Soft & Fluffy Nutella Babka

Start by mixing half of the sugar with the lukewarm milk, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Make sure the kitchen is warm, and in 10 minutes the yeast should start to foam.

Place the yeast mixture into your stand mixer with the kneading hook on, then mix it together with the room-temperature eggs.

Pour in the dry ingredients: bread flour, the rest of the sugar, and salt, and start kneading until the dough comes together. This will take about a minute or two.

Then, slowly add the room-temperature (soft) butter chunks, piece by piece, to the dough. Once all the butter is in, knead the dough for another 10 minutes on medium-high speed, until it becomes elastic, shiny, and not too sticky.

Move the dough into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest and rise in the fridge overnight for 12 hours.

Alternatively, rise the dough for 1-2 hours at room temperature in a warm but not hot (avoid direct heat) spot in your kitchen. However, I don't recommend skipping the overnight rise, as the dough is much easier to handle when cold.

Try to work quickly and have everything you need - rolling pin, measuring tape, Nutella filling, a loaf pan with parchment paper prepared upfront. If the dough is warming up, pop it in and out of the freezer for a few minutes to chill between steps, making sure it stays cold enough to work with and doesn't tear or stick. Avoid using too much flour, as it will make the babka hard.

Gently melt the Nutella in the microwave to make it easier to spread. However, don't use it while hot, as it will melt the dough.

After the dough has risen overnight, take it out of the fridge and punch out the air. Then, on a lightly floured surface or on a silicone baking mat, roll it into a rectangle of 30x42 cm / 12x16 inches.

Spread the Nutella on top, and roll the dough up evenly and tightly from the shorter end, and then press to seal the end onto the roll. You will end up with a 30cm / 12-inch roll.

If the dough is still nice and cold, continue with shaping. Otherwise, chill it first for about 5 minutes in the freezer. Cut the babka into half lengthwise, then place the logs over each other with the filling facing up and twist the logs with your hands on both sides.

Gently squeeze together the ends and then carefully lift the Nutella babka into your prepared loaf pan.

Cover the loaf pan with a kitchen towel and proof the Nutella babka a second time at room temperature. Proofing might take 1-2 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature. Wait until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat your oven to 180C / 355F (no fan) towards the end of the proofing time. Once the babka is doubled in size, bake it at 180C / 355F for about 40 minutes. Bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean, and the babka is golden brown. If it browns too much, cover with aluminum foil toward the end of baking.

At the end of the baking time, make the syrup: boil water, sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice together until the mixture reaches a syrup consistency. Pour hot syrup over the baked babka immediately. Let the syrup sink in and the babka cool slightly before removing it from the tin and transferring it to a cooling rack.

Serve the Nutella babka fresh. Any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.