You’re going to fall in love with this gluten-free babka recipe. It’s soft and doughy and complete with chocolate swirls galore! I make my babka extra chocolaty and delicious and use a top-secret ingredient to ensure the perfect texture every time. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
You have stumbled upon a real gluten-free treat. I’m going to show you how to make the best gluten-free babka of your life. After you eat this delicious, gooey, and sweet chocolate babka, you’ll send me fan mail.
You may have heard of babka before, particularly if you’re a Seinfeld fan. Remember the episode with the chocolate babka? Here’s a snippet to refresh your memory.
Babka is a sweet braided bread mostly commonly enjoyed by Jewish people, and it’s often found in Jewish bakeries in New York and Tel Aviv. (I even included it in my list of 18+ Gluten-Free Recipes For People Who Love Jewish Food.
The bread is made with yeast-leavened dough that is prepared similarly to cinnamon rolls. Instead of brushing the dough with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, you use a different filling like Nutella, cinnamon, fruit, or even cheese. The dough is then rolled up, cut in half, and braided before baking.
Trader Joe’s offers a chocolate babka that I hear is delicious. I bet it is. Unfortunately, I can’t eat it because it contains gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats.
But have no fear—I’m going to show you how to make your own warm chocolate gluten-free babka, and it all starts with the incredible Hand + Heart Gluten-Free Sweet Dough Mix (formerly Lorraine’s Gluten-Free).
About Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix
Making a gluten-free babka requires the right tools, and it all starts with Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix. This mix comes with all the dry ingredients you need to make this tasty treat, so there’s no need to purchase different flours and sugar. Everything you need is in this nifty baking mix.
You cannot use another flour blend because, as mentioned, Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix is a baking mix, not a flour blend. That means it comes complete with the flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, and yeast already in the mix.
[Editor’s Note: Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour, a flour blend I use often, is not recommended for sweet bread recipes. In fact, Bob’s Red Mill says that it doesn’t recommend it’s 1-to-1 flour for yeasted recipes at all.]
I first found Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix on my quest to make the perfect gluten-free cinnamon rolls. I tried making cinnamon rolls time and time again with no success, but then I discovered this baking mix, and it helped me make the best sticky and gooey gluten-free cinnamon rolls ever. It’s truly a game-changing mix!
How to Make Gluten-Free Babka
Here’s how to make gluten-free babka at home in a few simple steps:
Step #1: Prepare the Dough as Instructed on the Packaging
To make the sweet dough, add Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix to the mixing bowl of your standing mixer, along with the three included yeast packets. Whisk it all together.
Add 1 1/4 cups warm whole milk, 3/4 cup melted butter, and 2 large eggs (at room temperature) to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together at low speed, then at medium-high speed for five minutes.
Form the sticky dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in your fridge for four hours or overnight (I recommend overnight). It should just about double in size.
Do not skip this step! Cold dough will stiffen and, therefore, be easier to work with and less sticky.
Step #2: Prepare the Dough
Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix will make two loaves of babka, so be sure to divide the risen dough in half before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. If you don’t want to make two loaves, you can use the second half of the dough to make cinnamon rolls, soft pretzels, fried donuts, or monkey bread instead. I highly recommend doing this!
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large 8×10″ rectangle on a lightly floured silpat mat. The silpat I used I got at Hand + Heart, and it’s awesome, better than the one I had been using for years.
Spread a generous layer of Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread on top of the dough. (Yes, Nutella is gluten-free, I tested it!)
If the Nutella is stiff, microwave it for 30 seconds to make it more malleable. You can also sprinkle chocolate chips, hazelnuts, or other toppings or leave it as is. I like to add chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey babka.
Gently roll up the dough into a long log, as pictured below.
Slice the log of dough down the middle with a sharp knife to form two halves. The chocolate will go everywhere, and it will be messy, but that’s okay.
Now, gently braid the dough, folding one side over the other into a spiral. Pinch and squish the ends together to seal them in place, then place the braided dough inside a greased standard-sized 9×5 loaf pan.
Cover the babka with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place for one hour (or two hours if your house is cold).
Step #3: Bake the Babka
Bake the babka in a 350º F preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until the top begins is golden brown. Check the babka after 20 minutes to make sure the top isn’t browning too quickly. If it starts to brown before the inside is cooked through, tent the babka with foil and continue baking.
This is what the babka looks like out of the oven. The top is golden brown, and the chocolate is melty.
Right after taking the babka out of the oven, I recommend brushing it with sweet syrup. You can make the sweet syrup by boiling 1/4 cup of water + 4 tablespoons of sugar + a pinch of salt in a small pot. Bring to a boil and continuously mix until the sugar is dissolved.
Brush the syrup mixture over the babka to give it a shiny glaze. You won’t use all of the syrup; discard the rest. This is how it looks with the sweet syrup brushed on top.
Allow the babka to sit in the pan to cool before slicing and enjoying. When you cut into it, you’ll see swirls of chocolate Nutella and chunks of chocolate chips.
Cover leftover babka with plastic wrap or store it inside a sealed container. I typically store it in my fridge and then reheat a piece as I need it (it tastes better heated). Or you can leave it at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the babka, then defrost it on your countertop and warm it before serving.
Why We Love Babka
We love this babka for many reasons:
It’s Gooey and Chocolatey: Every slice is sweet and gooey, and the chocolate oozes everywhere. This babka is the definition of gooey … and I may have added extra Nutella and chocolate chips to mine. I can’t help myself!
No Fuss: There’s no fussing with measuring out dozens of ingredients to make the flour blend. Hand + Heart does all the measuring for you. Just dump the Sweet Dough Mix into your bowl and go!
It’s Babka: When was the last time you had babka?!? And what’s not to love about babka?!?
FAQs & Substitutions
The best results will be when you stick to the recipe as is. However, I recognize you might have other dietary needs and restrictions. Here are a few tips:
Can I make it dairy-free? Yes, you can use dairy-free milk, butter, and chocolate chips. You can even find a dairy-free chocolate spread (use this brand, or make your own chocolate spread by combining melted chocolate chips with nut butter).
Can I make it egg-free? The dough requires two eggs, and I have not tested it with an egg substitute. If you want to try it egg-free, either use an egg replacer or two flax eggs (each flax egg is 3 tbsp warm water + 1 tbsp flaxseed meal).
How many loaves does this recipe make? This recipe makes two loaves of babka. Once you make the sweet dough mix, divide it in half. Each half will be for one loaf of babka. I usually cut the dough in half and use one half to make one babka and the other half to make a half batch of my gooey cinnamon rolls or copycat gluten-free Krispy Kreme donuts.
Can I use different gluten-free flour? No, this recipe only works with Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix. Remember, this isn’t a gluten-free flour; it’s a complete mix that includes all the dry ingredients you need for this recipe.
More Sweet Recipes
Got a sweet tooth? Try some of these recipes:
- Copycat Gluten-Free Krispy Kreme Donuts
- Gluten-Free Pop Tarts
- Gluten-Free Apple Bread
- Gluten-Free French Toast Sticks (Dairy Free)
- Gooey Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Gluten-Free Soft Pretzels
- The BEST Gluten-Free Monkey Bread (Dairy Free Option)
Gluten-Free Babka
Equipment
- 1 9×5 loaf pan
- 1 small pot
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Silpat mat for rolling out the dough
- 1 knife
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk warm, temperature between 105 – 110 F
- 3/4 cups butter melted
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 package of Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix You'll need to make the full package of the Sweet Dough Mix, but you'll only need half of it per loaf. See the notes.
Filling (per loaf)
- 1 cup Nutella or hazelnut spread
- 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts or chocolate chips
Syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Add 1 package of Hand + Heart Sweet Dough Mix to the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the 3 included yeast packets to the flour mixture and lightly whisk to combine.
- Add the warm milk, melted butter, and eggs to the mixture and mix on low for 30 seconds, then mix the dough on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl. Gather the dough, scraping the sides with a spatula, and shape it into a round mound. Place the dough inside the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the dough in your fridge for at least four ours or preferably overnight to fully chill and slowly rise.
- Preheat your oven to 350º F and lightly grease a 9×5" loaf baking pan.
- Divide the dough in HALF. You only need HALF of the dough to make one loaf of babka. You can use the second half to make a second loaf of babka, or use it to make another recipe. See notes for ideas on how to use the remaining dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, add one of the halves of the dough and roll it into an 8×10" rectangle. Spread a generous amount of Nutella on the top, and then sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and/or nuts. Roll the dough into a long log.
- Cut the log in half using a sharp knife, then braid the two halves of the log together, folding one half over the next until it's fully braided. Add the babka to the greased 9×5" loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for 1 hour in a warm place (2 hours if your house is cold).
- Bake the babka for 35 minutes until lightly brown on top and cooked through. If the top of the babka is browning after 25-30 minutes, tent the top of the loaf pan with foil and continue baking.
- While the babka is baking, prepare the syrup by combining the water, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Bring the mixture to a light boil and stir continuously until the sugar dissolves. Once you remove the babka from the oven, brush is generously with the syrup. You will have leftover syrup, which you can discard.
Youll have to make the whole package but you can freeze half the dough.
Is there some reason you can’t make half the package of dough? It looks like the other ingredients would divide. Or, can you freeze the other half of the dough?
It appears to be out of stock as of Nov 25, 2023. Tough timing for the company.
Where can I buy the Lorraine’s sweet dough mix?
Yes it’s confusing and I attempt to clarify in my post. You need to make the full package of Lorraine’s Sweet Dough Mix. Then you’ll divide the dough in half. You only need half for 1 loaf of babka. You can make a second loaf or reserve the dough to make donuts, cinnamon rolls, or money bread. The dough is very versatile.
You say you list ingredients for one babka yet the package of mix makes two loaves. Does this mean you have to double your listed ingredients if you use one package of dough mix?
I don’t know the answer to that, but next time I make chocolate babka I’m adding even more Nutella 🙂
I am dying to make babka, but I would much rather have cinnamon than chocolate. How to get a thick enough “filling”is my question? Is there any sort of cinnamon paste? Thank you!