Basic Babka

Description

This Jewish treat is a hybrid of sweet roll, swirl bread, and coffee cake. It’s a sweet yeast dough that you roll out, fill, and roll up like a jelly roll, then cut, twist, and bake in a loaf pan. Don’t worry: It looks fancy (and it IS a little messy), but it’s seriously easy to do. And once you get the dough down, you can try it with other fillings.

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot milk (185 degrees F (85 degrees C))
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F (43 degrees C))
• 2 eggs
• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup butter, melted
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

1. Stir white sugar
2. 1/4 cup butter
3. and salt into hot milk in a small bowl until butter is melted and mixture is lukewarm. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle
4. sprinkle yeast over warm water; stir to dissolve.
5. Stir milk mixture into yeast mixture. Add 2 eggs and 2 1/2 cups of the flour; beat on high until combined. With mixer on low
6. add remaining 2 cups flour
7. 1/2 cup at a time.
8. Switch to the dough hook; mix until dough leaves sides of bowl
9. about 5 minutes. Set dough in a large
10. lightly greased bowl
11. turning dough to coat top. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled
12. about 1 hour.
13. Prepare walnut filling while dough rises. Lightly beat 3 eggs in a large bowl. Stir in brown sugar
14. 1/3 cup melted butter
15. cinnamon
16. and vanilla extract. Fold in walnuts.
17. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a large
18. lightly floured surface
19. cover with the bowl
20. and let rest 10 minutes. Line three 9×5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper
21. leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides.
22. Divide dough into thirds; roll each third out to a 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Spoon 1/3 of the walnut filling onto each dough square and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Roll up each square tightly as for a jelly roll. Pinch ends and seams closed to seal. With your palms
23. roll logs back and forth until uniformly round.
24. With a sharp knife or dough scraper
25. cut 1 log in half lengthwise to form 2 striped strands. Working quickly
26. twist strands loosely together with cut sides facing out
27. making 2 or 3 wide
28. horizontal twists. Fit into one of the prepared pans
29. patting back any loose filling and tucking ends under
30. if needed. It might look like a mess now
31. but it comes out beautifully!
32. Repeat with remaining logs and pans. Cover pans with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size
33. about 1 hour. Loaves should not rise above top edges of pans.
34. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush loaf tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter.
35. Bake loaves until puffed
36. well browned
37. and a thermometer inserted in centers registers 200 degrees F (93 degrees C)
38. 35 to 45 minutes. Tent with foil if tops brown before loaves are done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes
39. then use parchment to lift from pans and transfer to a wire rack.
40. Cool completely
41. about 1 hour. Glaze if desired
42. then slice crosswise to serve.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins

Servings: 24