BREADS - BABKA

Makes 2 loaves

Sponge:

2 cups bread or all-purpose flour

2 packages dry yeast

½ cup nonfat dry milk

1 ¼ cup hot water (120-130F)

Dough:

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 ½ cups bread or all-purpose flour, approximately

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

Filling:

1 ½ cups almond paste (see below)

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 cup raisins, pumped in brandy or water (see Note)

1 cup slivered almonds or broken walnuts

Topping:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Baking pans:  2 – 8” round layer or cake pans, greased, bottom lined with wax or parchment paper; or 2 medium loaf pans (8”x 4”), greased or Teflon, also lined as above; or 1 baking sheet, greased or Teflon.

SPONGE 

To make the sponge, into a large mixing or mixed bowl measure all the sponge ingredients.  Stir with a wooden spoon for 1 or 2 minutes to make a heavy, wet dough, or use the mixer flat beater. 

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to allow the sponge to form and ferment, about 2 hours.  The sponge will double in bulk.

DOUGH

To make the dough, remove the plastic wrap and stir down the sponge.  Measure in the sugar, salt, cardamom, and vanilla.  Stir vigorously to blend.  Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating each into the batter, which will begin to pull away in sheets as it is beaten - this is desirable.  Add 1 ½ cups flour to the mixture and beat with a wooden spoon or flat beater until it has been absorbed into the batter like dough.  Drop in the butter, a small portion at a time, beating until it is mixed into the dough.

Add flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form dough that is quite soft, yet elastic.  It will have had enough flour when it can be turned from the bowl and be pushed or worked without sticking to your hands or the work surface.  Sprinkle lightly with flour, if necessary.  The soft almost rubbery texture is unlike most bread doughs.

KNEADING

With the dough on the surface, knead only until it is smooth, about 5 minutes.  If using a mixer, attach the dough hook.  The dough will leave the sides of the bowl and form a ball around the hook.  Knead for 5 minutes.

FIRST RISING 

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and put aside to double in volume, about 1 ½ hours. 

SHAPING 

Punch down the dough and turn it onto the floured work surface.  It is a joy to work this rich dough, and if it does seem sticky, dust lightly with flour.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces.  With your hands and a rolling pin, form each dough piece into an 8 x 14” rectangle, ¼” thick.  Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes before continuing.

Spread each rectangle first with half the almond paste and then with half the melted chocolate.  Sprinkle on the raisins and nuts.  Lightly press these into the dough with the palms of your hands or the rolling pin.  Roll up the dough, lengthwise, as for a jellyroll.  Pinch the seams tightly to secure.  Put the seams under and with the rolling pin, roll each length of dough 2 or 3 times, lightly.  Twist each length of dough 6 or 8 turns, and allow the twist to rest for a few moments to adjust to its new shape.

For the cake pan, simply lay the twist loosely in the pan in a spiral form beginning in the center and working to the sides.  Don’t crowd the spiral.  The twist may also be baked in a loaf pan.  Or it can be formed into a figure “8” and placed on a baking sheet.  It may also be shaped like a cruller – the long twist folded and twisted on itself – and put on the baking sheet. 

Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle generously with poppy seeds.

  

SECOND RISING

Cover the loaves with wax or parchment paper and put aside to rise to slightly less than double in volume, about 1 hour.  This measurement is not critical but bakers consider it as the optimum.

Preheat the oven to 350F 20 minutes before baking.

Place the baking pans or sheet on the middle shelf of the moderate oven, and bake until each twist is a deep brown, about 45 minutes.  Halfway through baking, open the oven and turn the pans around to equalize the heat.  If the crusts seem to be browning too quickly, cover with a length of foil or brown sack paper.  (IF using a convection oven, reduce heat 50F.  My oven will not accept two 8” cake pans at once.  I place one in the refrigerator to hold while baking the first.)

FINAL STEP

Remove the loaves from the pans with care for they are fragile while still warm.  Allow to cool before cutting.

ALMOND PASTE

1 ½ cups whole blanched almonds

1 ½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 egg white

1 teaspoon almond extract

¼ teaspoon salt

To blanch the almonds, drop the almonds with skin on in boiling water for 1 minute.  Pour into a colander.  Slip the skin off by pinching the almonds.

To make the paste, grind the almonds, a portion at a time, in a food processor or blender.  Combine with the confectioners’ sugar, egg white, almond extract, and salt.  Work into a stiff paste.  Refrigerate (or freeze) in an airtight container or plastic bag.  The paste must be thoroughly chilled before it can be rolled under your palms – about 2 hours. 

AUTHOR’S NOTE:  (1) To plump the raisin, place them in a small bowl and cover with brandy or water.  Let them stand for 1 to 2 hours while the dough is prepared.  Drain. (2) Each time a slice is cut (filled with rich, sticky almond paste and chocolate), wet and wipe the knife blade clean.  The best way to slice the round Babka twist is to cut from the center into wedge-shape serving pieces. 

MY NOTE:  (1) used 1 tablespoon/1 package of dry yeast (2) substituted 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for the cardamom (3) used 3 whole eggs (4) chopped the chocolate instead of melting (5) soaked the raisins in Amaretto then mixed the raisins and liquid into the dough because I didn’t want the raisins to fall out while eating J  (6) didn’t use the butter and the poppy seeds for the topping (I forgot) J (7) didn’t use parchment to line the pan but I didn’t have any problems removing the bread.

From Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of BREADS by Bernard Clayton.