This recipe blends two of Yotam Ottolenghi’s ideas: the dough comes from the chocolate krantz cakes in Jerusalem (as adapted by Smitten Kitchen), while the filling—crumbled halva, chopped walnuts, and a walnut paste made with brown sugar, butter, tahini, and a touch of cinnamon—is inspired by the walnut-halva cake in Plenty More. The flavors balance beautifully: nutty, slightly sweet, and satisfying without being overly sugary. It took a couple of attempts to perfect the method, but the result is worth the effort.
The first time I made these loaves I shared a photo on Instagram and received a flood of positive responses. The loaves were golden and spiraled, glazed with sugar syrup and dotted with bits of walnut and halva. They looked irresistible. However, those first loaves were underbaked: after removing them from the pans they collapsed and the center remained raw. I had followed a recipe that suggested 30 minutes in the oven and even checked an internal temperature of 190°F with an instant-read thermometer—though I may not have measured in the right spot. A small “mini babka” made from trimmed ends baked perfectly in about 20 minutes, which added to the confusion. Despite the photo, the full loaves weren’t ready to eat, and I couldn’t bring myself to erase the post.
This experience was a reminder that photos don’t always tell the whole story, especially with food. I enjoy making things that look beautiful, but I aim for them to taste great as well. This post keeps me honest: when baked properly, this walnut-halva babka works wonderfully. The loaves can be a bit awkward to shape, but freezing the dough logs briefly before slicing and twisting makes the process much easier. Note that this is not a traditional airy babka—the dough is denser and more bread-like, which I prefer, but it’s worth knowing before you begin.
Walnut-Halva Babka
Adapted from Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi, via Smitten Kitchen.
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 1/4 cups (530 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- grated zest of 1/2 orange
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- neutral oil for greasing pans
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (175 grams) walnut pieces lightly toasted and cooled
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) crumbled halva
Syrup
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
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Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, granulated sugar, orange zest, and yeast. Add water and eggs and mix on low speed with the dough hook until ingredients come together. Add the salt. Then add the butter one tablespoon at a time, fully incorporating each addition before the next. Knead on low until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl—this took under 5 minutes for me after all the butter was incorporated. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 10 hours or preferably overnight.
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Make the filling: Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they are chopped into small pieces. Reserve about half of the chopped walnuts. To the remaining walnuts in the processor add brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and tahini and process until a paste forms. Set aside.
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Assemble the loaves: Grease two standard loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment. Remove half the dough from the refrigerator and roll it on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 10 inches. Spread half the walnut-brown-sugar-tahini paste, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle half the reserved chopped walnuts and half the crumbled halva over the paste, pressing gently. Brush the short edge farthest from you with water, then roll the dough from the short edge nearest you into a log. Freeze the log for 15 minutes to firm it up, then repeat with the second half of dough. Trim about 1/2 inch off each end of the logs, slice each log lengthwise, and twist the two halves together with the cut sides facing out. Place each twisted loaf in a prepared pan, cover with a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature for 1 to 1.5 hours.
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Bake the loaves: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center meets little resistance and comes out clean of raw dough. If the tops brown too quickly, tent with foil for the last 10 minutes. Immediately after removing the loaves from the oven, brush them with the sugar syrup (see below). Let the loaves rest in the pans for 20 minutes on a wire rack before removing them to cool completely.
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Make the sugar syrup: While the loaves bake, combine 6 tablespoons sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside to brush on the hot loaves.
Recipe Notes
The original Jerusalem “chocolate krantz cakes” and Smitten Kitchen’s “better chocolate babka” often call for shorter bake times. In my experience, this walnut-halva version required a longer bake—about 40–45 minutes—to reach doneness. Oven performance varies, so begin checking the loaves around 30 minutes and use a skewer to ensure the center is fully baked.
