Soft, buttery bread with an apple cinnamon filling. My take on the classic Jewish bread/cake with a warm spiced filling.
Background
Apple cinnamon is probably one of my favourite flavour combinations in the world. There is something about the flavours that feel so warm and comforting, and I feel like it’s one of those flavours that never really go wrong. Everyone loves a good apple cinnamon muffin!
I have to admit I had a bit of an apple cinnamon muffin obsession last year… 3 muffins a week is okay right?
Anyway, this recipe isn’t even muffins, its something better...
What is Babka?
Some people might be unfamiliar with what babka is. Essentially it is traditional jewish cake made from a slightly dense yeast based dough, lathered with some sort of filling. In the past few years I’ve been seeing a lot of chocolate babka’s pop up, and they look amazing…. but why not fill it with something else! (If you’re not a fan of apple cinnamon, feel free to replace the filling with a chocolate spread like Nutella!)
I’ve adapted the dough recipe from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. The dough is enriched with butter, a little similar to a brioche, and it is so good… I’ve done a deep search of babka recipes and there seems to be a general consensus that Ottolenghi and Tamimi have the best babka recipe, so why would I use anything else!
If I was to describe what this tastes like, I’d say its like a more sophisticated older sibling of an apple cinnamon roll, the enriched dough gives the bread a richer taste and it doesn’t pale in comparison. Give it a go and let me know what you think, it might be a lot more effort, but it’s better than any bread you will buy from the bakery!
Tips
When it comes to making bread there are a couple of things to keep in mind that will give you the softest texture!
Kneading the dough
The most important part of making bread is in the kneading of the dough. If the dough is not kneaded enough there won't be enough structure for the bread to rise.
Babka is an enriched dough, meaning there is a substantial amount of egg and butter added to the dough. This gives the bread a richer taste and texture. However it is important to knead the dough enough in between the additions of egg and butter. It makes it a lot easier to knead with a stand mixer, however it isn't impossible by hand!
The first knead will be with flour, sugar, yeast, water and eggs. Make sure you knead on the stand mixer for 5-10 minutes. The dough will be very rough at first, but as you knead it will become softer and smoother. At this point you can add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. At first the butter might not want to incorporate into the dough. However keep kneading and the dough will slowly absorb the butter and become a silky smooth and elastic dough.
The trick is to knead until the dough can pass the windowpane test. If you stretch the dough between three finger you will be able to form a paper thin sheet of dough that passes light like a windowpane. Once you can form this without tearing then your dough is ready for proofing!
Shaping the dough
To achieve the signature swirls in a loaf of babka you need to intertwine the dough into a braid. Here are a couple of tips to help make it easier!
Making an apple cinnamon babka might be a little more difficult that say a chocolate filled one as there are chunks of apple in the dough that are prone to falling out.
- Roll the dough tightly to pack the apple in.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a single slit down the middle of the dough in a quick motion
- Once cut into two long pieces cross one over an other in an X. At the top: tuck the overlaying piece underneath. At the bottom: place the bottom piece over the overlaying one.
- Carefully pick up this braid and place it in your greased pan.
It's okay if pieces of apple fall out as you complete this process. You can always tuck them back in!
Let's Get Baking!
This was one of the first recipes up on my websites and still one of my favourites. It's such a warm and comforting breakfast or snack. I've updated the recipes, method as well as the tips to help you create an even better babka.
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went.
Also, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
Print📖 Recipe
Apple Cinnamon Babka
Soft, buttery bread with an apple cinnamon filling. My take on the classic Jewish bread/cake with a warm spiced filling.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 100 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Intermediate
- Cuisine: Jewish
Ingredients
Babka Dough
- 530 g Plain flour (3 ¾ cups)
- 100 g Granulated sugar (½ cups)
- 1 tbsp Instant yeast
- 3 Large eggs
- 120 g Water (½ cup)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 150 g Unsalted butter, cubed and room temperature (â…” cup)
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- 2 Small apples, finely diced, a sweeter variety like fuji is a good option
- 130 g Unsalted butter, softened (⅓ cup 1 tbsp)
- 130 g Brown sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling (â…” cup)
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
Sugar Syrup
- 100g Sugar (½ cup)
- 80g Water (â…“ cup)
Assembly
- Butter to grease the tins
Instructions
Dough
- Combine the flour, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with a dough hook and combine
- Add the eggs and water and mix on medium until the dough comes together
- Continue to mix for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth
- Add salt, then the butter one cube at a time until fully incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic (see tips above for further guidance)
- Oil a medium sized bowl and place the dough in it, cover with cling wrap and let rest in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- Combine the unsalted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy
Sugar Syrup
- Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil
- Boil, stirring occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved
- Remove and cool
Assembly
- Grease your muffin tins with butter
- Remove dough from the fridge and divide the dough in half (leave one half in the fridge while working with the other)
- Roll the dough into a rectangle (approx. 28 x 38 cm, with the long side facing you) and spread the cinnamon sugar evenly across the dough
- Sprinkle the finely diced apples over the cinnamon sugarÂ
- Tightly roll the dough from the bottom up to form a roll
- Cut the roll down the middle lengthwise
- Cross the two strands across each other, and twist the two strands loosely on both sides of the intersectionÂ
- Carefully place in a loaf tin and cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth
- Repeat with the other half of the dough
- Leave in a warm place (like a turned off oven) and allow to proof for 1-1 ½ hours
- The dough should have doubled in size, and become soft and slightly jiggly
- Place in an oven preheated at 180 °C (356°C) and bake for 35-40 minutes (if the colour darkens too much cover with foil)
- Remove when golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out free from raw dough
- Immediately brush generously with sugar syrup
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days*
Notes
Notes
* To keep this for longer you can store it in the fridge for up to a week, simply reheat it in the oven or microwave before you eat it. This dough also freezes really well, so you can make two loaves and save one for later! When you want to eat it allow it to defrost and then reheat it in the oven or microwave.
Keywords: babka, bread, apple cinnamon, brown sugar, loaf
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Dino
Hi, Catherine! So, I'm actually trying the recipe now but I have a question. How big were the loaf tins that you used, cause I don't really wanna put either too much or too little dough in my tins?
Catherine Zhang
Hi Dino, the loaf tins I used were standard 900g loaf tins which are 20 x 11 x 7 cm (8 x 4 x 3 inches) approximately.
Let me know how it goes, I would love to see it 🙂
Irene
thanks for given the idea of apple cinnamon bakba! i am making one choc chips and one apple cinnamon, now in stage of proofing! can't wait to see how both turn out! 😀
Catherine Zhang
Sounds amazing! Hope they turned out delicious 🙂
Irene
Hi, I noticed you do not use sugar syrup, wonder if you know the difference of with or without it?
Catherine Zhang
Hi Irene, the sugar syrup tends to give it a moister texture and a shinier finish. As the apple cinnamon has a greater amount of sugar and butter in the filling there isn't as much a need for it, but you can use it as well. I used a little to make the loaves look nicer but didn't include it in the recipe. If you would like me to include it let me know!
Shirley
What is sugar syrup ? Want to try the recipe.
Catherine
You can make a sugar syrup by dissolving equal parts sugar and water together. Hope it goes well!
Olan
Made this twice, and I keep failing on the twisting part. How do you do it if you have a tropical weather?