Yeah, Vegan S’Mores Babka.

I thought I made this up. The idea was born in my brain and not in a Google search. Then I searched it and a few folks had thought of it, though mostly it was a reposting of the same recipe by The Nosher/My Jewish Learning by on several different websites! Ok, but no vegan versions of a S’mores Babka! Rest easy, world. I am on it.

Part of the motivation of this babka version is that my Biscoff cookie butter stares at me from the cupboard often… wanting to live a more fulfilling life. That and s’mores and me are like that. 🤞🏼 I got very excited about trying this out and watched tons of babka-making You Tubes, vegan and otherwise. (This was my favorite. And this one.) I highly recommend you doing the same as the shaping of dough is so much more easily explained visually. The result is the recipe below–a synthesis (teacher definition) of my research, skills, tastes, and standards that I know other will also enjoy: A Vegan S’mores Babka.

First, buy essential S’mores Babka ingredients.

Biscoff Cookie Butter Spread

Vegan graham crackers

Vegan chocolate chips to make a chocolate spread

Vegan mini Dandies marshmallows (or you can cut bigger ones like I did)

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Day 1: Making & the Dough / First Proof

4 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup warm Soy Milk

2 and 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

1/3 cup Coconut Sugar

1 cup Silken Tofu

1/2 cup Cacao Butter, melted

1/4 cup Canola Oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

1.) Add flour to the stand-up mixer bowl affixed with a dough hook, then move on to prepare wet ingredients.

2.) Mix Silken tofu, melted cacao butter and canola oil mixture until smooth. If mixture is hot from melting cacao butter, allow mixture to cool.

3.) Meanwhile, warm soy milk in small sauce pan to 110 F, then pour into a medium bowl. Add active dry yeast and whisk gently. Then add coconut sugar and gently whisk again. Set aside for five minutes to activate the yeast.

4.) Add oil mixture to yeast bowl after yeast has sat for 5 minutes (above), then add vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate.

5.) Turn on the stand up mixer at a low speed and slowly add wet ingredients. Then add the salt and increase the speed to medium-high.

6.) Let the mixer knead until dough is shiny, elastic-y and pulling away from the bowl, about 5-10 minutes.

7.) Using your hands, remove dough off dough hook and scoop all dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gentle manipulate dough into a rectangle with your hands. This will make it much more easy to roll out later on.

8.) Lightly oil a glass casserole pan and place dough inside. Spray some plastic wrap then cover with the oiled side inside. Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

Day 1: Graham Streusel, Chocolate Filling, Marshmallows

3 Tablespoons vegan butter

8 Graham Crackers (see picture), processed in food processor

2 Tablespoons Coconut sugar

8.) Add all ingredients to food processor and process to a crumb-like texture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until babka is ready to go into the oven.

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips

2 Tablespoon black cocoa powder

1/3 cup vegan butter, softened

1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

9.) Prepare the chocolate filling by pulsing all ingredients in a food processor. You want a thick chocolate paste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until babka is ready to go into the oven.

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10.) If you need to cut the Dandies, do it now and set them aside in a small bowl.

Day 2: Second Proof

11.) Remove dough from fridge and let sit for an hour or so to come to room temperature.

12.) Meanwhile, prepare two loaf tins, lightly greasing all sides of both. Cut parchment sheets to line the interiors allowing some overhang to help with pulling the loaf out.

13.) Clear a large working space and dust with flour. Then flour your rolling pin. Have a measuring tool handy.

14.) Place dough onto floured surface and stretch the rectangle, lengthening the dough with your fingers. Then use your rolling pin. You want to create a large rectangle. Mine was 11″ by 22″ with mostly a 1/2″ thickness.

15.) Once the dough is to size, you may trim any uneven sides. Spread the cookie dough onto half of the dough (lengthwise), spreading all the way to one of the long edges.

16.) Next spread the chocolate filling onto the other half. (I nuked my mixture about 25 seconds, so it’d smoothly spread.) Leave about 1/4″ of the long edge clear of the filling. This will help seal the dough once you roll it.

17.) I made a few rows of cut marshmallows across the length of the dough’s surface. I suppose you can sprinkle them too. I thought the rows might help with the rolling.

18.) Now the all-important roll! Roll the dough carefully and slowly from the long side, opposite the filling-less side. Roll as tightly as you can to create the most layers. (Watch a video for visual!)

19.) Once rolled, pull the dough log a little in both directions to seal layers. Since this recipe makes two babkas, cut the dough log in half. And put one aside.

20.) Working one of the rolled dough halves now, cutting the dough in half lengthwise, leaving dough connected at one end. Now the beautiful part: Braid the dough. While you are braiding twist dough so you can have that those beautiful layers showing on top. It’s easier to see this process in a video. I couldn’t take too many pictures of the process as my hands were busy. Once you’re done, carefully place in prepared loaf pan

21.) Go ahead and repeat instructions above with the other babka. If you want to freeze it, wrap the entire loaf tin in plastic wrap. (When you’re ready to make it, let it thaw then proof to double its size, then follow directions below.)

22.) Now the loaf (or loaves) are ready to sit for a second proof. You can leave the loaf at room temperature for 1-2 hours until dough has doubled, or try this speedy short cut: Boil water in a medium pot and put on the bottom rack of the oven, placing the loaves on the upper rack and closing the oven door. It really helped with a speedy rise.

Almost Done! Bake & Garnish

23.) Once doubled in size, sprinkle graham streusel on top. Bake in an oven preheated to 325 F for 45 minutes. 10 minutes or so before it’s done, you can scatter a few marshmallows on the top of the loaf to melt if desired. To test for doneness, remove loaf tin from oven, pull out loaf and tap its bottom. If it is firm and hollow-sounding, it’s done!

24.) Allow loaves to cool completely in tin. Once they’re cool, remove from the tins and taste the fruit of your 2-day labor. And, of course, take a lot of pictures!

It was delicious, obviously. I really love the flavor the cacao butter imparted. If you have it around, it is a great use for it. If you don’t I’m fairly certain you can substitute another fat. I want to try it again and will experiment. And honestly, I wouldn’t add marshmallows if I did it again as they melted into nothingness and made the laves hole-y. I would opt to throw them on the top at the end. But what other babkas can I try to make? Hmmmm, I will think on it while I have another slice.