Baker by Nature

A Baking Blog by Ashley Manila

Chocolate Bacon Butterscotch Babka

Chocolate Bacon Butterscotch Babka

If you’ve ever had a slice of babka – good babka, that is – you already know the luscious loaf doesn’t need a lick of help being a total dessert-bread bad ass. It’s one of my all-time favorite things to bake for friends (and let’s be real, for myself), and over the weekend I went crazy recreating a bacon/butterscotch version that blew my mind.

Bacon // Chocolate // Butterscotch lovers, beware! You’re about to fall in love!

Chocolate Bacon Butterscotch Babka

This recipe yields two big-fat-dangerously-desirable loaves of babka. Each one is swirled with a gorgeous chocolate/butterscotch paste, studded with crispy bacon bits, and then sprinkled with a bacon/cinnamon crumble. They are, like the most impressive thing to come out of my loaf pans in some time. And they smell so good baking you’ll want to cry… just a little.

I was introduced to the babka by Seinfeld, encouraged by Deb (and my boyfriend), and if you guys haven’t tried baking your own, I really must suggest – at the top of my lungs – that you take this journey as soon as humanly possible.

Chocolate Bacon Butterscotch Babka

Chocolate Bacon Butterscotch Babka

Say yes to sweet yeast cake! It’s the loaf that loves you back.

Chocolate Bacon Butterscotch Babka Chocolate Bacon Butterscotch Babka – Baker by Nature

Makes 2 sexy loaves

Ingredients

12 strips of bacon, cooked until crispy then crumbled 

For the babka dough:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup warm water

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 (1/4 ounce each) packages active dry yeast

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups bread flour

4 cups all-purpose

12 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the chocolate/butterscotch paste:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup still warm bacon fat

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

1 cup confectioners sugar

Crumble Topping

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon bacon fat

4 strips crumbled bacon

Instructions:

  1. Fry bacon until crisp. Reserve all of the grease, and transfer the cooked bacon to a plate to cool before crumbling. Pour warm cream and water into a bowl, sprinkle yeast and pinch of sugar over, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, egg yolks, and maple syrup. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture, and whisk to combine.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours and salt. Add egg mixture, and beat on low speed until almost all the flour is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Change to the dough hook. A little bit at a time, add the butter, and beat until flour mixture and butter are completely incorporated, about 10 minutes. Your dough should be smooth and shiny.
  4. Butter a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, knead it gently a few time in the bowl, then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 90 minutes.
  5. While your dough is rising, make your chocolate paste and bacon crumble! For the paste – Place chocolate, butterscotch chips, cinnamon, bacon fat, butter, and confectioners sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until chocolate and butterscotch chips are completely melted; mix melted ingredients until fully combined. For the crumble – In a small bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and bacon. Drizzle melted butter and bacon fat over top, and gently combine with fingers until a crumble forms; don’t over mix!
  6. Generously butter two large loaf pans and line them with parchment paper. Punch back the resting risen dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Let rest for 5 more minutes, then cut into 2 equal pieces. On a generously floured surface, roll dough out into a rough 16-inch square x 12 square.
  7. Brush edges with a small amount of warm water, then spread 1/2 of the chocolate/ butterscotch paste onto the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Roll the dough up tightly like a jelly roll, pinch the ends together to seal, and fold in half. Twist 5 or 6 turns. Carefully crumble 1/2 of the bacon crumble on top of the roll, being careful not to let mixture slide off. Repeat for second loaf.
  8. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of each loaf with a bit of cream. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour.
  9. Bake loaves until set and lightly golden, about 60 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until babkas 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, and transfer to wire wracks until cool. Remove from pans and serve.
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Comments

  1. Tieghan says

    I have never mad or had a babka. Actually, I really had no idea it was a thing until I read you post!! This makes me sad that I have been missing out on it all these years. I mean, my gosh this loaf of bread looks INCREDIBLE! Those chocolate swirls are killing me!

    Reply

  3. Megan says

    This sounds like the babka to top all babkas. Wow. I can’t believe the bacon and all the decadent ingredients in there. I’ve made one with chocolate and cinnamon before. HAVE to try this one!

    Reply

  9. Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) says

    Oh my god, I’m so impressed AND jealous! I wish I could have a big fat slice of this right now. I absolutely adore Babka. Your version sounds insane, especially with the bacon and butterscotch. Need to make this…one loaf for me, one loaf for the boyfriend (haha, or me, again).

    Reply

    • bakerbynature says

      You know, I had a slight pang of guilt about that, but then I moved on quickly. I have two other very traditional recipes for this cake on here, so there’s something for everyone now.

      Reply

  16. Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says

    I’ve seen babkas, but I’ve never made one myself – obviously, I need to remedy this immediately with this amazing looking bread! 🙂

    Reply

  17. Faith @ Pixie Dust Kitchen says

    I’ve never even heard of babka, or even had it, but as soon as you said “sweet yeast cake,” I knew I HAD to try it! Chocolate, bacon, and butterscotch are just the icing on the cake!

    Reply

  23. Courtney @ Neighborfood says

    I’ve never had babka before, let alone made it. But clearly that needs to change! Holy cow does this ever look good! Thanks for stopping by Neighborfood and leaving a comment–so glad it allowed me to find your blog!

    Reply

  27. Faith says

    Oh my, luscious is right! I am going to try (on account of a little too much indulgence lately and girlish figure nonsense 😉 ), but I don’t know how long I can hold out before I make this!!!

    Reply

  31. Laura Dembowski says

    I have never had babka, but clearly I need to make my own asap! This looks crazy good! Bacon makes everything better.

    Reply

  36. katie says

    STOP THE MADNESS!!! I’ve only ever had traditional babka. Add in all these tasty flavors… I think I’m in babka heaven! I can’t wait to share this recipe with my mother in-law!

    Reply

  41. Jane says

    Am I the only person who’s actually attempted this recipe? No one else seems to have noticed that the quantities of salt and yeast are missing…

    Reply

    • bakerbynature says

      Hi Jane,

      I just double checked and the yeast and salt are in the ingredient lists. Unfortunately there is a glitch with my font for that post, maybe making it hard to read. Working on that now! It’s one teaspoon of salt and 2 packages of yeast. Please let me know if you have any additional questions 🙂

      Reply

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