This chocolate tahini babka is soft, rich, and full of delicious gooey chocolate sesame swirls. The enriched dough is so easy to make, and you don’t even need to knead it! Just mix and let rise, then fill and bake. The sesame tahini brings out the rich, gooey, chocolate goodness.
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Why you will LOVE this recipe:
- Soft & fluffy: It turns out so soft, buttery, and fluffy every time!
- Easy, no knead dough: It takes about 5 minutes to throw together without an electric mixer - so easy.
- Gooey chocolate swirls: The rich chocolate swirls are so gooey and irresistible.
- Tahini: The tahini amplifies the richness of the chocolate. They complement each other so well!
- Chocolate chips: There are chocolate chips rolled into it as well for extra gooey-ness.
Jump to:
The BEST no knead dough
This is the perfect, no knead chocolate tahini babka recipe that doesn’t require any fancy equipment (no electric mixers!) and comes together beautifully.
After checking that the yeast is active, you just combine all the dough ingredients until it resembles a very wet dough, and let it rise. After rising: punch it down, roll out, top, roll it up, cut, twist, and bake.
I also use it here in these gooey funfetti cinnamon rolls.
The Filling
This chocolate tahini babka uses a homemade filling. All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients together in a pot on low heat until they meld into a cohesive filling. I also add in mini chocolate chips for extra gooeyness before rolling up the babka.
To save yourself some time, you can also use a store bought chocolate sesame butter. I have tried a few different brands and they have worked out perfectly each time!
What makes this a babka?
If you’ve never had a babka before, it is essentially like a giant cinnamon roll, and you can fill it with all different kinds of fillings.
The enriched dough is rolled out (i.e., brioche or challah dough), topped with the filling (usually chocolate or cinnamon), rolled into a log, cut in half longwise to reveal all the layers, and twisted together.
Tips for success
- Measure the flour with a kitchen scale or properly using a measuring cup. Mix up your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top with the flat edge of a knife without packing in the flour. It isn’t as accurate as using a scale but is the next best option!
- Do not skip the first step of blooming the yeast: this check ensures that the yeast you are using is still active and will work.
- Use really soft butter, I like to pop it in the oven (or microwave) just until it starts to melt on the outside a bit.
- The dough is going to be very sticky. Don’t add any more flour unless it's very liquidy. Once it rises it will become less sticky. Roll it out on a floured surface to prevent sticking.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place. I like to let my dough rise in an oven preheating to 180°C (350°F) for 3 minutes, then turned off. If it isn’t warm enough, the dough will not rise. Do not let the oven get too hot (over 55°C) because the yeast cells will start to die off.
- Don't overbake: The chocolate tahini babka should be golden brown and feels hollow when tapped.
Key ingredients
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below. But read through these for all the tips you will need for success!
Tahini: This is just sesame seed butter. You don't want to use tahini "dressing" because that is a product made from tahini. Tahini is just made from ground sesame seeds (it may have added oil).
Chocolate chips: This makes those chocolate swirls extra gooey! I used mini chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks. You can also use milk chocolate chips if you prefer. Or even chopped chocolate.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Active dry yeast: You can also use the same amount of instant dry yeast but I really prefer the flavour of active dry yeast. They're interchangeable in this recipe.
Unsalted butter: Use real unsalted butter for the best results. Have it really soft - almost melted - so that it incorporates much better.
Step by step - filling
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
Step by step - dough
Step 1: Dissolve yeast and granulated sugar in warm water. Stir until dissolved and let sit for a few minutes until a foam starts to form on top.
Step 2: Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well. Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the ingredients into the well. Mix until a sticky dough forms and the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very wet and sticky. If it's too wet and doesn’t resemble a dough, add a bit more flour. It will be less sticky after rising.
Step 3: Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm area to rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Step 4: Prepare loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper and leaving two “handles” to lift out after baking.
Step 5: Punch down the dough and fold a few times to mix. On a lightly floured surface roll out to about 18” by 23” in size. Spread the chocolate sesame filling evenly over the dough and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll starting from the short side.
Step 6: Cut the roll in half to make two shorter rolls and in half longwise to reveal the filling. Filling face up, braid the four strands together by twisting and weaving the strands together. Alternatively, you can twist two strands together, twist the other two strands together, and twist both of the larger twists together to make a mega twist.
Step 7: Carefully lift the babka into the loaf pan and let rise in a warm place (see notes) until it increases by about a third of its size - 30 minutes.
Step 8: Whisk together the egg and milk to create an egg wash. Brush it over the risen loaf and sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt (optional).
Step 9: Place the babka into the oven and heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the babka is golden brown and feels hollow when tapped. Let cool inside the pan until warm, then lift out and cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Let cool completely before cutting into it.
FAQ
The most important step to getting a light and fluffy chocolate tahini babka is making sure the flour is properly measured. I use a scale to weigh the flour for the most accurate results. A cheap kitchen scale works wonders.
If you don’t have a scale on hand, you can measure the flour properly using dry measuring cups. Mix up your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top with the flat edge of a knife without packing in the flour. It isn’t as accurate as using a scale but is the next best option!
The dough is going to be very sticky and a little bit wet as soon as you mix all of the ingredients together. It will look more like a dough after it rests and rises as the flour absorbs more liquid.
If it looks too sticky and runny (like a pancake batter and not like a dough), then add a little more flour to make it resemble a dough.
The first step of blooming the yeast is mostly to just check if the yeast is active. If it does not foam up after being dissolved in warm water and sugar within 10 minutes, then the yeast might not be active anymore. You might need to try a different packet or batch in yeast.
I like to let my dough rise in an oven preheating to 180°C (350°F) for 3 minutes, then turned off. If it isn’t warm enough, the dough will not rise. Do not let the oven get too hot (over 55°C) because the yeast cells will start to die off. This dough never rises on my counter because it is never warm enough for such an enriched dough to rise.
Happy baking xx
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Tahini Babka
Equipment
- 9" by 5" loaf pan
Ingredients
Filling
- ⅓ cup tahini sesame butter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped (50g)
- 2 tablespoon natural cocoa powder sifted
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Dough
- ¼ cup water warm
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 g active dry yeast ½ package
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (300g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened, almost melted
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup milk warm
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Eggwash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- Flaky salt optional
Instructions
Filling
- Combine all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.⅓ cup tahini, ¼ cup unsalted butter, ⅓ cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped, 2 tablespoon natural cocoa powder, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Dough
- Dissolve yeast and granulated sugar in warm water. Stir until dissolved and let sit for a few minutes until a foam starts to form on top. See notes if a foam doesn’t form.¼ cup water, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, 4 g active dry yeast
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well. Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the ingredients into the well. Mix until a sticky dough forms and the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very wet and sticky. If it is too wet and doesn’t resemble a dough, add a bit more flour. It will be less sticky after rising.2 ½ cups all purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅓ cup milk, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm area to rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size (see notes).
- Prepare loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper and leaving two “handles” to lift out after baking.
- Punch down the dough and fold a few times to mix. On a lightly floured surface, and roll out to a 18” by 23” rectangle. Spread the chocolate sesame filling evenly over the dough and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll starting from the short side.¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- Cut the log in half to make two shorter logs and in half longwise to reveal the filling. Filling face up, braid the four strands together by twisting and weaving the strands together. Alternatively, you can twist two strands together, twist the other two strands together, and twist both of the larger twists together to make a mega twist.
- Carefully lift the babka into the loaf pan and let rise in a warm place (see notes) until it increases by about a third of its size - 30 minutes.
- Whisk together the egg and milk to create an egg wash. Brush it over the risen loaf and sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt (optional).1 large egg, 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, Flaky salt
- Place the babka into the oven and heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the babka is golden brown and feels hollow when tapped. Let cool inside the pan until warm, then lift out and cool on a wire rack until room temperature.
Angela Arenberg
The instructions are excellent and easy to follow. A very tasty loaf. In fear or over baking it I may have underbaked, or the chocolate spread just made it moister. Next time I will let it bake longer. Delicious and great presentation - love braided bread.