40 Servings
3 Hours, 20 Minutes
Allergens
When it comes to babka, I often think of Goldilocks (that’s right, the one with the three bears). You see, somehow it’s always hard to get the babka “just right.” Sometimes it’s too doughy, at other times too chocolaty, and the perfect balance seems so hard to find. A few years ago I got this recipe from my good friend Shaini. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the only complaint you’ll hear will be “Someone’s been eating my piece…”
Watch this babka come to life on Shortcuts by Family Table.
Place all dough ingredients in the bowl of your mixer. Mix well. (The dough will be sticky till after it rises.)
Cover and let it rise for one hour, then divide into four to six equal parts. Allow to rise an additional half hour.
In a separate bowl, combine filling ingredients and mix well.
Yields 4 large (11-inch/28-cm) or 6 medium (9-inch/23-cm) babkas.
Roll out each part of dough into a rectangle. Smear filling on the dough. Roll up like a jelly roll, then fold in half and twist two to three times. Place in loaf pans. Let rise an additional 15–20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the topping ingredients in a separate bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Combine egg whites with a drop of water and smear on babka. Sprinkle the crumbs on top. Bake 40–45 minutes.
Line the loaf pans with Gefen Parchment Paper before putting the babka dough inside. (It is not necessary to use parchment paper for this recipe. I used it here because I didn’t want the babka to touch the newspaper.)
After the babka cools, remove babka from pan and place the piece of newspaper under the baking paper. For a finishing touch, tie a knife on to the cake with a personalized bow. Wrap in cellophane.
Tips:
Personalized ribbons are a great idea to enhance any package, and they are so convenient as no additional labels are needed.
Came out heaven beyond!! Super easy to follow and a lot of fun! First time i made Babka and don’t regret it!!!!
best Babka Yum!
Freeze? Can these be made in advance and frozen?
Yes, bake them first and then freeze them cooked.
Sticky dough My dough was way too sticky to roll out and then roll up.. It ended up more like a blob in the loaf pan but now that it’s baked it looks ok. I want to make it again but I’m wondering if there’s any way I can make the dough less sticky or if I did something wrong? It was totally impossible to work with. Thank you
Hi! If you are saying the dough was too stick maybe I would try to add less water next time. I would gradually add water until it reaches the consistency that you want. Also- another trick when the dough is very sticky if that you can add some extra flour or you can coat your hands and the dough with oil and it helps make it more manageable.