Chocolate-Raisin Babka

"Does rum go bad when kept for a long time?" I asked the local liquor store.

"No," the gal said, with a small laugh.  "it doesn't go bad.  It stores well."

And that's how my ingredient shopping began for the AB5 Chocolate-Raisin Babka.  You see, rum (yum!) is brushed on top of the slightly cooled loaf!  But I don't drink very often.  However, I have been eyeing this recipe for a very long time, and finally decided to make it.  I had read that "babka" translates as "grandmother," so this sounded like something really special.



Ready to bake!

I purchased a small bottle of rum and some high quality Ghiradelli  semi-sweet chocolate.  I had heard that chopped chocolate melts better than chocolate chips.
Rather than make a full four-loaf batch of this recipe (and use 16 egg yolks!), one loaf was made.  I used the egg whites in an omelette for lunch.





Dough rolled out, filling added


There didn't seem like enough chocolate and raisins in the recipe, so I tripled the amount.

Next time, I'll add some sort of sugar--maybe brown sugar.

The dough was rolled into a log, and placed into a 9" x 5" loaf pan.  With the back of my hand, I patted the loaf pan into an even shape.

Next time, I might use an 8 1/2" loaf pan to make a higher rise.

It felt odd not to brush the loaf with egg wash, but I knew that the rum would be brushed on at the end.

Here's the partially-cooled loaf, after brushing rum onto the top.  The rum really soaked into the crust.

The inside of the loaf looked like a cinnamon-raisin loaf.











This was an interesting bread.  Personally, I think of a very sweet cake-like dessert when I think of babka.  This tastes very much like a bread, but not something you would use for a sandwich.  If I make it again, I will probably make it much sweeter.

Thank you very much for stopping by.  I would love to hear your comments.  Have you made this bread?

Check back soon, I'll be baking soon!

Judy