IT'S SIMPLE WITH THE RIGHT TWIST

1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt and butter in a mixing bowl. Whisk together the warm milk and egg yolks and add to the flour mixture. Knead in a food processor or hand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 4-5 minutes.

2. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. It should be soft and smooth.

3. Butter a clean mixing bowl. Place the dough in it, cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise for 1-2 hours until it has doubled in size.

4. In the meantime, prepare the filling: melt 150 g dark chocolate and mix with the butter, roughly chop 150 g dark chocolate and (if you like) crumble the marzipan. In another bowl, beat egg whites. Mix the sugar and cinnamon mixture with the beaten egg whites.

5. For the crumbles, knead the sugar, butter and flour with your fingertips and then rub into crumbles.

6. Punch down the risen dough. Dust the work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Have the prepared components of the filling and the buttered baking pan ready.

7. Roll out the dough into a 45cm x 35cm rectangle – the dough should be quite thin. Fill the rectangle with the filling (leaving a 1 cm border): first spread the melted chocolate, then distribute the beaten egg whites, followed by the crumbled marzipan and finally the chopped chocolate. Roll up the piece of dough tightly. Bring the ends together in a ring, then press. Twist the ring 4-5 times and place in the buttered loaf tin. Brush with the egg yolk glaze, top with sprinkles if you like and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the loaf for about 55 minutes. After 40 minutes check that the babka is not getting too dark. If this is the case, loosely cover the loaf with aluminum foil and continue baking. After 55 minutes, lower the temperature to 165°C and bake for another 12 minutes. The babka is done when it sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Let rest in the baking pan for at least 15 minutes before removing and letting cool on a wire rack.

Variations:
Top it off with delicious crumbles or use a few nuts instead of marzipan.

Photo: Maja Smend
Recipe: From Cynthia Barcomi's "I Love Baking", published by Mosaik Verlag