A two-fer today, finishing with a Chocolate Babka from Standard Baking Co. Pastries.
I have never made (nor eaten) babka prior, but this version appealed to me as it is not overly complicated.
Modifications included omitting the few drops of lemon oil and adding 50 g. sourdough discard. I added 1/3 c. chopped walnuts to the filling, and in lieu of a streusel topping, used more walnuts and some raw sugar. I measured 135 g. per cup for the flour (calls for scoop-and-level) and had to add 2 T. liquid before the dough felt “right”. Other than that, followed the recipe.
Very fun to make, and the results so delicious.
Since I needed chocolate cookie crumbs for the filling, I also made Pierre Herme’s chocolate sables (aka Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies – original version). There is a slightly modified version of this recipe in SBC Pastries, as well, where it is recommended as a source for the cookie crumbs in the babka.
These cookies live up to their reputation. I baked only five: one test, two for the babka, and two for us to munch on. The rest of the dough is in the freezer, although we probably could have eaten half the batch in one sitting (if we didn’t know the babka was coming later).
Two winning recipes for me today.
