Babka is one of those baked goods that look decorative without being complicated. The twisted chocolate bread has Polish and Jewish roots, and once you get the hang of the twisting, the rest is pure baking joy. In the air fryer, the bread gets even heat and a golden surface in under half an hour, where a conventional oven takes longer and has to heat up a large volume of air.
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My version here is classic: a soft, sourdough-like dough with a dark chocolate filling that settles into pockets between the twists. The bread turns gooey in just the right way — the chocolate melts and goes soft in the middle, while the crust gets a crisp bite.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Table of Contents:
Why I love babka in the air fryer
Babka is the kind of bake that thrives on the contrast between a soft interior and a crisp crust. In the air fryer, the heat is distributed evenly around the bread, which means the middle isn’t left raw while the surface burns. You also avoid heating up a whole oven to 175 degrees just to bake a single loaf — it’s both faster and more energy-efficient.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven for sweet bakes
An air fryer uses circulating hot air, exactly like a convection oven — just in a smaller format. That means the heat reaches the bread faster and dries the surface nicely, so you get that characteristic crisp crust on your babka. You typically save 20-30 percent on the baking time compared with a conventional oven.
My kitchen test of babka
I baked the babka in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 160 degrees for 25 minutes — that’s the sweet spot for a medium-sized loaf of about 500-600 grams of dough. In my Philips XXL you can go up to a larger format, where I landed on 28 minutes at the same temperature. The bread is done when a metal skewer comes out of the dough clean (the chocolate will naturally stick a little — ignore that). A piece of foil laid loosely over the bread for the last 10 minutes makes sure the top doesn’t burn before the middle is baked.
Let the babka rest for at least 15 minutes after baking. The chocolate is melted and lava-hot, and it needs to firm up a little before you can slice the bread without it falling apart.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is too short a rising time. Babka likes 1 to 1.5 hours for the first rise and 30-45 minutes after shaping — without a proper rise, the bread turns out compact and heavy. The next mistake is too high a temperature: 180 degrees gives you a brown surface in 10 minutes, but the middle stays sticky and raw, so stick to 160 and give it time. The last classic is opening the air fryer too often during the first 15 minutes — the dropping temperature slows the rise and can leave you with a flat result.
How to serve babka
The bread tastes best while still warm, when the chocolate is still soft in the middle. Here are the accompaniments I’ve had the best luck with myself:
- A cup of coffee or tea to balance the sweetness
- Fresh berries — raspberries or strawberries match the chocolate perfectly
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream if you’re serving it as dessert
- A little flaky salt sprinkled on top before serving
Storage and reheating
Babka keeps nicely for 2-3 days at room temperature covered with a tea towel. To reheat, pop slices in the air fryer at 150 degrees for 2-3 minutes, so the chocolate goes soft again and the crust comes back to life. The bread can also be frozen in slices — wrap each slice individually and let them thaw at room temperature before reheating.
Once you’ve twisted your first babka, you’ll discover it’s more craftsmanship than chemistry. The twisting itself might look intimidating on paper, but in practice it’s 30 seconds of work per loaf. The rest is waiting time — and a scent from the air fryer that draws the whole house together around it.
FAQ
Yes, dark chocolate balances the sweetness of the dough best, but you can also use milk chocolate. The lighter variety gives a sweeter, milder profile — just be aware that the bread doesn’t end up too sweet overall.
Make sure the babka doesn’t fill more than 2/3 of the basket, as it rises during baking. A loaf of 500-600 grams of dough typically fits perfectly in a standard 5-litre air fryer. For larger amounts of dough, you can split it into two portions.
Lay a piece of foil loosely over the bread after about 15 minutes. It stops further browning on top, but the heat still circulates and finishes baking the middle.
Recipe
Air Fryer Babka
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Lille bageform (ca. 15-18 cm) - Must fit in the air fryer
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Brush
- 1 Lille gryde - For the syrup
Shopping list
Ingredients
Dough
- 250 g plain flour
- 40 g sugar
- 7 g dried yeast (1 sachet)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 120 ml whole milk (Lukewarm, about 37 °C)
- 1 pcs egg (At room temperature)
- 50 g butter (Softened, diced)
Chocolate filling
- 100 g dark chocolate (Chopped)
- 50 g butter
- 30 g soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 knivspids salt
Egg wash and syrup
- 1 pcs egg (Beaten, for brushing)
- 50 g sugar (For the syrup)
- 50 ml water (For the syrup)
How to make it
Preparation
- Warm 120 ml whole milk to about 37 °C. Stir in 7 g dried yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar, and leave it to stand for 5-10 minutes until the surface foams slightly.
- Combine 250 g plain flour, the rest of the 40 g sugar, 0.5 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk mixture and 1 pcs egg, and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. Add 50 g butter a little at a time, and keep kneading until the dough is supple, glossy and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel, and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.
Chocolate filling
- Melt 50 g butter together with 100 g dark chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Stir in 30 g soft brown sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 knivspids salt until the mixture is glossy and spreadable. Leave the filling to cool for 10 minutes so it firms up slightly but can still be spread.
Shape the babka
- Roll the risen dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle of about 25 x 35 cm. Spread the cooled chocolate filling evenly over the dough — leave a small border free along one of the long sides.
- Roll the dough up into a tight log, starting from the long side where the filling goes right to the edge. Place the log seam-side down on a piece of baking paper, and cut it in half lengthways with a sharp knife so the filling is exposed in both halves.
- Twist the two halves around each other with the open, filled side facing upwards, and press the ends together lightly. Place the twisted babka in a small baking tin (about 15-18 cm) lined with baking paper. Cover loosely with a tea towel and leave the babka to prove for another 30 minutes.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C.
- Gently brush the babka with 1 pcs egg. Place the tin in the air fryer and bake the babka at 160 °C for 22-25 minutes, until the surface is deep golden and the dough is baked through. Check the centre with a meat thermometer — the core should be about 90 °C. Cover the surface with a piece of foil for the last 5 minutes if it’s browning too much.
Syrup and serving
- While the babka is baking: bring 50 g sugar and 50 ml water to the boil in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, and let the syrup simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Take the babka out of the air fryer and brush it immediately with the hot syrup while it’s still piping hot — the syrup adds shine and moistness. Leave the babka to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning it out and cutting it into thick slices. Serve warm, so the chocolate is still slightly melted.
Our notes for the recipe
The dough should be supple and slightly sticky — resist the temptation to add too much flour, or the babka will turn out dry. The chocolate filling needs to firm up enough to be spreadable without running, but not so much that it tears the dough. The twisting technique:
When the log of dough is cut in half lengthways, the filled side should face upwards all the way through the twist. That’s what gives babka its characteristic marbled slices with distinct veins of chocolate. Variation:
Swap the chocolate filling for a cinnamon-sugar mixture (50 g butter + 80 g soft brown sugar + 2 tbsp cinnamon) for a classic cinnamon babka. Or add 50 g chopped pecans or hazelnuts to the chocolate filling for extra crunch. Serving:
Serve warm as a dessert or with coffee — perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche. Babka is also fantastic for weekend brunch with fresh fruit. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, choose a mini tin (about 12-15 cm) and reduce the baking time slightly. The babka can happily be compact — that’s part of its charm.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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