Cottage Cheese Babka With Raisins Recipes

CHEESE BABKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the warm water; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Combine the 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, milk, and 3 eggs in a bowl with 1 cup of flour and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and beat for 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Shape the dough into a round, and place it in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Beat together the farmers' cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, sour cream, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and dried lemon peel in a bowl until smooth. Set the filling aside. Lightly oil a 10-inch fluted tube pan (such as a Bundt®).
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 10-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Spread the cheese filling evenly over the dough. Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, starting from the long end; twist the dough 6 to 8 times to form a rope. Pinch the seams and ends closed and arrange the rope of dough in the greased pan. Cover loosely and let rise 1 hour.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake the babka until deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes; invert the babka onto a wire rack and remove the pan. Allow the babka to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

POLISH BABKA WITH OPTIONAL CHEESE FILLING

Steps:

• Add yeast to lukewarm (hot will kill the yeast)water and let stand until softened or dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl, add salt to egg yolks and beat until thick; then add to sugar and butter mixture.
• Add yeast and water, lemon rind, cinnamon and cardamom.
• Add flour alternately with milk and beat well to make a smooth batter.
• Add raisins and knead by hand until batter leaves the fingers.
• Let rise in a warm draft free place until double (about 1-1/2 hours). Punch down and let rise again until double.
• Generously butter a fluted tube pan. Sprinkle with fine bread crumbs and fill with dough. Brush with mixture of egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water. Sprinkle with almonds and let rise again. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 45-60 minutes.
• Optional:.
• Mix cheese filling ingredients together.
• Place 1/2 the dough in the prepared pan place the filling mixture on the center of the dough, place the rest of the dough on the mixture. Try to pinch the dough together so filling is encased inside. Or roll out into a log about 20x 10. Then place cheese filling in the center down the long side of the roll, bringing the sides over to encase the filling. Then place into prepared pan and let rise 30 minutes. Brush with eggwash and sprinkle with almonds. Bake 350 for 45-60 minutes.

UKRAINIAN COUNTRY BABKA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 cup water, yeast, milk and 1 cup flour. Mix until well blended, then cover and allow to rise in a warm place until light and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, salt and 1 cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the melted butter and lemon zest. Stir in the sponge, then gradually mix in the flour. Knead in the bowl for about 10 minutes, then knead in the raisins. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.
• Punch down dough and knead for a couple of turns then let it rise again. Grease 4 smaller coffee cans with soft butter. Fill the prepared pans about 1/3 full and let rise until the dough is even with the rim. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn down the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking the bread for another 40 minutes. Avoid letting the top get too brown, if it begins to brown too quickly, cover the top with aluminum foil. Remove baked loaves from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

LEMON CHEESE BABKA

Steps:

• 1. Sprinkle the yeast and 1/2 tsp of the sugar over very warm water in a 1 cup measure. The water should be comfortably warm when dropped on wrist. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
• 2. Combine 2 cups of the flour, salt, lemon rind and remaining sugar in large bowl and make a well in the center.
• 3. Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl just to mix. Pour eggs. yeast mixture and warm milk into the well. Stir liquids into flour until smooth. Beat well.
• 4. Add the softened butter gradually, beating well. Stir in 1 more cup of the flour. Bet until the dough leaves the side of the bowl.
• 5. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• 6. Place dough in buttered bowl, turning to bring the buttered side up: cover and let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours until it has doubled in volume.
• 7. While dough is rising, make the cheese filling. Beat the cream cheese and cottage cheese in a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg yolk and sugar. Stir in lemon rind.
• 8. Make crumb topping: Combine the nuts, flour, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• 9. Grease two 8 by 1 and 1/2 inch layer pans.
• 10. When the dough has doubled, punch down; knead in raisins; divide dough into four equal parts: press two parts into the bottoms and up about 1/2 inch on the sides of each of the layer pans; spread each with about 1 cup of the cheese filling.
• 11. Shape the remaining dough into 8 inch circles; place on top of cheese filling. Press spoon handle into dough round the edges to seal.
• 12. Sprinkle half the crumb topping over each Babka. Let rise in warm place until dough reaches the top of the pans, about 1 hour.
• 13. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the cakes sound hollow when tapped. Turn out onto wire rack to cool. (Place foil loosely over crumb topping; invert onto rack, then turn right side up.) Let cool at least 30 minutes.
• 14. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.