Cinnamon Chocolate Coffee Cake - or Babka

A variation of Peter Reinhart's Cinnamon Chocolate Babka Kranz Cake. This is cooked in a loaf pan as a coffee cake. Delicious and attractive cake/bread.

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Serves: 12-14
• Yields: 1 medium loaf

Ingredients

• Dough

• 260  g all-purpose flour (2 cups, unbleached)
• 11  g instant yeast (3 2/3 teaspoons)
• 96  g buttermilk (scant 1/2 cup)
• 48  g butter (unsalted - 1/4 cup)
• 48  g sugar (scant 1/4 cup)
• 4  g vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
• 4  g salt (table salt, 2/3 teaspoon)
• 48  g  egg yolks (from 2 large or jumbo eggs)

• Filling

• 145  g  semi-sweet chocolate chips (scant cup, frozen)
• 4  g cinnamon (ground - 1/2 teaspoon)
• 32  g butter (2 1/4 tablespoons, very cold)

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Add vanilla and slightly beaten egg yolks and mix about 2 minutes until fluffy.
3. Add flour and yeast and stir slightly.
4. Add the milk and mix on low speed to make a soft dough, adding flour as needed or milk.
5. Knead for 4 minutes before tipping onto counter.
6. Stretch the dough into a rectangle and fold letter style top to bottom and side to side.
7. Place dough in straight sided container, cover and rest 15 minutes.
8. Stretch and fold again, resting 15 more minutes.
9. Allow dough to rise 1.5 times its volume to double its volume.
10. Roll dough out to a 12 inch by 12 inch rectangle.
11. Make filling by placing frozen chocolate chips and cinnamon in a food processor and process to a grandular consistency. Add cold butter and pulse until well mixed.
12. Spread mixture on dough, leaving a 1/4 inch rim uncoated.
13. Roll dough into a rope like cylinder without stretching the length beyond 15 inches.
14. Cut the rope into 2 15 inch half-cylinders and braid to form a loaf, folding in the ends. Place in an 8 inch x 4.5 inch loaf pan well oiled.
15. Preheat oven to 350F while letting loaf rise to 1.5 times its volume.
16. Brush with egg white glaze if desired and bake for 50 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 180F to 200°F.
17. To prevent over browning due to the sugar in this recipe, cover loosely for at least half the time with aluminum foil while baking.
18. Let cool completely before serving.