White Chocolate & Pistachio Babka Rolls
These White Chocolate & Pistachio Babka Rolls are a decadent treat with a perfect balance of creamy white chocolate and nutty pistachios in soft, pillowy dough.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 275 ml milk whole milk
- 7 g dry yeast instant or active dry yeast
- 30 g white sugar for the dough
- 75 g full fat butter at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 lemon zest zest of a lemon
- 2 eggs
- 500 g Manitoba flour (type 550 white flour)
For the Filling:
- 100 g pistachio cream
- 100 g white chocolate coarsely chopped
- 30 g pistachios roasted and salted
For the Syrup Glaze:
- 50 g sugar
- 50 ml water
Instructions
Proof the yeast
- Warm the milk slightly (to about 37°C/100°F). In a small bowl, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar into the milk. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy.
Make the dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the Manitoba flour, remaining sugar, and lemon zest. Add the eggs, softened butter, vanilla essence, and the frothy yeast mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together.
- Knead by hand for about 10 minutes or use a stand mixer with a dough hook for 7-8 minutes until dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
First rise
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 to 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
Prepare the filling
- While dough rises, coarsely chop white chocolate and roast pistachios if not already roasted. Keep pistachios salted.
Roll out the dough
- Punch down dough and transfer to floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle about 40cm by 30cm (16 by 12 inches).
Add the filling
- Spread pistachio cream evenly over dough rectangle, leaving a small border. Sprinkle chopped white chocolate and roasted pistachios evenly over the cream.
Shape the babka rolls
- Starting from the long edge, tightly roll dough into a log. Cut log lengthwise down the middle to expose filling layers. Twist the two strands together with cut sides facing up.
Second rise
- Place twisted dough into greased loaf pan or shape into individual rolls on baking tray. Cover and let rise for another 45 minutes until puffy.
Bake
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake babka rolls for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Tent with foil if top browns too quickly.
Make the syrup glaze
- While baking, combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Glaze and cool
- As soon as babka rolls come out of oven, brush generously with sugar syrup. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
- Rolling Pin
- Baking tray or loaf pans
- Pastry brush
- Sharp knife or pizza cutter
- Kitchen scale
Notes
- Use fresh yeast and warm milk to ensure proper dough rising.
- Do not overfill the rolls to prevent filling leakage during baking.
- The sugar syrup glaze keeps the rolls moist and adds a glossy finish.
- You can prepare the dough and filling a day ahead; refrigerate overnight and bake the next day.
- Substitute pistachio cream with almond butter for a different flavor twist.