Vegan Babka with Nougat & Hazelnuts

The pre-Christmas madness begins! On each table is a box filled with gingerbread, biscuits, and speculoos, and we already quit counting the number of cookies we've already eaten. Don't get us wrong – we love Christmas cookies! But today we show you a recipe that gives you a break from all the Christmas sweets and comes with a fluffy yeast dough and a sweet filling inside: a vegan Babka!

But what is a Babka? To put it in a nutshell, it's a yeast cake, or yeast bun, originally from Central and Eastern Europe. In Germany, we used to braid a yeast bun, especially at Easter. When preparing a babka, you don't braid but twist the dough. In this way, you create beautiful layers!

Preparing a babka without animal products is not too complicated. We simply replaced the butter and milk with a plant-based alternative. Our nougat chocolate filling is based on a vegan chocolate bar. We just added some vegan milk and hazelnuts to it. The only thing you really need is a little patience until the dough has risen. During this time, you wrap your first gifts or just enjoy the break with a hot cup of tea.

We're happy that iChoc supported us and this recipe. We're big fans of their plant-based chocolate bars and can only recommend their products to you! Their chocolates are great for baking, but also as a snack in between. iChoc uses 100% eco-friendly packaging, produces climate-neutral and obtains all raw materials from certified organic cultivation. Check more recipes on their blog, like this vegan Triple Chocolate Chip Cake.

R444 Vegan Babka with nougat & hazelnuts
R444 Vegan Babka with nougat & hazelnuts
R444vVegan Babka with nougat & hazelnuts

Vegan Babka with Nougat & Hazelnuts

12 pieces
30 minutes (+90 minutes waiting time, 60 minutes baking time)

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp plant-based butter (for greasing the loaf pan)
  • 1 tbsp flour (for greasing the loaf pan)
  • 2 tbsp plant-based milk (to brush the loaf)

yeast dough

  • 125 ml plant-based milk
  • 35 g plant-based butter
  • 250 g flour
  • 20 g fresh yeast
  • 30 g white sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt

filling

  • 160 g vegan nougat chocolate (e.g., White Nougat Crisp from iChoc)
  • 50 ml plant-based milk
  • 30 g plant-based butter
  • 25 g chopped hazelnuts

Instructions

  1. Heat the plant-based milk in a small saucepan until warm. Stir in the butter and remove from heat. Allow to cool down until lukewarm.
  2. Put the flour in a large bowl and mix with sugar and salt.
  3. Add the lukewarm milk to the flour and crumble the yeast on the warm milk. Let rest for 10 minutes without kneading.
  4. Now knead the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size for about 45 minutes.
  5. Prepare the filling 10 minutes before the dough is ready: Heat nougat chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water
  6. When the chocolate is melted, add the plant-based milk, the plant-based butter, and the chopped hazelnuts. Stir well! Allow to cool down until it thickens a bit.
  7. Grease a loaf pan with plant-based butter and sprinkle with some flour.
  8. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and spread with the filling, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides of the dough.
  9. Roll up the dough from the long side, seal the ends and then twist the dough in opposite directions with both hands. Don't worry if the filling runs out a bit.
  10. Put the dough into the loaf pan and use a sharp knife to cut in the dough so that the layers of the babka become visible.
  11. Let the dough rise again for 30 minutes in a warm place.
  12. Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F convection. Brush with plant-based milk and bake on the middle rack for 50 - 60 minutes at 180°C/356°F.
R444 Vegan Babka with nougat & hazelnuts
R444 Vegan Babka with nougat & hazelnuts
R444 Vegan Babka with nougat & hazelnuts
R444 Vegan Babka with nougat & hazelnuts

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