Bake 52: Week 9

This week is my turn to host.  I had such a hard time choosing a recipe because so many of them look so good and I wanted to pick them all!  I finally decided on.....

BABKA!

OK, so my limited  knowledge of Babka came from Seinfeld.  You remember the one, The Dinner Party.  Jerry and Elaine want to take a Chocolate Babka to a dinner party to impress the hosts.  They wait in the bakery, realizing they forgot to take a number, and another member attending the same dinner party purchases the last Chocolate Babka.  Jerry suggests getting a Cinnamon Babka instead, but Elaine feels that the Cinnamon Babka is the "lesser Babka" but he argues that anything with cinnamon is the best.  Well after the LONG wait, they finally purchase the Cinnamon Babka, only to find a hair on it! Classic episode! 

 Anyway, I've always been intrigued as to what Babka really was ever since I saw this.  When I found it in the cookbook I just HAD to pick it - then when I looked at the pictures I was really excited! It is the Cinnamon Babka - and if it is true that this is the "lesser babka", then I figure the chocolate one must be made with unicorn tears or something because I don't know how you beat this!

(Though I am going to have to try to make a chocolate one now because... well, I'll admit that anything with chocolate really is better!)

OK - on to the recipe!

Babka - from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

(makes two 9" loaves)

*This dough is very dense and sticky and cannot be kneaded in the food processor or by hand - a standing mixer is necessary.  

DOUGH

1 cup sour cream

3 large eggs

1/4 cup cold water

4 tsp. vanilla extract

5-5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 tsp. salt

16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces and softened

FILLING

1 1/2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar

8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

1 cup raisins (optional)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

GLAZE

1 Tbs. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 large egg

2 Tbs. water

1. For the dough: Whisk the sour cream, eggs, water, and vanilla together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 5 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.  With the mixture on low speed, add the sour cream mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

 2. Increase the mixer speed to medium low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. (The dough will be quite sticky)

3. With the mixer on medium-low, slowly add the butter, 1 piece at a time, waiting about 15 seconds between additions.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to knead the dough on medium-low speed until it forms a very soft ball, about 15 minutes longer.  If after 6 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, 2 Tbs. at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.

 4. Scrape the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 10 hours or up to 24 hours.  (Because of the high butter content, the dough will rise only slightly.)

 5. For the Filling:  Mix all of the ingredients together; set aside.  Grease two 9X5" loaf pans, then line with parchment paper.

For toasting nuts, the book recommends the following:  To toast a small amount (under 1 cup) of nuts or seeds, put them in a  dry skillet over medium heat.  Simply shake the skillet occasionally to prevent scorching and toast until they are lightly browned and fragrant, 3-8 minutes. Watch the nuts closely because they can go from golden to burnt very quickly.To toast a large quantity of nuts, spread the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven, shaking the baking sheet every few minutes until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant, 5-10 minutes.

The filling. I opted out of using raisins.

6. Turn the cold dough onto a lightly floured counter.  Roll the dough into a 24"X18" rectangle, about 1/16" thick, with the long side facing you.  Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2" border at the far edge.

 7. Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper, then roll the dough into a tight cylinder, brush the border with water and pinch the seam closed.  Lightly dust the roll with flour and gently stretch the log until 24" in length with an even diameter; pat the ends to even them.  Using a serrated knife, slice the roll into 3/4" thick slices (you shoudl have about 32 slices; don't worry if you have a few less.)

These still had to be cut in half one more time, I got too anxious to take a picture

8. Arrange the slices in 2 long rows in each of the prepared loaf pans.  Mist the loaves with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size and the dough barely springs back when poked with a knuckle, 2-2 1/4 hours.

9. For the Glaze:  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the water.  Brush the loaves gently with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.  Place the loaves in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until browned, 50-60 minutes, switching and rotating the loaves halfway through baking.  (If the tops of the loaves look like they are getting too dark, tent them loosely with foil.)

10. Cool the breads in the loaf pans for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pans using the parchment and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before serving.

I really loved this! It was a lot like a yummy cinnamon roll made into a loaf of bread.  It says to wait 2 hours before cutting - not going to happen in my house! I pulled it out of the oven at 11:30 at night.  I let it cool about 15 minutes and took a thick slice out of the middle....YUM!  Seriously I was dying at how good it was!  The filling was all gooey and the bread part so soft!  I will definitely make this again - it's not fast, but a fun and impressing thing to take to, yep, you guessed it, a dinner party!