Vegan Babka
Vegan Babka
What’s not to love about pillowy soft bread swirled around a delicious filling like raspberry jam, cinnamon sugar or even chocolate? Babka is a sweet yeasted bread originating in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. Just like challah but dare I say fluffier? It uses a rich challah dough recipe and whichever filling you like. This recipe is for both a cinnamon and raspberry filled babka but again any filling you choose will be delicious!
When baking bread I highly recommend using a scale for accuracy but I’ve included both forms of measurements.
Every oven is different, I prefer to bake at a higher heat (375F) for a shorter amount of time to achieve a golden crust with a fluffier interior. You do run the potential risk of burning the top crust so if you are more comfortable, try baking at 350F for longer 35-40 minutes. Either baking method should yield an interior temp of 190F -200F.
Makes 2 babka loaves
Ingredients
570g (4 3/4 cups) Bread Flour
284g ( 1 1/4 cups) Water
7g (2 1/2 tsp or use 1 packet) Active Dry Yeast
50g (1/4 cup) Cane Sugar
30ml (2 Tbsp) Neutral or Olive Oil
30g (2 Tbsp) Butternut Squash Purée
5g (1 tsp) Salt
Wash
1 Tbsp (15ml) Plant Milk
1 Tbsp (15ml) Maple Syrup
Cinnamon filling (enough for 1 loaf)
1/2 cup (110g) Light Brown Sugar, packed
2 Tbsp (30g) Vegan Butter at room temperature
1 Tbsp (8g) Flour
1 Tbsp (15ml) Water
2 tsp (6g) ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
Raspberry Jam filling (for 1 loaf)
5 Tbsp (100g) Raspberry Jam
Equipment
Stand Mixer (ideal but not necessary)
(2) 9x5 Loaf Pans
Parchment Paper or Baking Spray
Rolling Pin
Sharp Knife
Offset Spatula (to spread the filling)
Pastry Brush
Note
If not using a stand mixer then, mix the dough in a large bowl and knead by hand on a clean surface..
Directions
1. Heat the water to 110-115 degrees F or follow the directions on the yeast package if different. Add the warm water to the mixing bowl along with the yeast and 1 Tbsp of the sugar. Give it a little mix to incorporate and let sit for 10 minutes to activate. Note if there aren’t any moving bubbles then your yeast may be dead or expired.
2.Once the yeast has activated, add the remaining sugar, butternut squash purée and oil and with the paddle attachment mix together until well combined and the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add the salt to the flour and mix well. Allow the mixer to run on a speed of 2 with the dough hook attached. Add the flour mixture in and allow the mixer to knead the dough, stopping to scrape down any dough that has climbed up the hook. Continue this for 9 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
4.Turn the dough onto a clean surface and continue kneading by hand for 4 minutes. The final kneaded dough should be completely smooth and not sticky. Place the dough ball into a large bowl and cover with a cloth or cling film. Set the bowl aside to rise for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
5.Once the dough has had time to rise and at least doubled in size it’s time to make the babka.
6.Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Place one piece of dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out a vertical rectangle measuring about 9”W x1 6”L.
7.Spread whichever filling you are using in a thin even layer almost entirely to the edges of the dough. Leave about 1/2” border.
8. Starting with the bottom of the rectangle or side that is closest to you, gently and tightly roll the dough into a log ending with the seam side down.
9.Place the rolled dough log vertically in front of you and using a sharp knife cut the log in half lengthwise. Turn the dough upwards to expose the layers and pinch the tops of each cut piece together. Take the two halves and gently braid them by crossing one over the other. Pinch the ends together.
10.Carefully pick up the braided babka and place it into a lightly greased or parchment lined loaf pan. Repeat all of the steps for the 2nd piece of dough. You can use the same filling or try another flavor.
11. Place each loaf pan onto a baking sheet in case any of the filling spills out (it shouldn’t but it’s better to be safe! Brush the top of any of the dough that does not have filling with a bit of the wash mixture. Bake the babkas at 375 for 22 minutes on the middle rack or untilt he internal temp is 190F-200F.
12. Brush the non filling parts of the babka dough with the wash again when they come out of the oven. After 15 -20 minutes, remove them from the baking pan and place them on a cooling rack to continue cooling. Store cooled babkas in an airtight container or bag for up to 5 days.
