Jam Babka
I tried my hand at what I would consider a bit of a baking challenge this past week. I saw this beautiful jam babka recipe, remembered I had some of my Mom’s homemade blueberry jam in the fridge and gave it a whirl!
Just a heads up. This dough requires you to let it rise twice, for an hour (minimum) each time. Plan accordingly!
Ingredients
3 cups flour
3/4 cup milk (warm)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp instant dried yeast
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Jam of your choosing. I was lucky enough to have some homemade jam in my fridge. If you’re up to making your own that’s fantastic! Otherwise, thick store bought is recommended.
Instructions
Combine all ingredients (except jam) in a large bowl or stand mixer until it well mixed. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes. Until it is soft and stretchy, coming away from the side of the bowl. Add more flour as needed if it is sticky. If the opposite is the problem and it seems dry, add a splash of milk.
Cover your bowl with a towel and leave it in a warm place for an hour or until dough doubles in size.
Dust a clean surface with flour. Roll our the dough into a rectangular shape (the long side should be a little longer than your loaf tin (I used a 4x8inch tin.)
Spread your jam onto the dough, leaving about a 1 inch space at your edges.
Starting from the long edge, roll your dough into a tube.
My kitchen was a blueberry massacre after this, prepare to be messy!
Use a sharp knife to cut the tube in half lengthwise to create two long “strips” of pastry. Pinching one end tougher, carefully “braid” the two halves together.
Place your braided dough into a lined or dusted loaf tin. I say place, but what I mean is “artfully squish.”
Cover your tin in a towel and leave it to rise again for about an hour. It will be less of a rise this time, not double but enough that some of your gaps fill up.
Preheat your oven to 340°. Bake the babka for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and no wet dough sticks to a toothpick.
Slice your Babka open, marvel at the beautiful swirls of jam and enjoy!
April 13, 2021