I hope you guys are ready for a project. Because babka, a rich, yeast-risen bread swirled with a sweet filling, is definitely a project. However, it is a very worthy project, especially for a special occasion such as — I don’t know — Mother’s Day, which is right around the corner. Don’t know how to tell Mom how much she means to you? Babka will surely do the trick.
I first made babka as a thank you gift for some friends, professional musicians, who had hooked me up with tickets to the Chicago Symphony. The husband in this couple is Israeli, a fact with which I am slightly obsessed, so I wanted to make him something out of Ottoleghi’s Jerusalem cookbook. There are not many giftable recipes in that book, but the chocolate babka — which Ottolenghi calls a chocolate Krantz cake for reasons that are mysterious to me — is.
So despite my fear of yeast and the lengthy instructions, I tackled Ottolenghi’s babka, or Krantz cake, recipe and you know what? I crushed it. The babka came out fantastic and I was overjoyed. All credit goes to the recipe, which is detailed, thorough and clear.
The second time I made babka was for a meeting at our temple. My husband and I are co-chairs of a committee and I bring baked goods to every meeting as a straight-up bribe. This time, I posted pictures of my babka — which I have to say were stunning — everywhere I could think of. A friend responded to my social media bragging sharing by asking if I did cinnamon babka too. Well, I considered the gauntlet to have been thrown. Next up, cinnamon babka.
I also made a cinnamon raisin version.
The truth is, babka is a very manageable project, but one that is sure to impress. The key is to plan ahead and be patient. Allow the dough to have its long, slow rise. When filling the dough, be deliberate and careful. But do not stress too much. It is hard to end up with a less-than-beautiful loaf. I have attempted to make the recipe instructions as clear and detailed as Ottolenghi himself does. Follow them and I believe that you will be very pleased.
One difference that I noticed between the process of making chocolate and cinnamon babkas is that the chocolate filling is a sticky paste that binds the layers of dough when you roll it up. Thus, when you go to cut the roulade in half, the layers in each half hold together, making it easier to twist. The melted butter and cinnamon sugar in the cinnamon version do not have this kind of tackiness so the layers tend to fall open when split in half. No matter. Hold them together as best you can and twist. As you can see, the result is still quite eye-catching.
This recipe, which is adapted from Ottolenghi’s, will make two loaves (yay!), so feel free to vary the filling a little. A sprinkling of chopped walnuts would be traditional. I don’t bake with nuts because of my daughter’s allergy, so I used raisins instead. Cinnamon raisin bagels weep when confronted with cinnamon raisin babka. I made one loaf with and one without because raisins can be polarizing.
Chocolate babka is plainly dessert. The chocolate filling is rich and gooey and sinful. It’s cake. The cinnamon babka is more subtle. The filling is less prominent, and therefore the final product comes off as more like bread. Cinnamon babka would feel at home at brunch alongside a nice frittata and fruit salad. I imagine that once it got a little stale — has babka ever lasted long enough to go stale? — it would make an outstanding French toast.
You will notice that the recipe includes volume and weight measurements in grams. That is a function of adapting this recipe from an Ottolenghi book: he cooks in England after all. But let me take this opportunity to encourage all of you who bake to start using weight measurements, whether they be grams or ounces. Ever since I invested in a digital scale — not a large investment, by the way — I have relied on weight measurements in my baking and not only are these measurements more accurate, I find them more convenient as well. (A digital kitchen scale would make a great Mother’s Day present for any moms who enjoy baking.)
So if you are putting together a special brunch this spring, whether is is for Mother’s Day or simply to spend time with friends, plan ahead and make this cinnamon babka. I guarantee oohs and aahs from your family and friends. And once you get the hang of this yeast-risen dough, you will want to make it again and again.
- 4¼ (530 grams) cups all-purpose flour
- ½ (100 grams) cup sugar
- 2 tsp instant yeast (I use SAF)
- Zest of one orange
- 3 extra large eggs OR 3 large eggs and one egg yolk at room temperature
- ½ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 TB cinnamon
- 1 cup raisins (optional)
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- Splash orange blossom water (optional)
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast and orange zest.
- Add the eggs and water and mix on medium speed until the dough begins to come together, about three minutes.
- Add the salt and then start adding the butter a small amount at a time. Continue to beat on medium speed (do not be shy) while gradually adding the butter a few cubes at a time. Allow the butter to be fully incorporated before adding more. Occasionally, scrape down the sides with a spatula, and if the sides look greasy, dust them with some flour. The entire process of adding the butter should take around ten minutes. At the end, you should have a smooth, shiny, but not greasy, dough.
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray or apply a light coating of oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24. The dough will not double in size but will be noticeable risen.
- Divide the dough in two equal halves. Spray two loaf pans with nonstick baking spray.
- On a well-floured board using a well-floured pin, roll out one of the dough halves into a rectangle approximately 14x11 inches with the long side closest to you. Turn the dough and add more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with half the melted butter, leaving a one-inch border around the edge.
- Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle half the mixture over the melted butter.
- If using raisins or chopped nuts, sprinkle a half-cup of them in an even layer over the cinnamon sugar.
- Carefully roll the dough up, as tightly as possible, starting at the end closest to you. Moisten the final edge with a little water and seal the roll together.
- Pat the dough into a long, even cylinder. Trim off the ends and set them aside.*
- Using a serrated knife, cut the cylinder in half length wise. The layers may unravel a bit.
- Holding the layers together as best you can, twist the two halves together as shown in the pictures. Again, do not worry if the layers fall apart a little. The final product will still be beautiful.
- Carefully transfer the twist to one of the prepared loaf pans - a large pastry scraper comes in handy here.
- Repeat the process with the second half of the dough.
- Brush both loaves with any of the remaining melted butter. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise for at least one hour and up to ninety minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes until browned and crusty and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- While the loaves are baking, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat. If desired, add a splash of orange blossom water for added flavor.
- As soon as the loaves come out of the oven, brush them with the sugar syrup. Pour some of the syrup down the sides of the pans. It may seem like a lot of syrup but try to use most of it.
- Allow the loaves in cool in the pans and absorb the syrup before removing them to a rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and serve! The babka will last several days, in theory at least, well-wrapped in plastic.
- *I like to place the trimmed ends in a small baking dish and bake them off as a treat for my children. They take about 15-20 minutes to bake.
You’re turning into a yeast baking pro!
All credit to you, Nancy! I am so enjoying having this skill in my repertoire.
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