Cinnamon Sugar Babka

delicious homemade Cinnamon Sugar Babka – traditional Jewish sweet and tender yeasted cake swirled up with buttery brown sugar and cinnamon filling – perfect for the holidays, Shabbat, or coffee with a friend

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What is Babka?

A babka is a sweet braided bread or cake that originated in the Eastern Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine in the early 19th century. It is popular in Israel and in Jewish communities throughout the whole world.

Babka is part bread and part cake, and the name is thought to be derived from a popular Easter cake made in Poland called “baba” which means “grandmother” in Polish.

The women of the home making dough for challah bread, braided bread eaten on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays, would have prepared extra dough, to be filled with cinnamon or jam, which was then rolled up and baked as a special treat.

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FLAVOR VARIATIONS OF BABKA

There are several variations of babka, spoiler: they’re all delicious!

Other popular flavors are chocolate babka, dried fruit babka, apple babka, and sweet cheese babka. No matter the filling, they are always doused in a sweet simple syrup right when they come out of the oven. The simple syrup helps keep the cake moist for several days, although I doubt it will last that long!

WHERE DID SEINFELD GET THE FAMOUS BABKA?

Jerry and Elaine stop at Royal Bakery to purchase a chocolate babka while Kramer and George go to buy wine. Showing up to a dinner party with a famous chocolate babka was extremely important for Jerry. Here’s a great chocolate babka recipe!

Ingredients you’ll Need

Flour – I recommend using unbleached all purpose flour for this Cinnamon Sugar Babka. I love using the Bowl & Basket unbleached all purpose flour. If you have bread flour, you can absolutely substitute that!

Eggs – For the most consistent results, use AA large organic eggs here. Organic eggs are usually richer, as you can see by the color of their vibrant yellow yolks.

Butter –I’m using salted butter here. I love that the extra saltiness bring out the flavor of the fillings, and balances out the sweetness.

Kosher salt – I always use Morton’s kosher salt. If you’re using diamond crystal, add an extra 1/4 teaspoon (1g).

Dark Brown Sugar – I prefer to use dark brown sugar for this babka because it has extra molasses, which lends beautiful caramel notes to the dough and the filling. If you don’t have it, use light brown sugar.

How to make Cinnamon Sugar Babka

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk, dry active yeast, lemon zest, and sugar. Whisk well to dissolve the yeast, and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes in order to activate the yeast. Add eggs, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the unbleached all purpose flour and kosher salt to the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough. Then, mix on medium speed for 10-12 minutes until the dough is completely smooth. Scrape the bowl down a few times. After about 10 minutes, the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn’t, add 1 tablespoon of extra flour to help this along.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature (about 70 degrees F) for 60 – 75 minutes. At the end of the rise, the dough should be almost doubled in size and very puffy.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened 5 tablespoons of butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Use the back of a spoon to press the butter into the sugar, and stir to combine until all of the sugar and cinnamon is incorporated and smooth.
• Pour the risen dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 10 x 12, with the short edge facing you. Rotate the dough as you roll to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the board, and sprinkle more flour if necessary.
• Dot spoonfuls of the cinnamon sugar butter filling onto the dough, then use a small offset spatula to spread the filling out into an even layer, leaving a ¼ inch border around the perimeter of the dough.
• With the short side facing you, tightly roll the dough up into a log, with the seam side down. Use a very sharp chef’s knife to trim about ½ inch off of the ends. Line a 9×4 loaf pan with parchment paper, or spray the sides and bottom generously with nonstick cooking spray.
• Use a very sharp chef’s knife to slice the roll of dough right down the center, lengthwise, then turn the cut sides up. Next, twist the dough up, trying to keep the cut sides facing up as much as possible to showcase the beautiful layers of filling. Pinch the ends together, and place the shaped babka into the prepared loaf pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for another hour until it is puffy and almost reaches the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake the babka for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees, and bake for another 15-18 minutes until the top is golden brown. Meanwhile, make the simple syrup: in a small saucepan, combine the water, granulated sugar, and pinch of kosher salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and book over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
• When the babka is warm from the oven, generously brush the babka with the simple syrup, letting it soak in. Enjoy!
  

   

  BAKING TOOLS I LOVE

  There are just a few tools that I can’t live without in the kitchen, and I’ve linked them all for you here!

LeAnne’s Expert  Tips

1. If the dough feels too soft, place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up. Chilled dough can be much easier to work with.
2. Be sure to flour your work surface really well when rolling out your dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour as well. We DO NOT want the dough sticking to anythingggg.
3. Slicing the rolled babka dough down the center can be nerve wracking. This is where you need a very sharp knife, and loads of confidence. Start cutting from halfway up the dough down to the end, then turn the dough and cut down to the other edge. Try to only make 2 cuts completely through the dough.
4. Be sure to proof your babka for at least 1 hour before baking it – this will keep the dough light and fluffy.

WHEN DO YOU EAT BABKA?

Babka’s rich, buttery, brioche-like crumb, woven with ribbons of chocolate, is unfussy and approachable. You can eat it as dessert or breakfast, as a brunch side or a quick snack. The only trouble is not finishing a loaf as soon as you start it, because one good bite of babka demands another.

How to store Babka 

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll have any babka leftover, but be sure to store babka in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The goal is to keep the baked treat as tender and moist as possible, so remove any excess air from the container if you can.

Don’t forget to save this recipe to your favorite board on Pinterest! Click on any of the images on this page to see the “Pin it!” icon. I love to see what you’re baking up in your kitchens, so be sure to snap a pic and tag me @lions.bread on Instagram.

happy baking – LeAnne

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5 from 1 vote

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Cinnamon and Sugar Babka

a traditional Jewish sweet and tender yeasted cake swirled up with buttery brown sugar and cinnamon filling - perfect for the holidays, Shabbat, or coffee with a friend

Course Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine Israeli, Jewish

Keyword babka, Bread, cake, jewish holidays

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

rise time 2 hours

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

For the dough:

• ¼ cup Bowl & Basket whole milk at warm to 85 degrees F
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ½ cups Bowl & Basket unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons salted butter sliced and softened to room temperature

For the Filling:

• 5 tablespoons salted butter softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¼ cup Bowl & Basket dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the Simple Syrup:

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk, dry active yeast, lemon zest, and sugar. Whisk well to dissolve the yeast, and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes in order to activate the yeast. Add eggs, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the unbleached all purpose flour and kosher salt to the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough. Then, mix on medium speed for 10-12 minutes until the dough is completely smooth. Scrape the bowl down a few times. After about 10 minutes, the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn’t, add 1 tablespoon of extra flour to help this along.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature (about 70 degrees F) for 60 - 75 minutes. At the end of the rise, the dough should be almost doubled in size and very puffy.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened 5 tablespoons of butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Use the back of a spoon to press the butter into the sugar, and stir to combine until all of the sugar and cinnamon is incorporated and smooth.
4. Pour the risen dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 10 x 12, with the short edge facing you. Rotate the dough as you roll to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the board, and sprinkle more flour if necessary.
5. Dot spoonfuls of the cinnamon sugar butter filling onto the dough, then use a small offset spatula to spread the filling out into an even layer, leaving a ¼ inch border around the perimeter of the dough.
6. With the short side facing you, tightly roll the dough up into a log, with the seam side down. Use a very sharp chef’s knife to trim about ½ inch off of the ends. Line a 9x4 loaf pan with parchment paper, or spray the sides and bottom generously with nonstick cooking spray.
7. Use a very sharp chef’s knife to slice the roll of dough right down the center, lengthwise, then turn the cut sides up. Next, twist the dough up, trying to keep the cut sides facing up as much as possible to showcase the beautiful layers of filling. Pinch the ends together, and place the shaped babka into the prepared loaf pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for another hour until it is puffy and almost reaches the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
8. Bake the babka for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees, and bake for another 15-18 minutes until the top is golden brown. Meanwhile, make the simple syrup: in a small saucepan, combine the water, granulated sugar, and pinch of kosher salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and book over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
9. When the babka is warm from the oven, generously brush the babka with the simple syrup, letting it soak in. Enjoy!

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