I love bread, and I love chocolate. Put the two together, and obviously I love babka. Here are the babkas I've tried and how they rank.
Breads Bakery
This is my personal favorite. Not a traditional babka, as the dough here is laminated, but perhaps that's why I like it so much. The dough is chewy and dense on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, and deliciously buttery. I'm not sure what secret sauce they put in it (extra butter?), but even after a few days, it's still good and not stale. Breads only sells babka by the loaf (can't buy individual slices).
Russ and Daughters
A more traditional take on babka. (I believe the babka here is actually from Greens, the "classic" NYC babka spot.) The big winner here? Babka ice cream sandwiches (even the ice cream has babka bits)! That item alone is enough reason for me to go to Russ and Daughters. (Of course I like the fish too, but this post is not about fish.) Babka is offered either by the slice or loaf.
Sadelle's
Their babka is extra chocolately. For a chocolate lover, that's usually a good thing (no such thing as too much chocolate), but I'm not sure the extra layer of chocolate on top actually benefits the babka in this instance. The chocolate doesn't seem well-integrated into the rest of the pastry and feels caked on (and peels off easily). Still tasty, but I personally prefer Breads or R&D. Available by the slice or loaf.
Dough
Yes, Dough, the doughnut shop. I recently learned that Dough sells "doughka," babka made with Dough's signature doughnut dough. I was so excited to try it, I ordered one the day after I read about it. Verdict? This was probably the "lightest" that I've tried. It was a good pastry and worth a try, but I think you should stick to the others if you are craving babka. The doughka was not as well layered, and the dough was a bit crunchier and drier, possibly because I got it at the end of the day and it was no longer fresh.
Breads Bakery
This is my personal favorite. Not a traditional babka, as the dough here is laminated, but perhaps that's why I like it so much. The dough is chewy and dense on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, and deliciously buttery. I'm not sure what secret sauce they put in it (extra butter?), but even after a few days, it's still good and not stale. Breads only sells babka by the loaf (can't buy individual slices).
Russ and Daughters
A more traditional take on babka. (I believe the babka here is actually from Greens, the "classic" NYC babka spot.) The big winner here? Babka ice cream sandwiches (even the ice cream has babka bits)! That item alone is enough reason for me to go to Russ and Daughters. (Of course I like the fish too, but this post is not about fish.) Babka is offered either by the slice or loaf.
Sadelle's
Their babka is extra chocolately. For a chocolate lover, that's usually a good thing (no such thing as too much chocolate), but I'm not sure the extra layer of chocolate on top actually benefits the babka in this instance. The chocolate doesn't seem well-integrated into the rest of the pastry and feels caked on (and peels off easily). Still tasty, but I personally prefer Breads or R&D. Available by the slice or loaf.
Dough
Yes, Dough, the doughnut shop. I recently learned that Dough sells "doughka," babka made with Dough's signature doughnut dough. I was so excited to try it, I ordered one the day after I read about it. Verdict? This was probably the "lightest" that I've tried. It was a good pastry and worth a try, but I think you should stick to the others if you are craving babka. The doughka was not as well layered, and the dough was a bit crunchier and drier, possibly because I got it at the end of the day and it was no longer fresh.
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