What's a really good babka recipe for someone who has never made bread before?

I want it to be yummy, clearly babka, but I'm afraid of attempting something too difficult for me...What's a really good babka recipe for someone who has never made bread before?
chocolate babka





Laden with chocolate, butter, and old-world charm, this babka is luscious served as dessert, with coffee, or as breakfast. While baking, the rich dough becomes incredibly tender, so it pulls apart in buttery pieces that melt in your mouth.





Active time: 1 hr


Start to finish: 6 1/2 hr (includes rising)





Servings: Makes 2 loaves.





IngredientsFor dough


3/4 cup warm milk (105鈥?15掳F)


1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar


3 teaspoons active dry yeast (from two 1/4-oz packages)


3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting


2 whole large eggs


1 large egg yolk


1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


3/4 teaspoon salt


1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened





For egg wash


1 large egg yolk


1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk





For chocolate filling


5 tablespoons unsalted butter, well softened


2 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) bars fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped


1/4 cup sugar





Special equipment: a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; 2 (8 3/4- by 4 1/2- by 2 3/4-inch) loaf pans; parchment paper PreparationMake dough:


Stir together warm milk and 2 teaspoons sugar in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)





Add 1/2 cup flour to yeast mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. Add whole eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in remaining 2 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. Increase speed to medium, then beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to beat until dough is shiny and forms strands from paddle to bowl, about 4 minutes. (Dough will be very soft and sticky.)





Scrape dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.





Assemble babkas with filling:


Line each loaf pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (1 lengthwise and 1 crosswise).





Punch down dough with a lightly oiled rubber spatula, then halve dough. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a well-floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 18- by 10-inch rectangle and arrange with a long side nearest you.





Beat together yolk and cream. Spread 2 1/2 tablespoons softened butter on dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush some of egg wash on long border nearest you.





Sprinkle half of chocolate evenly over buttered dough, then sprinkle with half of sugar (2 tablespoons). Starting with long side farthest from you, roll dough into a snug log, pinching firmly along egg-washed seam to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal. Twist entire ring twice to form a double figure 8 and fit into one of lined loaf pans.





Make another babka with remaining dough, some of egg wash, and remaining butter and chocolate in same manner. Chill remaining egg wash, covered, to use later. Loosely cover pans with buttered plastic wrap (buttered side down) and let babkas rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough reaches top of pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, let dough rise in pans in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours; bring to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before baking.)





Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350掳F.





Brush tops of dough with remaining egg wash. Bake until tops are deep golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped (when loaves are removed from pans), about 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool to room temperature.








Gourmet


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/v鈥?/a>





Martha Stewart


http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/mmm-ba鈥?/a>





Mithcell London


http://saveur.com/food/classic-recipes/c鈥?/a>





(*-*)What's a really good babka recipe for someone who has never made bread before?
Since you won't need to produce Babka for more than a month yet, I would suggest that you practice some bread making between now and then. especially if you have zero bread making experience. Start with a plain white sandwich bread to learn the technique and how the dough should feel.
Ingredients:


1 1/4 cup margarine, softened


2 cups milk


2 tablespoons active dry yeast


1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees Fahrenheit)


5 eggs


4 egg yolks


1 cup white sugar


1 teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 tablespoon orange liqueur (optional)


3 tablespoons grated orange zest


1 tablespoon grated lemon zest


10 cups all-purpose flour


1 1/2 cup currants


1 1/2 cup raisins


1 1/2 cup golden raisins


1 cup chopped blanched slivered almonds


1/2 cup packed brown sugar


1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1 cup all-purpose flour


Turn this recipe into a puzzle! [click]





Directions:





Place yeast in a small bowl, and pour warm water over it. Stir with a spoon to break up the yeast. Set aside for 2 to 3 minutes. In a small saucepan, scald milk. Add 1 cup butter or margarine, and stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool until lukewarm. In a mixing bowl, beat 4 eggs and egg yolks with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add sugar and salt, and continue to beat until mixture is thick and pale. Add vanilla, orange-flavored liqueur, zests, and yeast mixture. Combine. Beat in 4 cups flour gradually. Add milk mixture alternately with remaining 4 cups flour while beating on medium speed. Add up to an additional 1 cup flour if the dough is sticky. Mix in currants, raisins, golden raisins, and almonds. Transfer dough to a clean large bowl. Knead using a large wooden spoon until the dough pulls away and doesn't stick to the spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place until dough reaches the top of the bowl, about 1 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down, re-cover the bowl, and allow to rise again. Butter 3 angel food cake pans. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 4 tablespoons butter or margarine, brown sugar, and cinnamon to form crumb topping. Sprinkle evenly among the 3 pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C). Punch the dough down again. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Cut into thirds, and transfer dough to prepared pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise to the top of pan. Beat remaining egg, and brush the top of the dough. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C) until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped, about 30 to 45 minutes. Immediately turn out onto a cooling rack so bread does not stick to the pan. Cool.


Hope u like it. I hope it is what ur looking for!!!!!!
Babka





An easier and quicker version of Easter Babka. Denser more cake-like and less complicated if you haven't made bread without a machine.





12 servings 2录 hours 1陆 hours prep


Change to: servings US Metric


1/2 cup sugar


1/2 cup butter


1 1/4 cups milk, scalded


2 compressed yeast cakes or 2 (1/16 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast


5 cups flour


1 teaspoon salt


4 large eggs


1 tablespoon freshly grated orange rind


1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon rind


1/2 cup almonds, chopped


1 cup raisins


breadcrumbs





Scald milk and pour over sugar and butter, Cool.


Dissolve yeast in a little of the milk mixture and add back to the rest of the milk mixture Add 1/2 of the flour and beat well.


Add salt to the eggs and beat until thick.


Add eggs to the flour mixture and mix well.


Add remaining ingredients and knead for 15 minutes.


Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts until doubled in bulk (about 60 minutes.) Place in a well greased tube pan, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and bake at 350掳F for 45 minutes.