Rich, sweet babka is most often flavored with cinnamon or chocolate, and it’s usually baked in a loaf pan. Here we decided to take inspiration from round jelly doughnuts and bake this bread in a circular springform pan. We love raspberry jam in this, but feel free to use whatever flavor is your favorite — just be sure it’s thick enough to hold its own against our classic buttery babka dough.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- One 1/4-ounce packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast
- 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 13 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 cups raspberry jam
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together to evenly distribute the yeast. Add the milk, whole eggs and yolks and vanilla and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until the flour is moistened, then increase to medium speed and beat, scraping the bottom of the bowl if necessary, for 1 minute.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment. On medium-high speed, beat in 12 tablespoons of the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, making sure each addition is fully incorporated into the dough before beating in the next. It should take about 4 minutes for the butter to be fully incorporated and for the dough to be soft and smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough wraps around the hook and starts creeping up, use a rubber spatula to push it down.
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Turn the dough out into the prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set in a warm place until puffy and nearly doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, generously grease the sides and bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with the softened butter, then sprinkle the pan all over with an even layer or sugar and set aside.
- Turn the dough out and cut it into three equal pieces. Position one of the dough balls on a lightly floured surface so the long side will be facing you when rolled out. Lightly press into a rectangle about 4 inches by 8 inches. With a rolling pin, roll out to a 16-inch-by-9-inch rectangle. Use an offset spatula to spread a third of the jam (about 2/3 cup) evenly over the dough and out to the edges. Gently roll up longways into a long rope and, when you get about an inch from end, pull the opposite end up and over the to seal. Gently pull both ends outward to stretch out the rope another 6 inches (it should be 22 to 24 inches long in total). Place the rope in the pan, starting in the center and coiling it in for a snail-like spiral.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and jam, coiling each piece outward until the pan is covered. If there are any spaces not filled with dough you can gently stretch and nudge the ropes round in the pan until all spaces are filled. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, adjust an over rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place the springform pan on the prepared sheet pan. Hold a pair of scissors vertically and make 9 or 10 random snips in the top of the dough. (This allows some of the jam to ooze out and caramelize during baking.) Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and brush it over the top. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake until the top and edges are caramelized and deep golden brown and if you gently lift the top edge the babka no longer looks doughy in the center, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Release the clasp and remove the ring, then slide the babka off the pan bottom and onto the rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 510 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 82 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 35 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 96 mg |
| Sodium | 346 mg |