I remember the first time I decided to make babkas!
I took a recipe that I knew was good, cause I've tasted it when my friend made it.
I made the dough, following the measurements of the recipe. But.. and there is a big but!
I had no idea how to work with dough.
And it showed. Although at the moment I was very pleased.
But today looking back I know it wasn't the best!
A few years have passed since then, I got to experiment more with yeast doughs.
I learned through my errors, collected some tips along the way and got way better at it.
Today I'm developing my own recipes,
And this is my recipe that I use for babka these days. After trying all sorts of things and changing it many times, this is the recipe that stuck with me.
The truth is that for a long time now I have wanted to post the recipe to the site, and I have a silly reason why it did not happen.
It's just every time I made babkas, somehow I didn't had the time to take proper photos. And I didn't want to post photos I'm not pleased with.
So I decided to post it anyway and in the future I'll change the photos here 😅
This recipe is not over complicated, and it always comes out good.
There are only a few things to pay attention to,
First thing - kneading. If there is anything that has changed the quality of my dough it is the understanding that the dough needs kneading time to develop the gluten. And of course also do not knead the dough too much and let it warm up too much.
Therefore, I like to use very cold liquids, which allows me a longer kneading time before the dough starts to warm up.
I even add 2 ice cubes, for example if in this recipe says 335 grams of milk. I will weigh 2 ice cubes and supplement to 335 grams with milk.
Rising of the dough - almost in all of my dough recipes I prefer to let the dough rise for a long time in a cool area, usually in the fridge.
Slow rising gives more strength to the dough.
And also it's splitting the work, I prefer that.. not doing everything at once.
I will usually prepare the dough in the evening and let it rise overnight. And in the morning I will bake. Instead of doing all the hustle at the same day. It's much more convenient in my eyes.
Another thing, I prefer to use quality flours. I like to use a combination of '00' pizza flour and Manitoba flour in this recipe. It is also possible to use a multi-purpose flour and still get a great result. But if you want to take it to another level - upgrade the flours you use :)
There are so many other things to talk about when it comes to dough. But for now I'll stop.
As always, if you have any questions you can contact me on Instagram -mor.is.cooking
Ingredients:
Dough-
350 grams of pizza flour '00'
350 grams of manitoba flour
11 grams of dry yeast
100 grams of sugar
335 grams of cold milk
150 grams of soft butter cut into cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 g baking enhancer (optional)
2 eggs
1 yolk
10 grams of salt
A pinch of nutmeg (optional)
** This amount of dough is enough for 4 English cakes
Cinnamon filling -
120 grams of soft butter
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Chocolate filling -
150 grams of dark chocolate
50 grams of butter
50 grams of milk
45 grams of sugar
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons coffee powder (optional)
** The amounts of fillings are for cake 1, double according to the amount of cakes you want with each filling.
Sugar syrup -
100 grams of sugar
100 grams of water
Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
For brushing the babkas before baking -
1 egg
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of salt
Prep:
Preparation of the dough -
Place all the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix them together.
Add the wet ingredients except the butter and start kneading at low speed.
When all the ingredients have come together and the dough has started to form - add the butter gradually until fully incorporated.
Continue to knead on medium speed for 8-10 minutes.
The dough should be smooth and soft. And a little sticky - do not be tempted to add more flour.
Remove the dough from the bowl with oiled hands and form a ball.
Transfer to an oiled bowl and close with cling film.
Refrigerate for 8 hours (or more).
Preparation of the filling -
For the cinnamon filling - mix all the ingredients together until a you get and smooth cream.
It is important that the butter be very soft, take it out of the fridge long enough before. Or it can be softened in short pulses in the microwave. But be careful not to melt it.
For chocolate filling - here too you can use the microwave in short pulses
Or in the Ban Marie method, in a stainless steel bowl or small pot placed on a pot with hot water. Note that the small pot or bowl does not touch the water. Slowly melt all the ingredients for the chocolate filling and mix well. Until smooth.
Preparation of the babkas -
Divide the dough into 4 equal balls and cover with a damp towel.
On a lightly greased surface, roll each ball of dough into a rectangle about 40 * 40 in size.
Spread the entire dough area with the filling.
Cut the rectangle in the middle and roll each piece into a roll.
Make a braid from the two rolls, squeeze and transfer to an oiled pan or a pan with baking paper.
You can transfer to an English cake pan, or arrange it in the shape of a ring in a round pan 20-25 cm in diameter.
Cover with a towel and let it rise at room temperature for 40 minutes. (In winter even an hour)
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
And make the sugar syrup - heat together in a small pot all the ingredients until the sugar is completely melted. It can also be done in the microwave.
At the end of the second rising, brush the babkas with beaten egg with milk, powdered sugar and salt.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Brush the babkas with sugar syrup as they come out of the oven.
Enjoy! :)
