by leaving gifts like chocolate or oranges as well as coins.
What are babkas?
Babkas come from Eastern Europe and were pioneered by Jewish bakers who used leftover challah dough to make this treat.
A dough enriched with fat (oil or butter), eggs, and possibly milk is rolled out. Then, a filling is spread on the dough like jam, chocolate, or savory combinations. The dough is filled up with the filling inside and then usually cut and twisted together.
Now they are popular at many bakeries all over the United States. They became even more popular after a Seinfeld episode when Elaine, Jerry, and George get caught in a social conundrum over a chocolate and then a cinnamon babka.
They do say chocolate babka is the best babka so Sourdough Chocolate Orange Babka is off the charts!
Benefits of using sourdough in Sourdough Chocolate Orange Babka
The recipe version in my book gives the option to use instant yeast, but this recipe post will give you the timing for 100% sourdough.
The two main reasons I use sourdough are more digestible breads and the unmatched flavor.
- Sourdough breaks down the gluten proteins into smaller pieces during the long fermentation which means less stomach and digestive irritation. Learn more about sourdough here or get my free sourdough quick start guide.
- Sourdough breads begin with a starter or levain which is a mixture of flour, water, and sourdough starter that ferments for 6-12 hours on average to develop an incredible intense flavor that enhances every ingredient in the bread! Which typically means less added sugar than breads made with conventional yeast.
These wonderful benefits also require extra time compared to breads made with quick yeast. So you will need to plan your time to make it accordingly.
How do you plan your bake?
Sourdough bread making requires special planning. This is especially true with enriched sourdough recipes like Sourdough Chocolate Orange Mini Babkas!
For your planning:
- 6 to 10 hours for starter preparation
- 6 to 10 hours bulk fermentation
- 2 1/2 to 5 hours proofing
If you need help picturing that planning for a holiday like St. Nicholas Day, you likely want to have this for breakfast. So in order to not do baking at odd hours, use this example to plan your bake:
- Two days before St. Nicholas Day: prepare the starter and leave at room temp
- Day before St. Nicholas Day morning: Prepare the dough, cover, and leave at room temp
- Day before St. Nicholas Day : Prepare filling. Divide and shape the dough, cover, and leave at room temp to proof for 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours (the maximum time is avoided so it won’t overproof as proofing continues in next steps due to overnight chill). Put babkas into the fridge overnight.
- St. Nicholas Day morning: Take babkas out to come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes. After that time, preheat oven and bake the babkas for breakfast or brunch!
Giving your dough ample time to ferment and proof will yield great results. Click the link below to learn more about proofing:
3 important things to know when making Sourdough Chocolate Orange Babka
- This recipe uses a 100% hydration starter. This style of starter is familiar to most sourdough bakers making it easier to attempt this recipe.
- Don’t rush the timeline. Plan your time well and make sure it is fully fermented before shaping and that you wait until it is proofed before baking. See these articles on bulk fermentation and proofing for helpful tips and indications of readiness. I like to use Cambro bins for the dough bulk ferment to help visually see when the dough has doubled.
- When portioning the filling evenly as the recipe describes, you can use a half tablespoon or I recommend using a food scale. Tare the bowl of filling so the scale reads zero then you can take out the portion (15g) and the scale will begin to go down to -15 for the first one, -30 for the next and so on.
Share your bake with me
If you’re thinking of preparing this recipe for St. Nicholas Day or another occasion, let me know!
After you try it, send me a note, leave a review comment, or tag me on facebook or instagram @livingbreadbaker
I enjoy seeing how you share this bread for the holiday with your family and friends. I’m glad I can be a part of your special holiday in some small way.
Make sure to use the share button to make sure your sourdough baking friends have this recipe!
Need more sourdough help?
A competent guide is the big difference from floundering in sourdough with information overwhelm to having confidence and ease in your sourdough baking.
If you are just getting started in sourdough, I’d love to support you with my books or online courses.
My Intro. to Sourdough online course is comprehensive with video tutorials for each stage of the process to help new or aspiring sourdough home bakers gain a solid foundation for sourdough, the traditional way, to learn all the basics, language, techniques, and the process from start to finish to make sourdough bread. My teaching is straight forward and makes the whole process seem simple. I have helped launch hundreds of eager sourdough bakers onto their own inspiring sourdough journeys.
I also have a Once-a-Week No Knead Sourdough online course, which is my strategy for busy weeks to have sourdough on hand ready to make into country bread, sandwich loaves, English muffins, pizza, bagels, and more! This course is great for absolute sourdough beginners to just get familiarity with sourdough or for veteran sourdough bakers who need to simplify their baking schedule.
If you are just starting on your sourdough journey, you can get my free Quick Start Sourdough Guide to begin learning some of the key terms and concepts in sourdough. Learn the difference between the sourdough stages of active sourdough starter and sourdough discard as well as how to care for a starter.
Perfect for new or experienced bakers, I have a full Sourdough Time Planning Workbook with 8 templates ready to fill in and a baking journal. The 8 templates include 4 different ways to make classic sourdough country breads, 3 time planning worksheets for enriched sourdough bread depending on serving time target, and a blank template. The baking journal goes over baker’s percentages and how to take notes on your sourdough bakes.
Or check out more Christmas time recipes here.
Living Bread Baker posts mentioned
Recommendations for learning sourdough
When is sourdough bulk fermentation finished?
When is sourdough finished proofing?
Easter sourdough bread recipes
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2 qt. and 4 qt. Cambro set for dough bulk ferment (I use the smaller one for large batches of starter)
Shun Bread Knife (my favorite)
Wusthof Bread Knife (I love this one too, less expensive)
FREE Sourdough Quick Start Guide
My Intro. to Sourdough online course
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Sourdough Chocolate Orange Mini Babkas for St. Nicholas Day
Equipment
- Food Scale
- food container
- small pot
- large bowl
- zester
- Spoon
- plastic dough scraper
- 2 Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper
- glass bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry brush
- serrated bread knife
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
FOR THE STARTER
- 15 grams sourdough starter 1 tablespoon
- 60 grams water ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons
- 60 grams all-purpose flour ⅔ cup
FOR THE DOUGH
- 130 grams whole milk ½ cup
- 100 grams starter about ½ cup
- 60 grams white cane sugar 4 tablespoons
- 500 grams all-purpose flour 3½ cups plus 1 tablespoon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 28 grams unsalted butter melted (2 tablespoons)
- 6 grams salt 1 teaspoon
FOR THE FILLING
- 50 grams semisweet chocolate chips ¼ cup
- 28 grams unsalted butter at room temperature (2 tablespoons)
- 60 grams white cane sugar 4 tablespoons
Instructions
- MAKE THE STARTER: About 6 to 10 hours before mixing your dough, combine the starter, water, and flour in a clean container. Cover and leave at room temperature until doubled in volume and bubbly.
- WARM THE MILK: Heat the milk until it reaches a temperature of 110°F to 120°F. Let cool to 80-100°F before continuing with next steps.
- WEIGH THE INGREDIENTS: Tare a mixing bowl, then combine 120 grams of warm milk, 100 grams of starter, and the sugar. Allow the sugar to dissolve. Then, add the flour and the orange zest.
- MIX: Mix the ingredients together until a shaggy dough is formed, then add the melted butter and the salt. Mix to combine.
- KNEAD: Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes by hand or 4 to 8 minutes with a dough hook in a stand mixer on the lowest two speeds, until the dough is smooth, is no longer sticky, and releases easily from the bowl or work surface.
- BULK FERMENT: Cover the dough and ferment for 6 to 10 hours, until doubled in volume.
- PREPARE THE BAKING SHEETS: Line two flat baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- PREPARE THE FILLING: Place the chocolate chips in a glass or other microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Add the butter and sugar and stir until smooth. Set aside.
- DIVIDE: On an unfloured work surface, divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 119 grams each).
- SHAPE: With a rolling pin, roll a piece of dough into a 5-by-9-inch rectangle. Brush on about ½ tablespoon (15 grams) of filling, leaving a ½-inch border along the edges. Roll the dough up from one of the long sides to the other to make a 9-inch-long rope. Use a serrated bread knife to cut the rope of dough down the center from one end to the other, leaving a ½-inch section at the end uncut. Twist the cut ends around one another three times with the inside layers facing out. Wrap the end of the twisted end around the intact end and pinch under to seal together in a twisted babka shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the babka on the baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- PROOF: Cover and proof for 2 ½ to 5 hours, until about 1½ times larger in volume. Touching the dough should leave an indentation.
- PREHEAT: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- BAKE: Place the first pan in the oven, reduce the heat to 350°F, and bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Move the finished babkas to a cooling rack. Repeat this step with the second pan.
- COOL: Cool for 15 to 20 minutes on a cooling rack before serving.
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