Jewish Babka Bread: Exclusive Recipe Revealed, with a Messy Appearance, But Surprisingly Delicious
This issue's food guide: Jewish Babka bread, exclusive recipe revealed, with a messy appearance, but surprisingly delicious!
Would you think it’s “custard pie” from the picture? NO~NO~NO~ This is a loaf with a decadent beauty--Babka bread
It originated in Poland and Ukraine, belonging to Polish Jewish bread. And the word 'babka' comes from the Slavic language babcia, which means 'grandmother', because 'grandmother' always makes a lot of delicious and sweet things!
Babka bread comes in two types, one is Jewish style, kneading into a vortex shape to bake, the other is Eastern European style made with flat pan.
Today we're going to make the Jewish style Babka bread.
Overall,Babka bread is a loaf with a sweet flavor and a vortex (twist) curve.
Originally, cinnamon was used as the filling, with the evolution of the times and market demand, the flavor has also become more and more diverse: chocolate sauce, peanut butter, cream cheese, jam, nuts, dried fruit... etc. can all be used as fillings.
In addition, to achieve better texture, bakers have replaced the original ‘vegetable oil’ with ‘butter’, making the bread smell and taste softer and more in line with modern people’s eating habits.
The shaping techniques also have several variations, the top picture is the complete coating, but the inside will show a vortex (distortion) state, which is the method we use today.
Or you can use the ‘braided’ method shown in the middle picture to make it. Finally, there's also a cake-shaped presentation with chocolate sauce pouring, depending on your preference.
But based on my practical experience, these 2-3 methods are the least laborious.
Jewish Babka bread
Dough ingredients: 250g medium-strength flour, 5g instant yeast, 76g unsalted butter, 1 egg (room temperature), 1 egg yolk, 122g milk (warm), 60g white sugar (original 117g), salt to taste (original 1/3 small spoon)
- Filling ingredients:
- 240g cream cheese, 3g vanilla extract, 1 egg yolk, jam to taste, 4g white sugar, salt to taste
- Topping milk crust ingredients:
- 166g medium-strength flour, 56g butter (melted), 111g powdered sugar
- Egg wash: 1 egg + 15ml water
- Baking mold: 19x9x7
- Procedure:
- Mix dough ingredients, knead into dough, place dough in a bowl, oil or sprinkle with a little flour at the bottom, let it ferment until doubled in size.
Make cream cheese filling, mix all ingredients except jam, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for later use.
- Make the topping milk crust, put all ingredients into a bowl, mix into granules, refrigerate for later use.
- Punch down the dough, place it on a worktable sprinkled with a little high-gluten flour.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten it into a long square.
- Here, try to make it as thin as possible, the more you roll it, the more beautiful the cut face will be.
- Spread jam on it, you can choose your favorite flavor.
- Leave a little empty on the sides, I brushed too much at this step.
Then spread the cream cheese mixture.
- Roll one side towards the middle.
- Try to roll it tightly.
- Roll the other side towards the middle. Later I found that at this step you can slightly twist the dough, saving effort and making a beautiful vortex.
Then measure the dough into three equal parts, fold the left side towards the right, fold the right side towards the left. Finally, hold the dough on both ends with both hands and rotate it like twisting a towel. If there's an assistant, it's easier to operate.
Place it in a mold, brush with egg wash, cover with plastic wrap and let it ferment until doubled in size.
Before baking, brush with egg wash again and sprinkle with milk crust.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, put it into the preheated oven, bake for about 50 minutes. Then cool it to 160°C and bake for 15-20 minutes to make the surface golden brown, take it out and let it cool before demolding.
With such high calories, sugar + cream + cheese, plus possibly a messy appearance, it is surprisingly delicious, so if you have time, try this decadent Babka bread!
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Babka
