Red Currant Bakery

Brioche
8 In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the sugar, flour, and yeast, and whisk to combine.
36 Then add in the egg and warm milk, and then sprinkle in the salt.
37 Use a dough hook to knead everything together on medium low speed for 15 minutes until the dough has smooth edges and the bowl is clean.
38 Add half of the butter in and knead again until incorporated (about 5 minutes). Add in the second half of the butter and knead once more until smooth. The dough should pass the window pane test *see notes section for more info.
39 Place the smooth ball of dough into the mixing bowl and cover with a lid. Set it somewhere warm to double in size (depending on how warm your home is this can take anywhere between 30 minutes to over an hour).
40 If you are prepping the night before, line a quarter sized baking sheet with a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a rough rectangle that is about an inch thick. Top the dough with another sheet of plastic wrap.
41 Place the dough on the sheet pan into the fridge for at least an hour or up to overnight. I usually keep it in there for about 2 hours but make it work in your schedule!
Pastry Cream Filling
10 While the dough is proofing, start on the pastry cream.
42 Whisk together the sugar, starch, and salt in a medium sauce pot. Pour in the milk and the egg yolk and whisk again.
44 Heat over medium low heat, whisking constantly. It will start to look a little lumpy, just keep whisking and cooking until the entire mixture becomes thick and smooth.
43 Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
45 Pour the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve onto a quarter sized baking sheet or a shallow dish.
46 Cover the surface with a layer of plastic to keep it from forming a skin.Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Assemble
16 Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Or just below if the heat comes from the top of the oven.
47 If not using this USA loaf pan, line your loaf pan with parchment paper.
48 Once the dough has doubled in size, it's time to assemble. Lightly dust your work surface with a bit of flour. Scoop out the dough and lightly flour both sides.
49 Roll the dough out to a 10" x 18" rectangle.
50 Spread the pastry cream over the entire surface of the dough.
51 Sprinkle the surface with the mini chocolate chips. It's meant to be a lot so feel free to measure with your heart but also I've written an estimate in the ingredients section.
52 Roll the dough up, starting with one short side. Roll it up tightly but make sure not to squeeze out the filling.
53 Once fully rolled, seal the edge of the dough to the roll by pinching the dough to the roll. Give the roll a few squeezes while also ever so slightly stretching it out.
54 Use a long sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise. Open the two halves so that the cut sides are face up. Cross the two halves over one another creating an X.
55 Then, twist the two halves together keeping the cut sides face up. Pinch the ends of each half together to keep it from untwisting. Then twist the other half together and repeat pinching the ends.
56 Trim about 1" off the ends of the twist. Then lower it into the pan, you will have to scrunch the twist together a little to make it fit which will make the twist fatter. Gently press the twist down so that it reaches the sides of the pan.
57 Cover the pan with plastic and set aside for at 30-45 minutes to proof until puffy. It should grow to the top of the pan before baking.
Bake
28 Bake the babka in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes.
58 Make the simple syrup while the babka bakes. Combine water and sugar in a microwave safe bowl or glass. Heat in 15-30 second intervals, carefully stirring in between until all of the sugar has dissolved.
59 The twist should be a deep golden brown once done baking. Take the pan out of the oven and spoon or brush the simple syrup over the top.
60 Let the twist cool for at least ten minutes, ideally at least 30. Carefully tip the twist out, and place it upright on a sheet of parchment.
61 Allow the babka to cool fully before cutting into it (if you can).