Chocolate Babka

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate spread 
• 15 grams fresh yeast
• ⅓ cup milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2½ tablespoons + 1 cup castor sugar
• 1 egg 
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2⅓ cups refined flour (maida) + for dusting
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• Dark chocolate chips for sprinkling

Method

1. Take yeast in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons water and mix well. Set aside to activate.
2. Combine together milk, salt, and 2½ tablespoons castor sugar in a large bowl. Break in the egg and add vanilla essence and mix till well combined.
3. Add activated yeast and refined flour and mix well. Add butter, mix and knead till a soft dough is formed. Cover with a cling wrap and set aside to prove in the refrigerator for 4 hours. 
4. Dust the worktop with some refined flour, place the proved dough on it and roll it into a thin rectangular sheet. Apply the chocolate spread over the sheet evenly leaving 1 inch space on one horizontal side of the sheet. Sprinkle dark chocolate chips on top and start rolling tightly from the other horizontal side and make a log.  Cut the log in half and cut each half horizontally into two. Braid these two halves.  
5. Gently place the braided bread into baking moulds and set aside to prove for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 180º C.
7. Arrange the moulds with the proved dough on a baking tray, place it in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
8. To make sugar syrup, heat remaining sugar and ½ cup water in a deep pan and cook till the mixture boils. Continue to cook till the sugar syrup thickens slightly. 
9. Bring the chocolate babkas out of the oven and brush the sugar syrup on them. Allow to cool slightly. Slice and serve.