Cinnamon Bun Babka Recipes

CINNAMON BUN BABKA

Steps:

• To make the dough: put the milk into a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and sprinkle over the yeast and a pinch of the sugar. Let stand for a few minutes, until it gets foamy. (If it does nothing, toss it and get some fresh yeast.) Add about half the flour along with the remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt and stir or beat with a dough hook until well combined. Add the remaining flour and stir or beat, adding the butter a few pieces at a time, until you have a sticky, smooth dough. (It should be very soft and tacky, but as sticky as batter - it will smooth out and be easier to handle as it rises.) Shape into a ball, place in the bowl and cover with a tea towel for 2 hours.
• To make the filling, stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in the butter and honey until smooth.
• Line two 8x4-inch loaf pans with parchment. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into about a 10x12-inch square/rectangle. Spread each piece with half the cinnamon mixture. Starting at a long side, roll up jelly roll style. Cut the rolls in half lengthwise, then lay them side to side and pinch them together at the top to join, then weave the pieces back and forth over each other, like braiding but with only two pieces. Tuck into the baking pan, tucking in the edges. Don't worry about it being perfect.
• Cover and let rise for another hour or two. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F, brush the tops of the loaves with beaten egg, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until deep golden and the middle is springy to the touch. (Some recipes say the bottoms should sound hollow when tapped, but I find the dough is too dense and loaded with filling for this to be an accurate gauge.) Try to let them cool almost completely before slicing - but babka is pretty fabulous while it's still warm.
• Makes 2 loaves.

CINNAMON BABKA

Steps:

• Cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are creamy. Mix the yeast in warm water with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. When this thickens, add it to the egg yolks with the vanilla and salt.
• Combine the milk with the egg yolks and the creamed butter and sugar. Begin adding the flour until a soft dough is formed. Stir in the raisins until they are evenly distributed. Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky.
• Cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm place until it doubles.
• Butter a 3-quart pan and shape the dough into it. Allow the dough to rise again for about 2 hours.
• For the topping, cream the cinnamon, sugar and butter, then mix in the egg, milk, and the flour. Coat the top of the dough with this topping and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

CINNAMON BUN BABKA

Steps:

• To prepare the dough: In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Sprinkle in 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Turn the mixer on low speed and add the remaining water, sugar, melted margarine, eggs, and salt. Add 2 cups of the flour and turn the speed up to medium; continue to mix until incorporated. Gradually add the remaining flour, and continue to mix until the dough holds together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl; the dough will be very soft.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface, until smooth and elastic. Rub the inside of a mixing bowl with the oil and put the dough in it, turning to coat. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size.
• Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the orange zest, raisins, walnuts, and melted margarine. Fold the ingredients together to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and brush with melted margarine.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, about 10 by 18-inches. Brush the surface of the dough with melted margarine and spread the filling evenly across. Roll the dough up, jelly roll-style, into a long cylinder, and twist it a few times like your wringing out a towel. Put the dough on the sheet pan and coil it around like a pinwheel, tuck the loose end of the dough under so it doesn't unravel. Brush the top of the dough with more melted margarine. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until your kitchen smells like cinnamon, and the babka is golden brown. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack.
• Mix the all the ingredients together in a bowl, until the sugar dissolves. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps; drizzle it over the top of the babka while it is still warm.

HALVA AND NUTELLA BABKA BUNS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add warm milk, vanilla, and lemon zest to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add eggs; beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 5-7 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a 10x5-in. rectangle, about 1/8 in. thick. For each, spread Nutella to within 1/2 in. of edges, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons halva and 1 tablespoon chocolate chips, and roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam and ends to seal., Using a sharp knife, cut each roll lengthwise in half; carefully turn each half cut side up. Loosely twist strips around each other, keeping cut surfaces facing up; pinch ends together to seal. Repeat for remaining buns. Place cut side up on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°., Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. If desired, in a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until sugar is dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until melted. Brush over buns. Serve buns warm.