Rose's Baking Basics

Babka Swirl Loaf

Makes One 8½ by 5 by 4 inch high loaf

Oven Temperature: 350°F/175°C

Baking Time: 45 to 50 minutes

Plan Ahead This babka takes a minimum of 6½ hours from start to finish, plus 1½ hours to cool before slicing. It can be refrigerated overnight at different stages, so you won’t need to be home for 6½ hours straight.

Plan to make the starter a minimum of 1 hour, or up to 4 hours, ahead of mixing the dough.

Baking Equipment: One 9 by 5 by 2¾ inch (7 cup) loaf pan, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray, lined width-wise with a strip of parchment overhanging the long edges by a few inches, and coated again with nonstick cooking spray (preferably a nonstick pan, as the sugar caramelizes on the pan bottom and sides)

A cast-iron skillet lined with aluminum foil (to prevent rusting) or a cake pan

Everyone loves babka, an egg- and butter-rich dough spiraled with a cinnamon sugar filling that is a cross between a pastry and a bread. The supple, silky dough is a pleasure to work with.

Dough Starter (Sponge)

water	89 grams	¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (89 ml)
Gold Medal bread flour, or half other bread flour and half unbleached all-purpose flour	49 grams	¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off)
nonfat dry milk, preferably King Arthur Baker’s Special	17 grams	1½ tablespoons (3 tablespoons if other brands)
instant yeast	3.6 grams	1⅛ teaspoons

Mise en Place

▪ A minimum of 1 hour ahead, set the butter for the dough on the counter at room temperature (65º to 75ºF/19º to 24ºC).

▪ Into two separate small bowls, weigh or measure the water for the starter and for the dough and cover them.

▪ Into a 1 cup measure with a spout, weigh or measure the eggs. Whisk lightly and pour 25 grams/1½ tablespoons/22.5 ml through a strainer into another cup to reserve for the filling. Cover both cups and refrigerate.

Make the Dough Starter (Sponge)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the water, flour, dry milk, and yeast. Whisk by hand for about 2 minutes, until very smooth, to incorporate air. The sponge will be the consistency of a thick batter.

2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set the sponge aside while you make the flour mixture.

Dough Makes 680 grams

unsalted butter, must be very soft	85 grams	6 tablespoons (¾ stick)
2 large eggs	100 grams	⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (94 ml)
Gold Medal bread flour (or half other bread flour and half all-purpose flour)	267 grams	2 cups (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off) plus 1 tablespoon
sugar	56 grams	¼ cup plus ½ tablespoon
instant yeast	3.6 grams	1⅛ teaspoons
fine sea salt	4.5 grams	¾ teaspoon
water, at room temperature	45 grams	3 tablespoons (45 ml)
pure vanilla extract	.	1 teaspoon (5 ml)

Combine the Flour Mixture for the dough

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and yeast. Then whisk in the salt. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the sponge, forming a blanket of flour, and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Let it ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature, or 1 hour at room temperature and up to 24 hours refrigerated. During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour blanket in places.

Make the Dough

4. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Add the butter, eggs, water, and vanilla to the flour-covered sponge and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium and knead for about 7 minutes, or until the dough is shiny and very elastic. It will not clean the sides of the bowl, but will be very stretchy when pulled with your fingers. It will be very sticky.

Let the Dough Rise

5. Using a spatula or dough scraper that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray, scrape the dough into a 2 quart/2 liter dough rising container or bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. It will be very soft and elastic and will stick to your fingers. Do not be tempted to add more flour at this point; the dough will firm up considerably after rising and chilling. Push down the dough and lightly coat the surface with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height of the dough should be after rising. Let the dough rise in a warm place, ideally at 75º to 85ºF/24º to 29ºC, until it reaches the mark, 1 to 1½ hours.

Deflate and Chill the Dough

6. Lightly flour the counter and your hands, because the dough will still be a little sticky. Using a spatula or dough scraper that has been lightly coated with cooking spray, remove the dough to the counter. Deflate it gently with your fingertips. Round the dough by gently stretching it out and folding it in to the center on all four sides. The dough will be very soft.

7. Set the dough back in the container. Lightly coat the surface with nonstick cooking spray, cover, and refrigerate it for a minimum of 1 hour, or up to overnight. (If overnight, deflate it gently after the first hour or two of refrigeration. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.)

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

granulated sugar	50 grams	¼ cup
light Muscovado or dark brown sugar	108 grams	½ cup, firmly packed
ground cinnamon	2.2 grams	1 teaspoon
½ large egg, beaten and strained (reserved from earlier)	25 grams	1½ tablespoons (22.5 ml)

Make the Cinnamon Sugar Filling

8. Using a medium-mesh strainer, sift the granulated and brown sugars and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine them evenly. Into a small bowl, spoon 28 grams/2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture; reserve it.

Shape the Dough, Fill, and Let It Rise

9. Turn the dough onto a well-floured counter and press down on it with floured hands to form a rectangle. Roll the dough into a 16 by 14 inch rectangle, flouring the counter and the rolling pin, if necessary, to keep the dough from sticking. It will be a little under ¼ inch thick. Brush off any excess flour from the top.

10. Brush the entire surface of the dough with the beaten egg, using as little as possible to create an even coating; too much egg wash will dissolve the sugar, making the dough more difficult to shape. Sift the larger portion of the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough and use your fingers to smooth it as evenly as possible over the dough.

11. Starting from the top, use your fingers and a long plastic ruler to roll up the dough, using the ruler to help support the dough as you roll it. Slip the edge of the ruler slightly under the dough and use it to lift up and roll/push the dough toward you. With each roll, dust any flour from the surface of the dough. Press firmly, squeezing gently with your fingers, all along the dough roll to keep it from separating, easing the dough gently toward the ends. Work carefully without rushing. When you reach the bottom edge of the dough, pinch it against the outside of the dough to make a tight seam. Set the dough roll seam side up. Pinch the ends of the dough together firmly. To prevent it from becoming thinner at the ends, with one hand hold down the dough near an end and with your other hand, push in the end. Repeat with the other end. The roll should be no longer than 16 inches. Brush off any excess flour.

12. Brush the top of the roll with the remaining beaten egg, sprinkle with the reserved sugar and cinnamon mixture, and fold the roll over itself. Gently twist the dough twice and set it into the prepared loaf pan. Press it down firmly into the pan. The highest point will be about 1 inch from the top of the pan.

13. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Let the dough rise, in a warm place (ideally at 75º to 85ºF/24º to 29ºC), for 45 minutes to 1½ hours, or until the highest point is about 1 inch above the top of the pan.

Preheat the Oven

▪ Forty-five minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Place the cast-iron skillet on the floor of the oven. Set the oven at 350ºF/175ºC.

Bake the Babka

14. Quickly but gently set the loaf pan on the rack and toss about ½ cup of ice cubes into the pan on the oven floor. Immediately shut the door and bake for 20 minutes. For even baking, rotate the pan halfway around. Cover the top loosely with foil and continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 200º to 205ºF/93º to 96ºC.)

Cream Glaze

heavy cream

29 grams

2 tablespoons (30 ml)

Unmold and Cool the Babka

15. Lay a sheet of parchment on the counter and place a wire rack on top. Remove the babka from the oven, lift it out of the pan by grasping the two ends of the parchment, and set it onto the wire rack. If necessary, use a small metal spatula to dislodge the babka at the short ends of the pan not lined with the parchment. Slip out the parchment from under the babka and brush the cream onto the top and sides of the babka to soften it and give it extra shine. Cool completely, about 1½ hours.

Store in a paper bag: room temperature, 2 days;

airtight: frozen, 2 months.

Making Babka Swirl Loaf