Mizuba Matcha & Chocolate Babka - our 5th birthday cake!

July 23, 2018 1 Comment

For our 5th birthday, we're sharing a *stunning* Mizuba babka loaf! 

 

Babka braids for days! 

 

Ready, set...bake! (Recipe & photos by Laina of Bake the Feels). 

 

Ingredients:: Dough 

-½ cup milk (I use almond milk but you can also use dairy milk or soy milk).

-½ tablespoon + ½ teaspoon dry active yeast

-1 tablespoon sugar to activate the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar to mix in the flour

-1 room temperature egg

-280 grams or 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour

-6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

-Orange zest from half an orange

-¼ teaspoon salt

1. Warm milk in saucepan or microwave until it is warm - but not so hot it’s painful to leave your finger submerged for a few seconds. If you have a thermometer it should be around 110º F.
2. Mix warm milk, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and yeast. Let it sit to activate for about 10 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and smells of yeasty goodness.
3. Mix flour and remaining sugar on low in a stand mixer with a dough hook to combine. Then add the egg and mix until combined for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides as necessary (I usually scrape down after the first 15 seconds).
4. When the yeast mixture is activated add to the flour mixture and mix for 2 minutes on low speed until the dough just starts to form and the remaining flour starts to make small, ribbon-y clumps.
5. Add butter one tablespoon at a time on medium speed.
6. Add in grated orange zest and salt.
7. Mix on medium-high for 6-8 minutes until the dough starts to pass the stretch test. This means when you pull up on a piece of dough it stretches thin until light can pass through it, instead of just tearing. The dough should be smooth and still slightly tacky.
8. Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover for the first rise for about 1 hour.
9. After 1 hour punch the dough down (literally make a fist and gently push the dough down). Then put in the refrigerator to rest for at least 6 hours.

While the dough is resting in the refrigerator make the matcha marzipan. I recommend making it at least one hour before you start to assemble the babka.

Fillings:: Matcha Marzipan filling

Ingredients

-8 ounces (228 grams) almond paste. I use store-bought almond paste. I have made almond paste from scratch and feel free to do that if you wish...I just found it wasn’t worth the work.

-30 ml or 2 tablespoons light corn syrup. If you don’t want to use corn syrup or don’t have any handy you can sub equal amount honey, agave, or brown rice syrup

-1 tablespoon + 3 teaspoons Mizuba Culinary Matcha

-228 grams or a scant 2 cups powdered sugar

For this recipe, you only use half the matcha marzipan made but marzipan keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator and for even longer (read, many months) in the freezer. And it is a wonderful thing to have readily up your sleeve for future babkas or other matcha marzipan treats!

1. In a mixing bowl use the hook attachment to mix the almond paste and corn syrup (or substitute) until combined.
2. Sift powdered sugar and matcha together.
3. Start adding the sugar, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix on low to combine. Incorporate the sugar slowly, you may not need all of it depending on the consistency of the almond paste you are using. You want enough sugar to make a pretty firm but malleable dough. If your dough doesn’t come together and is too powdery, you can add water 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.
4. Make a ball with the dough using your hands and wrap in plastic wrap. Halve the dough, store one half for future use.  
5. Cut two large pieces of parchment paper. Dust some powdered sugar on one piece then lay the dough ball on top. Place the second parchment on top and roll out the marzipan between the parchment paper until it is very thin and roughly a 16 inch long by 10-inch wide rectangle. No worries if it is not exact... The marzipan should not stick that much to the paper but if it does lightly sprinkle powdered sugar as you would flour with other pastry/bread doughs. Transfer to a baking sheet and put in the refrigerator to harden just a bit.

Ingredients:: Chocolate Filling

¼ cup chocolate. I’ve used bittersweet, semi-sweet, dark...I think they all work pretty well.

30 grams or 2 tablespoons butter

10 grams powdered sugar or 1 tablespoon

7 grams cocoa powder or a scant 1 tablespoon (I prefer special dark)

1. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a pan.
2. Once melted pour the chocolate mixture into a small bowl with the powdered sugar and cocoa.
3. Stir until combined to a glossy paste.

Assembly

We are almost there my friends!

1. Prepare a loaf pan by buttering or spraying all sides with baking spray. Cut out a rectangle of parchment to fit the bottom of the loaf pan and spray or butter as well.
2. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. The dough should roughly be 16 inches long by 10 inches wide. The short 10-inch side should be facing you.
3. Spread chocolate mixture over the dough. Leave about ½ inch border on all sides. It might not seem like there is enough mixture but spread it enough and it will work out.
4. Take the matcha marzipan out of the refrigerator, peel from the parchment, and gently place over the chocolate mixture (I like to drape the marzipan over a rolling pin to aid in the transfer).
5. If the marzipan doesn’t cover the chocolate completely that’s okay. You can tear off some pieces where there’s excess and cover the bare spots up.
6. Now, we roll. Starting with the short side closest to you, roll the dough as tightly as you can into a log. Put on a baking sheet and into the freezer for about 10 minutes.
7. After 10 minutes, remove from freezer and place back on work surface. Cut the log vertically (length-wise). Lay the two sides next to each other and pinch the top ends together to connect. Keeping the cut (i.e marzipan chocolate layer side) sides out as much as possible, lift one side over the next so that they form a nice twist and pinch the bottom sides together. Then gently place inside prepared loaf pan.
8. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 1 hour.
9. Preheat oven to 365 degrees.
10. Bake for about 40 min. If around halfway through, it looks like the top is starting to get very brown, you can place aluminum foil on top of the babka. When an inserted skewer comes out clean with no dough (there might be some chocolate, that’s fine), it’s done!  
11. While the babka is baking, make the Krantz. Heat 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of water with 3 tablespoons of sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
12. Once out of the oven, brush the kranz over the entire babka.
13. Let it rest in the loaf until completely cool. Take a knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen any stuck bits and then gently remove the babka. I usually invert the pan and catch the babka with my other hand. It’s not very graceful but it works.
14. Slice and enjoy!!! You deserve it! 

 

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