TWD - Chocolate Babka

 This week's Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Chocolate Babka.  This epic recipe takes at least 2 days to make due to the need for the dough to rise, then chill.

However, the end result is simply stunning, and tastes great.  The bread component is a buttery brioche dough, its filled with spices and cocoa, and finally topped off with streusel.

It was pretty exciting shaping the dough - when the rolled log is cut in half, you get some impressive stripes:

Th dough is then braided - pretty, right! 

And after all of that effort, you get a rather handsome looking chocolate babka:

I can't tell you how it compares with the Bread's Bakery chocolate babka, but it was really good.

To see what everyone else made this week, and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas all!!

Here’s my Christmas box treats for this year. At the top are macaroons from Anja Dunk’s excellent German baking book, Advent.

And these gingerbread men are made from Anja’s gingerbread house dough recipe.

These rum balls are a perennial favourite family recipe.

These are candied nuts from a David Lebovitz newsletter recipe for candied pecans.

Here’s this year’s Christmas cake, a Sunbeam recipe snipped from a magazine.

Of course, we had to have fudge. The recipe is from The Australian Women’s Weekly Sweet.
 

And here is a gorgeous light display of Australian flora on Brisbane City Hall.

Have a wonderful and blessed festive season everyone.

TWD - Cinnamon-Anise Stars

 This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Cinnamon-Anise Stars. These bikkies are made from a cinnamon/star anise/coffee spiced dough, topped with a white glaze (sprinkles optional).

They were fairly plain to my taste, but icing makes everything good. And they are pretty cute.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.