Figs and Miso Chocolate Milk Bread Babka, an Asian-inspired recipe by Kat Lieu and Subtle Asian Baking

image by philandmama.com all rights reserved

Figs and Miso Chocolate Milk Bread Babka, after proofing

Hi friends! From August to October every year, figs are in season. They’re so sweet and delicious and packed full of nutrients and fiber. I was thinking of making a fruit tart, but instead, wanted to find a way to incorporate it with my next bread bake.

As you may know, I love milk bread (who doesn’t?), and I have been experimenting with different doughs. So far, I find that you don’t really need to use the yudane or tangzhong methods to achieve an airy, feathery milk bread.

For this milk bread babka, however, I added a small piece of yudane dough. Yudane is made from adding boiling milk or water to flour. The theory is that this piece of wet dough will help your bread dough retain more moisture, before, during, and after baking.

The chocolate filling here is layered with flavor. You have sweetness, a bit of saltiness, and the delightful subtle bitterness from bittersweet chocolate. You’ll have filling leftover, so use it like you would Nutella.

Oh, and friends, if you didn’t know yet, I have authored a cookbook that will be out Summer 2022! Stay tuned!

image by philandmama.com all rights reserved

Figs, sugar, water syrup, pre cooking

Yield

1 milk bread babka loaf

Author

Kat Lieu

Prep time

45 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Inactive time

105 Min

Total time

3 H & 5 M

Print

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Figs and Miso Chocolate Milk Bread Babka

This delicious chocolate babka has layers of flavor, thanks to the infusion of ripe figs (available from August to October) and a hint of salty umami from miso. The dough is a wet milk bread dough. Undertaking this babka will take a chunk of your day, about two hours to proof the milk bread dough, and time to make the filling and syrup. It'll surely be a showstopper that's worth it though!

Ingredients

For the yudane

• 30 g bread flour
• 30 g boiling hot water 

For the milk bread

• 175 warmed milk, to 110F
• 8 g active dry yeast 
• 350 g bread flour
• 75 g granulated sugar 
• 1 large egg, about 50 g 
• a pinch of salt 
• 30 g butter, softened 

For the miso chocolate filling

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 90 g heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons/ 1/2 stick/ about 56 g unsalted butter, cubed 
• 1 tablespoon white or red miso 
• splash of vanilla extract, optional 
• about 85 to 90 g semi-sweet or bitter sweet, high quality baker's chocolate, chopped 

For the figs syrup

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• a few fresh figs, sliced in half 
• a splash of vanilla extract, optional

Instructions

Make the yudane

1. In a small bowl, add the yudane ingredients and mix until a sticky and cohesive dough forms. Cover and set aside for now. 

Make the milk bread dough

1. In another small bowl, add the warmed milk, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. If using instant yeast, skip this step. Let the active dry yeast come alive for a few minutes in the warmed milk.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add all the milk bread dough ingredients, except the butter, the yudane, and the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed for a few minutes until an elastic dough forms. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. Then add the butter and mix on low speed for 10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until a smooth, elastic dough form. This is a wet dough, but if it is too wet to work with, add a little flour. Once your dough is smooth and elastic, cover and let rest for 60 minutes in warm room temperature. 

Make the filling

1. Meanwhile, make the filling by adding all the filling ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Cook and mix until you get a smooth mixture and all the chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. You want it to thicken and cool into a spreadable paste. If it's too liquidy when you spread it over the dough, it will leak out. 

Assemble the milk bread babka

1. Grease a loaf pan.
2. Deflate the dough (you can punch it to release air). Roll it into a large rectangle about 15 x 9 inches. I like to just put the dough on a large cutting board and roll it out to the size of a cutting board. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Store leftover filling and use it as a spread, like Nutella. Use the filling within a few days. 
3. Roll (coil) a long side of the  dough into a thin and tight jelly roll. It should be about 15 inches long. If the roll feels too soft to work with, you can freeze it uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice in half lengthwise to expose the chocolate filling. 
4. Pinch in the edges and braid the two halves together. Place in the prepared pan and allow the babka to curl around itself if too long. 
5. Proof for 60 minutes, until puffy and roughly doubled in size.
6. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F. 

Make the figs syrup

1. Add the figs syrup ingredients to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until all the sugar dissolves and the liquid thickens a little. Remove from heat and set aside for now. 

Bake the babka

1. You can add some of the syrupy figs on top of the babka before baking. Bake the babka for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden brown. A delicious chocolate aroma will fill your kitchen. Take the loaf pan out of the oven and generously brush the babka with the syrup. 
2. Allow to cool a bit, slice, and enjoy. You can add more of the premade chocolate sauce if you'd like. 

Recipe COPYRIGHT © PHILANDMAMA.COM 2020, Phil and Mama, LLC. All rights reserved. You may not use any photographs of Phil and Mama Kat without both verbal and written consent from the owners of www.philandmama.com.

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image by philandmama.com all rights reserved

Figs and Miso Chocolate Milk Bread Babka, after baking

Let me know if you made this beautiful figs and miso chocolate babka. It’s definitely not a traditional babka, as no streusel was added, but I guarantee you, it’s delicious! I hope you’ll save this recipe and refer to it over and over again.

Xoxoxo,

Kat Lieu

subtle asian baking