Originally submitted to us by A.E Bodgan, this Polish bread recipe is rich and delicious - a perfect, decadent company treat. The bread is very soft and may fall as it cools - it's still very delicious. We've included suggestions for making this multi-food allergy appropriate.

Ingredients

Filling:
3 oz (90g) semi-sweet chocolate, chunks, or chopped (we like Enjoy Life)
2 TBSP (25g) sugar
2 Tbsp (40g) butter or df margarine, softened (we like Earth Balance)

Streusel Topping:
3 TBSP (8g) Better Batter Corn Free Powdered Sugar or Regular powdered sugar
3 TBSP (about 1.5oz or 42.5g) Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
1 tsp (6g) cinnamon
3 Tbsp (60g) butter or df margarine, softened (we like Earth Balance)

Bread Wash:
1 large egg white, room temperature OR 1/2 c aquafaba OR 1/2 c flax gel, strained

Cake:
1 packet (7g) active dry yeast
1 tsp (4g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (177ml) warm water
¼ cup (52g) granulated sugar
5 TBSP (100g) butter or df margarine, softened
1 (5g) tsp salt
1 large egg yolk, room temperature OR 1 1/2 tbsp oil
2 large eggs, room temperature OR 1/2 c aquafaba OR 1/2 c chia or flax gel, strained
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups (180g) Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

Instructions

Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan very well with butter or df margarine. Do NOT preheat oven.

Combine all filling ingredients in a food processor and pulse just until it combines enough to hold together in clumps. Note: if you do not have a food processor, simply melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at medium level, stirring every 15 seconds or so, and then mix with the sugar and butter until blended), OR you can melt the ingredients in a double boiler until smooth. Pour into a shallow dish that has been lined with plastic or parchment and set into fridge to solidify. The mixture should firm up somewhere between a ganache and a candy bar.

Combine streusal ingredients. Blend powdered sugar, Better Batter flour, and cinnamon until well combined. Use sharp knives or a pastry cutter to blend butter or dairy free margarine into dry ingredients using a food processor or fork until small crumbs form and the mixture resembles cornmeal. Set aside.

Make the yeast cake batter. Mix 1 tsp of sugar into warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F). Stir in yeast. Wait 5 minutes. Yeast should foam slightly. In a separate bowl, beat together sugar and softened butter until creamy. Add salt and egg yolk (or oil) to creamed sugar and butter and beat again until very smooth. Add two eggs (or aquafaba or chia or flax gel), beating until smooth after addition. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add yeast water and Better Batter flour. Beat on high for three minutes. The mixture should thicken quite a bit.

Assemble the cake: pour 1/3 of the cake batter into prepared loaf pan. If the chocolate filling is hard enough, break it into 1/2 inch chunks. If not, use a teaspoon to spoon very small chunks of filling out of the container (about marble sized). Place these pieces of chocolate filling all over the poured cake batter, leaving enough space between the chocolate marbles so that the cake will have structure between the chocolate. The goal is to make sure that each piece of cake will have a nice bite of both filling and cake.

Pour half the remaining batter on top and spread with a spatula, so that the chocolate marbles are covered. Repeat the chocolate marble step. Top with the remaining batter.

Brush egg wash or aquafaba/gel over dough. Sprinkle streusel topping on top generously, then shake to distribute the streusal evenly.

Place in oven and allow to proof for 10 minutes. Do not remove pan, but turn oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, or until the cake puffs and turns golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan - note that the cake may collapse somewhat.