Traditional Polish Easter bread. Serve as a coffee cake for breakfast or with tea. The recipe makes 3 large loaves.
Original recipe makes 3 loaves
Ingredients
2 cups milk
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 (0.6 ounce) cake cake yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
4 eggs, room temperature
4 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
3 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
10 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
1 1/2 cups dried currants
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 cup chopped slivered almonds
Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
1 eggs
1 tablespoon water
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PREP
45 mins
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COOK
40 mins
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READY IN
4 hrs 55 mins
Directions
- In a small saucepan, heat milk until just below boiling. Add butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool until lukewarm.
- Place cake yeast in a small bowl; pour 1/2 cup lukewarm water over the yeast. Stir with a spoon to break up the yeast slightly; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat 4 eggs and egg yolks with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add 1 cup sugar and salt, and continue to beat until mixture is thick and pale. Stir in vanilla, orange liqueur, zests, and yeast mixture. Beat in 2 cups flour on low speed; when incorporated, add 2 more cups of flour and mix until combined. Add cooled milk mixture alternately with an additional 4 cups flour, beating on medium-low speed.
- If the dough is very sticky, add up to 1 cup of flour. Mix in currants, raisins, golden raisins, and almonds.
- Transfer dough to a well-floured work surface and knead about 8 to 10 minutes, adding reserved flour if needed. Shape dough into a ball. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with greased plastic wrap.
- Place in a warm place and allow it to rise until dough has doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down, re-cover the bowl, and allow to rise again for an additional 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter 3 tube pans.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter to form crumb topping. Sprinkle evenly among the 3 pans.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Cut dough into thirds. Flatten each piece of dough into a rectangle and roll it up into a log, pinching the seam to seal. Lay each log seam-side up in the prepared pans, pinching ends together to form rings. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.
- Beat an egg with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Before baking, gently brush egg wash over each loaf.
- Bake babkas in preheated oven until until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped, about 30 to 45 minutes. Immediately turn out onto a cooling rack so bread does not stick to the pan. Cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories: 487 kcal
Carbohydrates: 80.2 g
Cholesterol: 104 mg
Fat: 14.7 g
Fiber: 3.4 g
Protein: 10.3 g
Sodium: 141 mg