Buttery and soft bread loaf with swirls of sweet cinnamon in this Cinnamon Babka make it impossible to have just one slice! Just look at those beautiful swirls!
Course Bread
Cuisine Jewish
Keyword Cinnamon Babka
Servings 24servings
Calories
Author Michelle
Ingredients
For the Dough
⅔cupmilk
½cupgranulated sugar
1tablespooninstant dry yeast
6tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
2large eggs
1egg yolk(reserve white for filling)
1¼teaspoonssalt
3¾cupall-purpose flour
Oilfor greasing (neutral flavor such as canola, vegetable or light-tasting olive oil
Cinnamon Filling
1½cupbrown sugar
3tablespoonsground cinnamon
6tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
1egg white(reserved from dough)
Simple Syrup
½cupwater
½cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Activate the yeast: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add milk and sugar and heat to 110°-115°F.
Whisk in yeast. Cover. Set aside for 5 minutes to activate yeast.
After 5 minutes, transfer yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer.
Prepare the dough: Add butter, eggs, egg yolk, salt, and 1 cup flour.
Beat on low speed with the dough hook attachment for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then add another 1 cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until incorporated.
Continue adding flour ½-cup at a time and beating at medium speed until the dough comes together. (The dough should be very soft and almost creamy-feeling. Do not add more flour than you need.)
Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 3 minutes. Add additional flour as you knead it, as needed to prevent it from sticking to the work surface. The dough is very soft.
1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray or a neutral-tasting oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it once to coat both sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 3-4 hours or until nearly double in size.
Grease two 9"x5" loaf pans. Set aside.
At the end of the rise, prepare the filling: In a medium mixing bowl, add all filling ingredients (making sure butter is not too hot so that it doesn't cook the egg white). Whisk together to combine. Set aside.
Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air.
Divide the dough in half. Flour a work surface and rolling pin.
Roll out each half into a 10x18 inch rectangle. Carefully spread the cinnamon filling mixture evenly between the two rectangles.
Using flour hands, tightly roll up the dough, starting at the short end to form a 10-inch long log.
On a floured surface, gently roll the dough back and forth (like how you make "snake" with clay) until the log reaches about 16-inches of equal thickness.
Place the log on its seam. Fold in half, then twist it to form a figure 8. Pinch the ends together. Place in prepared loaf pans.
2nd Rise: Cover shaped babka with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it’s puffy and nearly reaches the top of the loaf pan, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove cover from the loaves and place on the middle rack of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, until golden brown on top. (Or an internal temperature of about 200°F)
While the babka is in the oven, make the syrup: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring water and sugar to a boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove from heat and set aside.
Once the cakes are out of the oven, gently brush the syrup over them. Use all of the syrup even if it looks like a lot.
Let cakes cool until they are warm, then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Makes 2 loaves.
Don't have a stand mixer? Electric hand mixers have dough mixers too, so no problem. Here's the one I have on Amazon.
Why does it take so long for the dough to rise? Compared to your average loaf of bread, this dough is rich with fat, so it takes longer than other doughs to rise.
For precise measuring, use a kitchen scale to ensure your dough is divided in half evenly.
Having trouble shaping your babka? Watch the video about the recipe or here on YouTube, where I show you exactly how to shape it.
Storage: Cover leftover babka tightly and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezer Directions: Allow your babka to come to room temperature. Then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.