Chocolate babka, based on a recipe from Standard Baking Company Pastries.
Modifications and notes include:
I reduced the flour and water by 25 g. each, and added 50 g. sourdough discard. The authors suggest adding a few drops of lemon oil for tang, but I like the flavor of the sourdough to the same effect.
I used Valhrona for the Dutch process cocoa in the spread. For the cookie crumbs in the filling, I used a few of the chocolate sables which I made the other day, intentionally over-baked until crunchy enough to smash up.
I added 1/3 c. chopped walnuts on top the filling before rolling up the loaf.
In lieu of the streusel topping, I used 50/50 raw sugar and more chopped walnuts.
This is the second time I’ve made this loaf, and I’m really pleased with the recipe.
I’m not much of a sweet eater, but have a complete weakness for babka and this looks incredible! I also love the Standard Baking Company! My husband got me that book awhile back, but I haven’t baked from it yet. You’ve inspired me to change that! Have you made anything else from it?
I love the book, and have a lot of things ear-marked. The only other recipe I’ve baked to date (twice, now) is the Blueberry Drop Scone (I wrote about it here).
Maybe @Nannybakes will chime in? She also has the book, and I believe has tried more recipes from it.
Great tip on getting them so perfectly round. Thanks! I have made Dorie’s World Peace Cookies and frozen them before mailing to family. They held up well.
I am going to pull out the book I got for Christmas last year, ‘The Cookie Bible’ by RLB. I will peruse it along with the huge folder of cookie recipes I finished going through for the last 3-1/2 years.
I will choose six cookies, one candy (real pralines) and a dozen loaves of pülla to make this year. We’ll see.
Another holiday favorite in miniature – Italian shortbread with almonds and jam. From The 150 Best American Recipes by McCullough & Stevens (which quotes the original source as Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style by Cindy Mushet).
I made a half recipe in a 7” spring-form pan. Still bubbling hot from the oven, I can hardly wait until it is cool to cut into it.
I just went through RLB’s Cookie Bible and found a slew* of recipes that I want to make for cookie trays and thought many were exchange worthy.
*Like too many!
Alright, I just went through my copy. Here’s what I bookmarked:
Mrs Swallow’s perfect lemon cookies (a lemon sandwich cookie)
strudel cookies
pepparkakors
lemon jammies
drei augen (German almond and cinnamon shortbread cookies)
Turkish ginger-lime cokies
Pfeffernüsse
(not cookies) double chocolate toffee
Ischler cookies, although I have a vague memory of trying a version of these and not being thrilled with the result… or maybe that happened to someone else on Chowhound…?
