Marisa’s 20th of the Month Sourdough Sidetrack: Chocolate Cinnamon Babka

This has nothing to do with roasting. Today I am grateful for exceeded expectations.

January 2013 marks the fourth month that I’ve participated in a bake-along called Sourdough Surprises. The past 3 months’ tasks included English muffins, scones, and cookies. Babka is in a completely different category of complexity (and butter), and of course, I waited until this past Thursday to begin the process for a January 20th deadline. 10:00pm on Thursday to be exact.

By 11:00pm, I was relatively delirious and found this video. Which, clearly, made me determined that I too could pass as a master French baker. If you have a few minutes to spare, please watch both videos and let’s begin a scholarly discussion of the similarities and differences between Richard Bertinet and me. We can start with the obvious: I’m sure no self-respecting French baker uses a Tupperware rolling mat. Noted.

Once the dough was formed into a neat, smooth, ball ragged pile, I let it rise for the prescribed 15 hours, and rise it did. On Friday afternoon, I rolled and egg washed and chocolate-cinnamoned and spiraled and twisted and streuseled and finally, stuck it in the oven. Within minutes, a doughy sweet bread scent filled the house, and I knew the low bar I’d set (that the finished product be edible) would at least be met.

I used this for the sourdough brioche dough. And I turned to the Smitten Kitchen for the creation of the babka itself. This is a rich bread, and thank goodness the guidelines I followed made a lot.