The Best Cinnamon Babka Recipe
This recipe for The Best Cinnamon Babka guides you through making a rich, tender, and flavorful yeast-leavened bread swirled with a luscious cinnamon-sugar filling. Perfect for breakfast or dessert, this babka combines soft dough, cinnamon butter filling, and a delicate sugar syrup glaze for a beautifully moist and fragrant treat.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes to 17 hours 15 minutes (including optional fridge proofing)
- Yield: 1 large babka loaf (about 8-10 servings) 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish, Eastern European
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 120 g whole milk, lukewarm
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast or active dried yeast
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 170 g unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
Cinnamon Filling
- 113 g unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Sugar Syrup
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 60 g water
Instructions
- Activate yeast: Combine warm milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. If using active dry yeast, let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy to proof the yeast.
- Mix dough: Add eggs, flour, vanilla, and salt to the milk mixture. Mix until a thick dough forms. Gradually add the room-temperature butter cubes, mixing well to incorporate fully.
- Knead dough: Increase mixer speed to medium and knead the sticky dough for at least 15 minutes until it strengthens, passes the windowpane test, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft yet elastic.
- First proof: Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Proof in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
- Optional fridge proof: After initial rise for an hour at room temperature, cover dough tightly and refrigerate for 8-16 hours for enhanced flavor and texture. The dough will be stiff but will loosen during shaping.
- Shape and fill dough: (Steps for shaping and adding cinnamon filling appear missing from the provided text but are essential—typically involves rolling the cooled dough flat, spreading the cinnamon butter mixture evenly, rolling into a log, cutting lengthwise, and twisting to form the babka.)
- Bake and glaze: (Baking instructions and details for making and applying the sugar syrup are not fully provided. Generally, bake the shaped babka in a preheated oven at around 175°C/350°F for 40-50 minutes until golden brown. Simmer sugar syrup ingredients until sugar dissolves, then brush over the hot babka to add moisture and shine.)
Notes
- Using active dry yeast requires proofing in warm milk to activate, while instant yeast can be mixed directly.
- Long kneading is key to develop gluten for a strong yet tender crumb.
- Overnight fridge proofing enhances flavor and dough workability.
- The dough should pass the windowpane test to ensure sufficient gluten development.
- Butter should be at room temperature to incorporate smoothly without lumps.
- Apply sugar syrup while babka is hot to create a shiny, moist crust.
- Exact shaping and baking details should be followed carefully for best results.
Keywords: cinnamon babka, yeast bread, sweet bread, cinnamon swirl, homemade babka, baked dessert, Jewish pastry
Find it online: https://lieblingsmahlzeit.com/the-best-cinnamon-babka-recipe/
