Sourdough babka is a sweet and soft enriched brioche-like dough swirled with chocolate and baked to perfection. Made with simple ingredients and naturally leavened with sourdough starter, this bread will win over any sweet-tooth.  

overhead photo of sourdough babka with chocolate filling on a white and black stripped towel

As Iโ€™ve made more and more sourdough bread recipes, Iโ€™ve realized there really is no limit to the type of bread you can make.

Once I got my sourdough brioche bread down to a science, I decided to take my brioche dough to the next level by turning it into babka! 

This sourdough chocolate babka is the current favorite dessert at the farmhouse. We’ve already gone through two this year (and it’s only January!). I may even go as far to say that this is in my top 5 of dessert sourdough recipes. It’s just that good!

I make mine with a chocolate filling, which is more traditional. But you can experiment with different fillings if you are not a chocolate-lover like most of my family.

If you are looking for a sweet treat this winter, this sourdough chocolate babka is the perfect cozy comfort food!

sourdough babka with chocolate filling sliced in three thick slices on a white countertop with a black and white towel to the left

What is Babka?

Babka is a sweet, cake-like bread made with an enriched dough. It is filled with chocolate or other sweet concoctions, rolled up, and braided for a beautiful looking babka loaf. For this recipe, I use a very similar recipe to my sourdough brioche recipe, but with a little less butter. 

Chocolate is the traditional filling for babkas, but if you are not a chocolate lover, you can also use cinnamon. 

This recipe yields 2 loaves, so you could always make one chocolate and one cinnamon to try out!

Why you will love this recipe:

Easier to digest: If you have a hard time digesting unfermented grains, this long-fermented recipe will have less gluten and will be easier to digest than regular bread.

Delicious: With a sweet, tangy dough and a decadent chocolate filling, this bread will make your tastebuds sing with every single bite. 

Simple: Although it looks super impressive, this bread is actually fairly simple to make. With just a few ingredients, you can make a beautiful and delicious bread.

You can make it your own: You can experiment with various fillings to fit your sweet tooth desire! If you love cinnamon rolls, I highly recommend trying a cinnamon sugar filling (recipe below!). I’ve heard of people experimenting with a Nutella filling and various fruit fillings, too!

overhead photo of a loaf of sourdough chocolate babka on a white countertop and a black and cream colored stripped towel
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Sourdough Babka Making Tips:

  • Once you have your babka filled and rolled up, move it to a piece of parchment paper before cutting it and braiding. This way, you can use the parchment paper to easily lift it into your loaf pan. It also makes for easy clean up! Just be sure your parchment paper is cut to the right size.
  • This dough is a wet dough. Even if you are tempted to add more flour, donโ€™t. Too much flour will give you a tougher bread rather than something light and fluffy.
  • Feed your starter 4-12 hours before you plan to start the dough. You want it to be super bubbly and active, at its peak.

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Ingredients:

sourdough brioche bread dough in a metal bowl with a bowl to the left with chocolate filling

The Dough

Sourdough starter – Active and bubbly. You really want to have a very active starter for this recipe so it has a really nice rise.

Bread flour – Bread flour gives this dough a much lighter and fluffier texture compared to using all purpose flour.

Sugar – Preferably organic cane sugar.

Milk – Preferably whole, but 2% should also work just fine.

Salt – I always chose sea salt. 

Eggs

Unsalted Butter – Room temperature. 

Chocolate Filling

Cocoa powder 

Sugar

Butter

Semi-Sweet chocolate – You can also use dark chocolate here if you prefer.

Tools you may need:

Stand mixer (optional – you can also knead by hand!)

Loaf pans

Bench scraper

Large bowl

Rolling pin 

Sharp knife

Pastry brush

Measuring cups and spoons

FAQ:

slice of sourdough chocolate babka sliced off of the loaf of bread on a white countertop with a black and cream stripped towel to the left

What nationality is babka?

Babka is a Jewish dessert and can be traced back to early 19th century Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.

What is active sourdough starter?

Active sourdough starter is starter that has been fed water and flour and allowed to sit until it is bubbly and about doubled in size. 

What is the difference between brioche bread and babka?

Both babka and brioche are made with an enriched dough. Brioche does not include a filling and can be used as a sandwich bread. Babka is a sweet bread with a chocolate or cinnamon filling. 

What do you eat babka with?

Babka is great all on its own. We also love to enjoy a slice with a cold glass of milk on warmer days or a hot cup of coffee or tea in the winter. 

loaf of sourdough babka with swirls of chocolate filling  sliced on a white countertop with a black and cream stropped towel to the right.

How To Make Sourdough Babka

Feed starter at night before bed. This way when you wake up in the morning, it will be nice and bubbly.

Kneading Sourdough Babka Dough

In the morning, combine all ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook and knead until smooth and glossy. The dough will be very wet, but after 10-15 minutes in the stand mixer (or by hand), it will come together. Donโ€™t add more flour even though it is tempting.

Cover with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or tight lid and place in a warm spot for 6-8 hours (or until doubled) for bulk fermentation. 

After the 6-8 hours, refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) so that dough is nice and stiff for shaping. Even a little fridge time makes shaping easier like it does with brioche and challah.

Make Your Filling

The traditional babka has a rich, sweet, chocolate filling. 

a pot with coco, butter, chocolate, and sugar next to a bowl of cocoa powder

In a pot, add the cocoa powder, sugar, and softened butter. Heat on low until melted, stirring occasionally.

For a cinnamon filling, mix together 10 tablespoons of softened, room temperature butter, ยพ cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. 

Shaping Babka

Divide into two equal portions. I really like to use my bench scraper to do this.

You will then roll out each portion into a 10โ€ by 14โ€ rectangle. Trim any extra dough to make a straight edge. 

If you donโ€™t want to make two babkas, you can also freeze one portion of the dough for a couple of months to bake later. 

Add the filling and roll

chocolate filling spread out over rolled out brioche bread on a white countertop

Add your filling to the rolled out rectangle of dough. Bring the filling to the edges, except on one of the short ends. Leave about an inch of dough.  

sourdough babka dough rolled up a white countertop. A large bowl with chocolate filling is to the right

Roll up your dough from the opposite short side. 

sourdough babka dough rolled up and sliced down the middle

Once rolled up, use a sharp knife to cut in half.

sourdough babka dough with swirls of chocolate filling twisted up on a white countertop.

Twist the halves into a braid and add it to your loaf pan.

Pro tip: Place your braided dough on parchment paper and use it to lift your loaf into the pan. It makes it easy to transfer and also makes clean up a breeze!

Final rise

sourdough babka dough risen in a loaf pan and brushed with egg wash. A small bowl with an egg wash and pastry brush sit to the right of the dough

Let your babka rise in the loaf pan, covered for about 4 hours or until doubled. 

When your babka is ready to bake, create an egg wash by beating an egg with a little bit of water. Brush it over the loaf

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes. 

side view of sourdough babka with chocolate filling on a white countertop with a towel in the background

How To Store:

Once your babka has cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. It can usually keep at room-temperature for 3 to 5 days. 

You can freeze your baked babka for up to a month. 

We also love to turn our babka bread into French toast if we havenโ€™t used it up in a few days! 

Baker’s Schedule

8 p.m. Feed your starter

8 a.m. The next morning: Mix up your dough

8:25 a.m. Cover your dough and let it rise for 6-8 hours until doubled

4:25 p.m. (or sooner) Place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour and up to overnight. 

8 a.m. The next day: Mix up your filling, roll out the dough, fill, and roll. 

8:20 a.m. Cut and braid your dough and place in your loaf pan. Let it rise another 4 hours.

12:20 p.m. Bake your babka for 40-45 minutes in a 350 degrees preheated oven. 

Find more Of My Favorite Sourdough Bread Recipes:

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Also, tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.

Sourdough Babka

4.47 from 93 votes
Sweet, soft enriched brioche-like dough swirled with chocolate and baked to perfection. Made with simple ingredients and naturally leavened with sourdough starter, this bread will win over any sweet-tooth.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 24
overhead photo of sourdough babka with chocolate filling on a white and black stripped towel
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Ingredients 

Dough

  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup active sourdough starter

Chocolate Filling

  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions 

  • Feed starter at night before bed. This way when you wake up in the morning, it will be nice and bubbly.
  • In the morning, combine all ingredients in a mixer and knead until smooth and glossy. The dough will be very wet, but after 10-15 minutes in the stand mixer (or by hand), it will come together.
  • Cover with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or tight lid and place in a warm spot for 6-8 hours (or until doubled).
  • Refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) so that dough is nice and stiff for shaping.
  • In a pot, add the cocoa powder, sugar, and softened butter.ย Heat on low until melted, stirring occasionally.
  • Divide the dough into two equal portions. I really like to use my bench scraper to do this.
  • Roll out each portion to a 10โ€ by 14โ€ rectangle
  • Add the filling to the edge, except on one short end, leave about an inch of dough showing. Sprinkle the semisweet chocolate over the filling.
  • Roll up your dough from the opposite short end.
  • Cut the roll down the middle and twist.
  • Add your babka to a loaf pan, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 4 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Create an egg wash by beating an egg with water. Brush over the loaf.
  • Bake 40-45 minutes

Notes

  • Donโ€™t add more flour even though it is tempting.
  • Once you have your babka filled and rolled up, move it to a piece of parchment paper before cutting it and braiding. This way, you can use the parchment paper to easily lift it into your loaf pan. It also makes for easy clean up! Just be sure your parchment paper is cut to the right size.
  • This dough is a wet dough. Even if you are tempted to add more flour, donโ€™t. Too much flour will give you a tougher bread rather than something light and fluffy.
  • If you donโ€™t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose. It will not be quite as soft as using the mix of the two flours, but it will still be yummy.
  • Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting to the dough. You want it to be super bubbly and at its peak.
For a cinnamon filling use:
  • 10 tbs unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 291IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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100 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    Thank you for the recipe. Sorry for not being able to bake it. I can’t work with recipes in cups and spoons. It would be better for me in grams.

  2. Alina03 says:

    Great recipe,my family was so happy and thankful of this delicious chocolate babka.thank you for sharing with us!

    1. Lisa says:

      So glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe! It’s one of our favorites for a sweet treat!

  3. Ade says:

    Prepping to make this in the morning once my starter is nice and bubbly. I absolutely love the Bakers schedule. So helpful! Thank you for sharing the tools you use and the yummy recipes.

    1. Lisa says:

      Woohoo! Hope it turns out great. Sourdough isn’t always easy to schedule, so I am glad including a rough timeline helps. Hope you have a great weekend!

  4. majid says:

    mine was too soft to handle and there was no way I don’t add flour. I added flour to the counter, and it was a lot.

    when I tried to pick it up it was so soft. What’s the reason?

    1. Lisa says:

      This is a wet dough, so that is normal. I make this in the following video, which may help be a guide: https://youtu.be/DRP1EkQJeV0

  5. Mandy says:

    Hi Lisa,

    Iโ€™m trying this for the first time and was hoping for a few tips! I know your recipe says it is a wet dough but I cannot get it to form into a ball no matter how much I knead or even with adding extra flour as a last resort! It stays so wet that it just falls off the dough hook (it never looks like the smooth dough I see in your pictures). I watched the video suggested but never saw the pre-risen dough. Is this normal or did I mess something up? New sourdough baker here so Iโ€™d appreciate any advice ๐Ÿ˜Š

    1. Lisa says:

      Hmm. How long did you mix it for. Sometimes it can take a long time like 20 minutes or more.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Do you have metric measurements by any chance? I used 420g of flour (120g = 1cup) but wasn’t sure if you are scooping or spooning flour.

    1. Lisa says:

      Not yet on this one! I am working on converting all my recipes to grams, but it is just taking some time.

  7. Wow! Wow! wow! says:

    Whoa, this was incredible!!! We are all raving about it over here. Tastes just like a chocolate croissant, which is a big favorite. My dough didn’t quite come together like the pictures (would love a video for this) and I fermented it in the fridge for maybe 2 days before I could come back to it and it had risen a good bit by then and was much easier to handle. Turned out beautifully though and so delicious! Freezing the second one (so thankful this makes 2 at a time!) and we have already finished half of the other one. Will be sharing this with everyone!

  8. Esther J says:

    Lisa-
    I just found your recipe. It looks amazing and Iโ€™m going to try it. I have two questions 1) can I use Nutella instead of the chocolate filling and 2) can I add chopped apple to the cinnamon one?

    Thank you!

    1. Lisa says:

      Those both sound amazing. I don’t see why Nutella wouldn’t work. For the apples, I’m not positive since it may add too much moisture. If I were to try that, I would probably cook the apples first.

  9. Caitlin says:

    It worked!
    I was nervous about this recipe because it’s the same dough as your brioche, and that recipe completely failed on me when I tried it, the dough was almost closer to a batter, and the end result was a sort-of-bread-like thing that wasn’t able to be picked up or sliced. So I added at least a half cup more flour this time, I didn’t measure, I just added it little by little until it looked right. I ended up with a soft smooth dough that was pretty easy to shape, and it tastes amazing! I also added some orange zest to the chocolate mixture before spreading

  10. Angela says:

    Is this supposed to have a mix of two flours? I noticed in the notes section where itโ€™s talking about flour and it mentions a โ€œmix of two floursโ€. Curious if thatโ€™s why my bread wasnโ€™t super easy to shape?

    1. Lisa says:

      Great catch! For this recipe, I used all bread flour — just like it says on the recipe card.