A twist (literally!) on the traditional Jewish Babka that's stuffed with a German Streusel-like filling of apples, raisins, and almonds laced with sweet and spicy cinnamon. This marriage of two beloved baked goods in one pastry is pillowy, gooey, and full of satisfying textural chew and crunch.
I shared this with a few of my friends this past April as they were prepping to break Passover and jonesing for some good bread. Shock as they were about the amount of time and flour that goes into the recipe (don’t worry - this makes 2 good sized loaves), all of their woes seem to fade away once they took a bite of their babka.
As we make way for the fall chills and all things cozy, cool, and crisp, I figure it’s the perfect time to share this recipe. Keep a loaf for your personal enjoyment and give one to a friend in the true spirit of community and in the name of what baking is really all about.
Makes 2 loaves
For the Dough:
600 grams bread flour
7 grams (1 packet) dried yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
30 grams sugar
250 grams whole milk
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons (75 grams) unsalted butter
For the Filling:
Cinnamon Butter:
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
100 grams golden raisins
100 grams diced apples
75 grams sliced almonds
For the Sugar Syrup:
200 grams sugar
125 grams water
1) To make the dough place the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix briefly together to combine. Pour in the milk and the eggs and, with the dough hook attached, mix together on low/medium speed for about 10-15 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl and is elastic. With the mixer still running add the butter and mix until fully incorporated into the dough then continue mixing for a further 10-15 minutes or until elastic and no longer sticking to the bowl. Form the dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic film and refrigerate overnight.
2) The next day, begin by making the cinnamon butter filling. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon until well-combined. Add in the melted butter and honey. Stir by hand until the butter is uniform and well-combined.
3) Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into two equal sized pieces. On a lightly floured countertop, roll out one piece of dough into a 12x16 rectangle.
4) Evenly spread half of the cinnamon butter all over the dough, leaving a small border around the outside. Evenly disperse half of the raisins, diced apples, and almonds on top of the cinnamon butter.
5) Roll the dough from the top into a tight spiral. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut through the middle, cutting the dough into two long pieces. Place one piece of dough over the second forming an x then braid together the two pieces of dough. Gently place the babka into a 9x4 loaf pan that has been lightly greased and lined with a strip of parchment paper. Cover the tin with plastic wrap or a towel and place in a warm spot for about an hour and a half to proof or until the dough has doubled in size.
Repeat with the second piece of dough!
6) While the dough is proofing, Preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the dough has risen, remove the plastic or towel and place in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes or until the loaves are nicely golden brown.
7) Remove babka from the oven and immediately brush generously with the sugar syrup glaze. You'll probably have some leftover glaze but you can refrigerate it for up to a week or save it for another use.
8) Let the babka cool completely at room temperature before taking them out of the loaf pan or cutting into them.
