Vegan Nutella Babka with Sugar Free Filling
Let’s talk bread!
If there is one thing I love more than even a dessert, it’s homemade bread. Once you get over the fear of working with yeast (me), it’s one of the most fun concepts to explore. When it comes to yeast there are a million things that can go wrong. It can be old, just won’t activate, it can die just from being exposed the plastic and the list goes on. Needless to say, it’s always good to get comfortable working with it so you know what to look for.
Yeast facts: While some yeast may not activate at all, most times even older yeast eventually activates, it just takes longer to rise. If you ever find yourself in that space, just give your dough some more time to rise, and follow my oven hack in this recipe!
Let’s talk Babka + My Version !
This particular bread is said to originate in Poland where my grandparents and ancestors were from. That being said, I was curious about this bread as I’d never had it. Also, there is something about it that just screams, YES. (LOL)
This bread is typically packed with a rich chocolate filled and over 1 1/2 cups of butter. While you can get away with some things to make healthier alternatives, I didn’t want to compromise the integrity of this staple bread. So while I filled it with a sugar free nutella which works seamlessly, I don’t recommend skipping the butter in the dough. If you remove the butter from the dough you’re going to have a more dry result. If the bread is dry, you’re going to need butter anyways lol.
The simple syrup glaze:
I was hesitant with doing the classic glaze, because the overall sweetness seemed like it may be overkill. However, whether it was the filling I chose or just it’s flavor impact I don’t recommend skipping it. Bonus, it also adds a gorgeous shine to the bread. If you skip, it’s just dull and dry.
How to cut down on production time:
If you wanted to cut down on the production time of this bread you could use 2 packets of yeast. The only thing is that you’re dough is going to rise so fast that you’ll have to catch it before it rises too much. If it rises too much it will collapse when baking. It also will pack too much air when trying to roll out and tear easily making it harder to form the shape.
What’s great about this bread? Everything. I found it to be quick, easy, buttery soft, you don’t have to even knead the dough, doesn’t need a flax egg, the chocolate filling is perfection, you can mix up the fillings, the oven trick cuts down on proofing time, you can cut time even further in half with 2 packets of yeast (just be careful), it contains 1/2 the butter as most recipes, you can add additional toppings, it’s gorgeous, filling and just so fun!
If you love a staple breakfast bread, you have to try my vegan Nutella Babka!
Why this recipe is great:
Quick
Easy
You can switch up the fillings
Oven trick cuts down on proofing time
Filling is sugar free
It’s perfect for any season!
Has aesthetic appeal!
Vegan Nutella Babka with Sugar Free Filling
- Total Time: 90 mins
- Yield: 8 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Babka Dough:
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus additional
- 1 package yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups almond milk
- 3/4 cup vegan butter, cubed, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
Chocolate Filling:
- 3/4 container Pyure Sugar Free Nutella
- 3/4 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips
Simple Syrup:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- Warm the milk in the microwave until it’s like bath water. If you make it too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- Now add the yeast and sugar and combine. Allow it to activate for 5-10 minutes until light and foamy. Once foamy add the flour and combine with your hands.
- Once it comes together add the vegan butter a little at a time. The dough should be glossy and smooth. Add a little flour to make it less sticky. 1/3 up at a time. One it’s elastic and pushes back when you touch it. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and place in the preheated oven TURNED OFF, with door open.
- Allow to rise until doubled in size or 45-60 mins. Older yeast may take longer.
- Once risen remove the dough. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough out to a 12×15 rectangle. Spread the vegan nutella across the dough leaving just a little uncovered on the edges. Be gentle as you spread. If you don’t have this nutella you can just do chocolate chips and dust with cocoa powder.
- Once you spread the nutella top with chocolate chips and begin to roll the dough into a log as tightly as you can. Carefully slice the log down the middle and being to cross the log to make a twist. Pinch the ends together. Carefully placed in a greased loaf pan. Your bread should have risen enough to reach the top of your pan. If not allow it to rise a little more before baking.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done.
- In a pan over medium heat bring the sugar and water to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved set aside. When the bread is done baking, brush the top with this mixture. Allow to fully cool in the pan, then slice.
- Prep Time: 45-60 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Great recipe. Just what I needed today ?
Yay! I love easy grab and go concepts that last the duration of the week. Let me know if you get to make it!
This looks great. I can’t wait to try it out. You mention brown sugar in the instructions, but not in the ingredients list. How much brown sugar do I use? Thanks!
Thanks for pointing that out! I removed it from the recipe and opted for just maple syrup. Sorry for the confusion! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Hi, do you know how many calories this is?
I unfortunately don’t know the calorie content, but you can enter the ingredients online via different websites. I just don’t trust the calculations as they can be incorrect and also don’t focus on calorie counting.