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1
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle yeast over the water; add 1 teaspoon sugar, let stand until yeast is soft, about 5 minutes.
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2
Mix in remaining sugar, milk, salt, vanilla and softened butter.
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3
Add 2 1/2 cups flour, mix to blend then beat, at medium speed, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
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4
Separate one of the eggs; reserve white for glaze; beat in egg yolk and remaining whole eggs, one at a time; stir in about 1 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft dough.
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5
Turn dough onto a board coated with some of the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup flour; knead until dough is smooth and satiny and small bubbles form just under the surface, 10-12 minutes, adding just enough flour to prevent dough from being too sticky.
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6
Turn dough into a greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap and a towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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7
Place dough on a floured surface and punch down; cover with inverted bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
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8
Divide dough in half; roll each half on a floured surface to a 10 x 20-inch rectangle; brush 1 1/2 tablespoons of the melted butter over each rectangle, leaving about a 1/2-inch margin on all edges.
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9
Sprinkle half of the Cocoa Filling* over buttered surface of each rectangle, then sprinkle each rectangle with 1/2 cup walnuts.
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10
Starting with a 20-inch side, roll each rectangle of dough tightly, jelly-roll style; pinch edge to seal.
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11
Zigzag each roll back and forth to fit into a well greased 5x9-inch loaf pan.
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12
Let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 35-45 minutes.
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13
Preheat oven to 350.
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14
Beat reserved egg white with 1 teaspoon water; brush egg white mixture over loaves; sprinkle each loaf with half of the Streusel Topping**.
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15
Bake until babkas are well-browned, 30-35 minutes then carefully remove loaves from pans and let cool on wire racks.
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16
*CocoaFilling: in a small bowl mix cocoa and sugar until well combined and no lumps remain.
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17
**StreuselTopping: In a medium bowl beat butter with cinnamon until fluffy; gradually beat in sugar, then mix in flour until crumbly and uniformly combined.
