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I have a confession: I am a gift repeater.
It’s not a trait I’m exactly proud of. Most occasions call for carefully thought out, highly personalized gifts: anniversaries with your partner, your best friends’ birthdays. Gifts are meant to symbolize a level of thoughtfulness and insight into the recipient. It’s a way of saying “I remembered you,” “I know you so well,” or “I love this thing and I think you will, too.”
To give the same gift to multiple people often denies such a sweet sentiment. Supposedly “versatile” gifts tend to not only be impersonal but also lackluster, half-assed attempts at consideration that nobody wants to unwrap. I think about how many times I’ve been recommended by an AI-generated article to give “just about anyone!” in my life a digital photo frame or cheap set of scented soap. Although they’re suitable for a range of people from my mom to my cousin, they’re gifts that fail to consider both who I am — a well-meaning person who prides herself in some level of style — and my loved one — a more stylish person deserving of far more thoughtfulness.
Early on in my adult gift-giving life, I was lucky enough to come across what has since become my most repeated (and complimented) gift.
I’ve given Breads Bakery’s Chocolate Babka over 15 times because of how casual yet impressive it is. Each time has resulted in much fanfare beyond a polite exchange of “oh, how nice.” I had an uncle bring up how much he loved it for five days straight. I helped a distant aunt hide the entire loaf from her sons so that she could have it all to herself. A group of my friends cheered at the very sight of it.
What is a Babka?
A babka is a sweet braided loaf of bread typically swirled with chocolate or cinnamon. Originating from Eastern Europe, it’s a classic Jewish pastry that offers the indulgence of a cake but the simplicity of a morning bun. The most common version found in New York (and the style offered at Breads) is made with a buttery brioche-style dough. I always recommend enjoying a slice with coffee for breakfast or warmed up for a post-meal dessert.
What Makes Breads’ Chocolate Babka Such a Great Gift?
First, and most importantly, it’s delicious. Breads Bakery weaves their babka with cultured French butter, Nutella and Belgian dark chocolate chips. My friends and I are such loyalists to this rendering of the pastry that we’ve coined the term “the Breads Babka effect.” We use it to describe the utmost perfect version of a thing that makes any other alternative a disappointment. If you can’t stand flying coach after the bittersweet taste of business, you can’t have any other babka after Breads Bakery’s.
A chocolate babka is a versatile gift for just about any occasion. Thanksgiving at my mom’s best friend’s home? Babka. Visiting my boyfriend’s family? Babka. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents Day? Babka, babka, babka. Most people in my life have never even heard of the style of bread. Unless you grew up in a Jewish or Eastern European household, a chocolate babka leaves room for intrigue.
Based on my own experiences of squeezing a loaf or two into duffel bags and carry-ons, it’s a tried and tested travel-friendly gift. A manageable medium-sized loaf, the babka is a compact log protected in a hard paper casing and wrapped in thin plastic. It also keeps incredibly well, if shipping is more up to your speed. Fortunately for you, Breads is available on Goldbelly. The babkas are shipped within a few hours after they’re pulled from the oven. They then proceed to get drizzled with sugar syrup to ensure a crisp, burnished crust and moist interior.
For $54.95, you can get a pack of three babkas, which is a good number for one household or if you have three different people on your list. If you order on Goldbelly today, the babkas will be shipped just in time for Mother’s Day. Alternatively, if you’re concerned about shipping or having the loaves arrive on time, Goldbelly has the stellar option to send someone a gift card to purchase the babka themselves.
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