“There are no ‘just cooks’ out there, only bakers who haven’t yet been converted. I am a dessert person, and we are all dessert people.” utters Claire Saffitz in her wonderful new cookbook, Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence. I have forever thought of myself as a dessert person—my family’s creed is “eat dessert first” (not a joke) and if you’ve spent any time at all on these pages, you’d see there is a definite slant towards the sweet stuff, so it should come as no surprise that Dessert Person and this super fun Babkallah are getting the Famous Friday treatment today! Not a dessert person? Is that even a thing?!!

Saffitz, a renowned pastry chef (for many years she was a contributing editor at Bon Appétit Magazine) talks about repeatedly meeting people who love to cook, but proclaim that they “just can’t bake!” And so she set out to write a cookbook that would not only please experienced bakers but cooks who feel totally intimidated by the whole science and precision of baking. And what a rip roaring success it is!! There are a ton of helpful and encouraging tips, wonderful step-by-step photos and clear and no-nonsense directions. There’s even a Recipe Matrix that tells you what level of difficulty you’re getting yourself into when you choose a dessert to attempt. But most of all there are a slew of amazing recipes in all sorts of different categories, like loaf cakes, pies and tarts, breakfast and brunch, savory recipes and more. I am loving baking my way through this book!!

So it was really tough deciding just which recipe to feature but in the end this unique cross between a challah and a babka, aka Babkallah won out. See, recently, I’ve had my share of babka disasters and even though I’d sworn off any more babka for the foreseeable future, the Babkallah called out to me and how could I resist? Thank goodness I have no willpower because this cinnamon and chocolate filled beauty, with its braids and swirls of chocolate restored my faith in the power of babka or rather babkallah! If you’re looking for a weekend project, I can’t think of a better or more yummy one!!

You start by mixing up a rather shaggy dough like this:

That you knead till smooth and let rise. Next you divide it into 3 equal pieces

And roll into 3 ropes

Which then get rolled into 3 long rectangles

Brushed with melted butter

Covered with a divine chocolate/cinnamon mixture

And rolled up

Now, it’s time to braid and let rise again.

Right before you bake this beauty, you brush on a little egg and some crunchy demerara sugar

And what emerges from the oven is this gorgeous golden brown sugar-topped loaf!!

Your kitchen will smell divine and I predict you’ll do a little celebratory dance when you cut into this baby and see all those cinnamon-chocolate swirls!

And I haven’t even gotten to describing how truly terrific this tastes—rich, buttery challah combined with that wonderful filling—I think even Jerry and Elaine would be impressed! (you didn’t really think I could talk about babka without mentioning Seinfeld, did you?)

Ok, my friends, pick up a copy of Dessert Person asap—all of you, the dessert and non-dessert people (still not sure how they can exist) and bake up a babkallah or some other wonderful dessert—maybe something to accompany Super Bowl watching and have a yummy and safe weekend!xoxo

Babakallah

Makes one large loaf

Prep Time for dough: 20 minutes, plus several hours rising and assembly time; Prep Time for filling: 10 minutes; Bake Time: 35-45 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough

½ cup whole milk
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
⅓ cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the bowl

For the filling and assembly

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 large egg, beaten
Demerara sugar for sprinkling on top

The Recipe

1. To make the dough: Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat just until barely warm, 105ºF on an instant read thermometer. Careful not to overheat or you’ll kill the yeast. Pour the milk into a large bowl (if you’re going to use the mixer to knead the dough, this can be the large bowl of the mixer) and sprinkle the yeast on top. Whisk to dissolve the yeast and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes until it’s foamy.

2. Add the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add in the flour, salt and butter and use a sturdy wooden spoon to mix it all together until a shaggy dough forms. Now you can either attach the dough hook of an electric mixer to knead the dough on medium speed until it is smooth and supple and no longer shiny, about 5-8 minutes, or you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead by hand, adding a little more flour if it’s very sticky, until a smooth dough forms, this might take closer to 8-10 minutes.

3. Butter a large bowl and place the kneaded ball into it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it somewhere warm, maybe near the oven, for about 1 ½-2/1/2 hours until it has puffed up a bit—this won’t rise the way traditional bread dough does but it should be significantly larger than before the rising process.

4. While the dough is rising make the filling: Toss the chocolate, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

5. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a clean counter or board and divide it into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch rope (use a ruler to measure so they are all even) and flatten the pieces with the heel of your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll each rope into a 12x6-inch rectangle.

6. Use a pastry brush to generously cover each piece all over with the melted butter and then sprinkle with the chocolate mixture, dividing it evenly among the 3 pieces and leaving a ½-inch border on one of the long sides of each rectangle. Starting on the opposite long side from you, tightly roll up each rectangle to form a log and pinch the seams together very tightly (if you don’t the filling will escape as it bakes).

7. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place the logs seam-side down and side by side on the sheet. Pinch the logs together tightly at one end so all 3 are connected and braid them together not too tightly, so that the dough won’t crack as it cooks. Pinch the opposite ends together and tuck both ends underneath the braid. Cover the loaf loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1-2 hours until about 1 ½ times its original size.

8. Make sure oven rack is centered and preheat to 350ºF. Brush the loaf all over with the beaten egg and generously sprinkle it with the demerara sugar. Bake until the surface of the loaf is deeply browned, turning the pan at the midpoint of baking, 35-45 minutes. Let cool completely on the pan on a wire rack, then cut with a serrated knife and serve. This is best on the day it is baked but you can definitely wrap it well and keep it at room temperature for 4-5 days.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe from The Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz.