Vegan Chocolate Babka

Soft, fluffy, sweet, chocolate-y, and the best part...even non-vegans LOVED it.

Kosher, Pareve, Vegan

In the bowl of a standing mixer, put flour and yeast (or in a large mixing bowl if kneading by hand) and mix/stir for one minute.
Add oil and sugar, and mix for about one minute.
Slowly add water and mix to form the dough.*Because each flour is different, stored differently, and has different absorption capacities, the amount of liquid will almost always change. Even if you always use the same flour, it may be that on different days, the flour will absorb more liquid than before. So, start with one cup of water and gradually add more until the dough is soft but not sticky.
Add the salt and knead for 8-12 minutes (It helps the gluten form and for the dough to be elastic with better structure).
Grease the dough with a little bit of oil, cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with saran wrap and let the dough rise until doubled (place the bowl somewhere warm).

Grease the loaf pan with oil and line with parchment paper.
Separate the dough into two equal pieces.
Roll one piece of dough into a rectangle as wide as the length of your loaf pan and about 3/4 inch thick. Spread with your hands the vegan butter on the dough in an even layer all the way to the edges. Generously sprinkle the filling all over the butter.
Tightly roll up the dough like a jelly roll and place it on its seam. Repeat with the 2nd half of the dough.
Twist the logs together and transfer the twisted dough to the prepared loaf pan and cover it with a clean towel.
Allow the shaped (and covered) loaf to rest for 45 minutes to one hour (depending on how warm your room is) until almost doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C
Whisk maple syrup with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the babka loaf. Bake for 25-40 minutes or until babka is golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining syrup. Let it cool completely before slicing.