Right now, I’m front-row seat at the best kind of concert: ogling at the twisted cacophony of an enriched naturally leavened dough with sharp cinnamon and warm brown sugar (or chocolate, read on), all topped with a luxurious, simple syrup. This sourdough babka is sitting there cooling on a wire rack, but I swear I hear it singing. If there ever was such a thing as too much anticipation, right now surely qualifies; it’s as palpable as any musical instrument in an empty music hall. And I’d pay a hefty sum to cut in, take a bite, and end the concert a little early.
But let’s be completely clear: this is a sticky, gooey, and sinfully delicious treat.
I’ve stepped up my baking research and development for this babka to get this recipe out after the enthusiasm displayed on my recent Instagram post. This dough is straightforward, playing at not quite the enrichment level of brioche (or my cinnamon rolls), but not precisely lean, either. I feel it’s just right: not cloying, not overly rich, and certainly not dry or under-flavored. And while it unquestionably looks drenched, the interior is not—the interplay between the crust and crumb is wonderfully balanced.
But let’s be completely clear: this is a sticky, gooey, and sinfully delicious treat.
And the timing for making something like this is perfect; right now, we can all use a little joy, a dab of sunshine through the clouds, the sweet, tangible canto of a sourdough babka (with all of its buttery deliciousness) humming to itself on a cooling rack.
Sourdough Babka Recipe
Equipment
Pullman Pan
This recipe will work with many different pans, but I eventually turned to my trusty 9 x 4 x 4-inch Pullman Pan in testing. The reason is twofold: I love the resulting straight-sided and presentable sourdough babka. Second, the USA Pan has a natural silicone lining, which, combined with parchment paper, makes cleanup a snap.
If you don’t have a Pullman pan, a typical 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75-inch loaf pan will also work well.
Rolling Pin
You’ll need a standard rolling pin/dowel to roll out this dough, and this rolling dowel is my favorite (and made in the USA).
Vitals
| Total Dough Weight | 800 grams |
| Pre-fermented Flour | 13.0% |
| Yield | One babka |
Total Formula
Desired dough temperature: 76°F (24°C) (see my post on the importance of dough temperature).
| Weight | Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 357g | All-purpose flour (11-12% protein; King Arthur All-Purpose Flour) | 100.0% |
| 107g | Whole milk (cold from the fridge) | 30.0% |
| 107g | Large eggs (about 2, cold from the fridge, plus one more egg in reserve for the egg wash) | 30.0% |
| 100g | Unsalted butter (Kerrygold; room temperature) | 28.0% |
| 46g | Water | 13.0% |
| 29g | Caster sugar (superfine white sugar) (if you don’t have caster sugar, use the finest sugar you have) | 8.0% |
| 8g | Fine sea salt | 2.3% |
| 46g | Sourdough starter (100% hydration) | 13.0% |
Instead of All-purpose flour, feel free to use high-protein white flour (“bread flour”) in its place if that’s all you have in your pantry.
Sourdough Babka Method
1. Levain – 10:00 a.m. (or when your starter is ripe)
In the morning, mix the following in a small jar:
| All-purpose flour | 46g |
| Water (warm) | 46g |
| Ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration | 46g |
Loosely cover the jar; it should be ready after about 3 hours at a warm temperature, 78-80°F (26-27°C). If it’s cold in your kitchen, warm the mixing water for this levain to get close to 80°F (27°C) (see my post on baking in the winter for more tips).
If you’re new to making a levain, see my post on the differences between a levain and sourdough starter.
2. Mix – 1:00 p.m.
| Weight | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 310g | All-purpose flour (11-12% protein; King Arthur All-Purpose Flour) |
| 107g | Whole milk (cold from the fridge) |
| 107g | Large eggs (about 2; cold from the fridge) |
| 100g | Unsalted butter (Kerrygold; room temperature) |
| 29g | Caster sugar (superfine white sugar) |
| 8g | Salt |
| 138g | Ripe levain |
First, cut the butter into 1/2″ pats. Set them on a plate to warm to room temperature.
I used my KitchenAid stand mixer to mix this dough. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, milk, egg, half of the sugar, salt, and levain. Set the mixer to low and mix until everything is incorporated. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minute rest, turn the mixer up to medium and mix for 5 minutes until the dough starts to pull from the sides of the mixing bowl. At this point, slowly stream in the remaining sugar while the mixer is running. Mix for another 1-2 minutes until the dough comes back together.
With the mixer still set to medium, add the butter, one pat at a time, waiting to add the next until the previous is absorbed into the dough. It might take around 5 minutes to mix all the butter into the dough. After all of the butter is added, continue mixing for another few minutes until the dough smooths out and once again begins to cling to the dough hook. The dough should be almost fully developed at this point (it won’t completely pass the windowpane test, but almost).
Transfer the dough to a container for bulk fermentation and cover.
3. Warm Bulk Fermentation – 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (or longer, as needed)
At warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), this portion of bulk fermentation should take 2 hours. During this time, give the dough two sets of stretches and folds where the first set is 30 minutes after the beginning of bulk fermentation and the second set is 30 minutes after the first. After the second set, let the dough rest, covered, until the next step.
4. Cold Bulk Fermentation – 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. (next day)
Assess the dough: has it risen a little in the bowl during the warm bulk fermentation? It should be a little puffy and smoothed out. If it looks like there’s no activity at all, give the dough another 30 minutes to 1 hour and check again.
Once you see some rise in the dough, place the covered bulk fermentation bowl into the refrigerator overnight.
Same day option: Let the dough finish bulk fermentation for 2 to 3 hours on the counter. When the dough has risen around 50% and feels puffy, proceed with the rest of the steps below. However, I recommend placing the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour after this warm bulk fermentation to chill to make rolling and filling easier.
5. Roll, freeze, cut, and shape – 8:00 a.m.
Before taking the dough out of the refrigerator, make one of the fillings below and keep covered.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling
| Dark brown sugar | 200g |
| Unsalted butter, melted | 42g |
| All-purpose flour | 15g |
| Ground cinnamon | 8g |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp (small pinch) |
Mix all of the ingredients above in a bowl and cover until ready to use.
Chocolate Filling
| Granulated sugar | 110g |
| Unsalted butter | 75g |
| Bittersweet chocolate, chopped | 70g |
| Unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed) | 25g |
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and add the sugar and chocolate; stir everything together while the chocolate melts until everything comes together and smooths. Add the cocoa powder and stir to incorporate. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
In the morning, take the dough out of the refrigerator and scrape the dough out to a floured work surface. Flour the top of the dough, and using a rolling pin (or dowel), roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 10″ x 24″ in size (if you want fewer layers and more filling pooled between them, roll to 10″ x 12″, instead) in size with a short edge closest to your body.
If you want a less-sweet, less-sticky babka, spread less filling over the rolled out dough.
Using your hand or an offset spatula, spread the filling over the dough, leaving about 1″ clean on the short side farthest from you. Then, starting at the side closest to you, roll up the dough into a tight cylinder. The dough needs to be rolled up rather tight, so pull the dough at each revolution of the cylinder.
Important: Place the rolled-up log on a baking sheet and place it into the freezer for 15 minutes (this makes it much easier to cut and braid).
Prepare your baking pan by inserting a piece of parchment so two “handles” stick up at the long sides of the pan (see photo above). The parchment will drape down one long side, over the bottom, and up the other. Once it fits, take it out and place it on the counter next to your pan.
After the 15-minute freezer rest, take the baking sheet out of the freezer and return the dough log to the counter. Using a sharp knife, cut the log to split open the log from one side to the other. Next, pinch the two top halves together and braid the dough one strand over the other. At the bottom, pinch the two halves together again. Don’t worry if filling spills out or things get messy.
After the dough is braided, pick up the braid and place it on the parchment right in the middle, then pick up the sides of the parchment and lift the dough and drop it into the pan.
Cover the pan and place it somewhere warm, ideally, 78-80°F (26-27°C), to proof.
6. Proof – 8:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. (or until ready)
This dough can be slow to rise so give it the time it needs to rise within 1/2″ below the rim of the Pullman pan. For me, at 78°F (26°C), it took about 3.5 hours. See the image below for how high my dough filled my pan.
7. Bake – 12:00 p.m.
Preheat your oven with the rack in the middle to 350°F (176°C), non-convection.
When the oven is preheated and the babka dough is fully proofed, place the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (to catch any sugar spilling over). In a small bowl, whisk together one whole egg and 1 Tbsp water and brush a thin layer of the egg wash on the top of the dough. Then, slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the center of the babka reaches 200°F (93°C). Keep an eye on the babka in the last 10 minutes of the bake; if it’s coloring too quickly, drop the temperature to compensate.
While the babka is baking, make the simple syrup. Heat over low 52g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar with 59g (1/4 cup) water in a small saucepan. Heat until the mixture bubbles a bit and occasionally stir until the sugar fully dissolves in the water. Transfer this simple syrup to a container to cool. If covered, it will keep indefinitely in the fridge.
Remove the pan to a cooling rack. Using a plastic spatula, free the short sides of the babka (the sides without parchment) from the sides and bottom of the pan by pressing the spatula down from top to bottom.
Using a pastry brush, brush on a thin layer of the simple syrup (the more you brush on, the sweeter the crust). Let rest for 10 minutes in the pan. Do not let the babka rest for longer than 10 minutes, or it’ll be hard to remove from the pan.
After the rest, lift the sourdough babka out of the pan using the parchment paper sticking up as a set of handles.
The flavor of this babka is just wicked. The exterior looks intense, gooey, perhaps even glutinous—but once the babka cools, it turns into a thin and crunchy layer of pure enjoyment. Because of the way I braid the dough, pushing the cut-side to mostly face up out of the pan, the interior is a little shy, with fewer pockets of the filling. I enjoy this balance, making each bite sweet but not too sweet.
And your babka will undoubtedly look different (isn’t that the beautiful thing about baking by hand, anyway?), as the filling ebbs and flows its way through each slice. Looking at a slice is like pretending you’re a palm reader: you subconsciously trace the dark lines as they wind here and there, trying to see the future, to plan each bite to land you right in the next delicious zone of brown sugar and cinnamon.
Print
Sourdough Babka
- Prep Time: 26 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 26 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 babka
- Category: Sweet
Description
Sticky and decadent, this cinnamon (or chocolate, choose which filling you’d like more) babka is sure to please.
Ingredients
Levain
- 46g all-purpose flour
- 46g water
- 46g ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration
Main dough
- 310g all-purpose flour
- 107g whole milk
- 107g egg (about 2 large)
- 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 29g superfine sugar (caster)
- 8g fine sea salt
- All of the levain
Brown sugar-cinnamon filling
- 200g dark brown sugar
- 42g unsalted butter, melted
- 15g all-purpose flour
- 8g ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Chocolate filling (Optional, instead of the brown sugar-cinnamon filling)
- 110g granulated sugar
- 75g unsalted butter, melted
- 70g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 25g unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
Egg wash
- One egg
- 1 tablespoon whole milk or heavy cream
Simple syrup glaze
- 52g granulated sugar
- 59g water
Instructions
- Levain (10:00 a.m.)
In a medium jar mix together the Levain ingredients. Cover the jar and keep it at a warm temperature for 3-hours. - Mix (1:00 p.m.)
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, milk, egg, half of the sugar, salt, and levain. Mix on low speed until incorporated and let rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes until the dough pulls from the sides of the mixing bowl. Stream in the remaining sugar while the mixer is running and mix for another 1 to 2 minutes until the dough comes back together. While continuing to mix, add the butter, one pat at a time. Mix for another few minutes until the dough smooths out and clings to the dough hook. Transfer the dough to a container for bulk fermentation and cover. - Warm bulk fermentation (1:30 p.m. to 3:30 pm)
At warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), the warm bulk fermentation should take 2 hours. Give the dough two sets of stretch and folds where the first set is 30 minutes after the beginning of bulk fermentation and the second set is 30 minutes after the first. After the second set, let the dough rest, covered. -
Cold bulk fermentation (3:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the next day)
Place the covered bulk fermentation bowl into the refrigerator overnight. - Roll, freeze, cut, and shape (8:00 a.m.)
Choose a filling and make it: stir the ingredients in a medium bowl and cover. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll to a 10 x 12-inch rectangle with the short edge closest to your body. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving about 1″ clean on the short side farthest from you. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Place the rolled-up log on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Fold and place a piece of parchment inside your baking pan to make two “handles.” After 15-minutes, take the sheet pan out of the freezer and using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. Pinch the top of the two halves together and braid the dough one strand over the other. At the bottom, pinch the two bottoms together again. Pick up the braid and place it on the parchment right in the middle, then pick up the sides of the parchment and lift the dough and drop it into the pan. Place the pan in a bag and seal. - Proof (8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., or until ready)
Let the dough rise at a warm temperate, 78°F (26°C), for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or more. The dough should rise to within 1/2-inch below the rim of the pan. - Bake (12:00 p.m.)
Preheat the oven with the rack in the middle to 350°F (176°C), non-convection. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg wash ingredients. Brush a thin layer of the egg wash on the top of the dough. Then, slide the babka on the baking sheet into the oven, bake for 40-45 minutes until the center of the babka reaches 200°F (93°C). While the babka is baking, make the simple syrup by combining the ingredients in a small saucepan, heat until the mixture bubbles a bit, and occasionally stir until the sugar fully dissolves in the water. Cool the mixture. When baked, remove the babka to a cooling rack. Using a plastic spatula, free the short sides of the babka (the sides without parchment) from the sides and bottom of the pan by pressing the spatula down from top to bottom. Brush on a thin layer of the simple syrup and let rest for 10 minutes in the pan. After resting, remove the babka from the pan using the parchment paper “handles” and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- The simple syrup can be saved in the refrigerator indefinitely (and is great for more babka or cocktails).
What’s Next?
If you love chocolate, check out my dark chocolate-cherry sourdough bread for even more. Or, for something lighter (but no less delicious) and still in pan form, my sourdough shokupan (Japanese milk bread) is just the thing.
If you use this recipe, tag @maurizio on Instagram so I can take a look!
558 Comments
Yikes! The chocolate filling gave me all sorts of problems! The sugar was staying very grainy and not dissolving, and I wonder if using a higher fat (therefore, less water) butter was the problem? Also, maybe dissolving the sugar into the hot butter before adding the chocolate and cocoa with be better? I tried adding a bit of cream to help the sugar dissolve, but that just caused it all to seize up, so then I added a bit of boiling water and whisked like heck I until it became almost like hot fudge. Hoping it will still be usable as the filling!
edited to add, this comment was meant for the chocolate knots recipe!!
Ahh sorry to hear that Ginny. Hmm. I haven't seen this happen. But the sugar should melt in the oven anyway, even if it felt gritty when filling!
I had the exact same problem. My chocolate looked like I had sand in it. But after baking it smoothed out perfectly.
Another thing I might try is to make a simple syrup to add to the chocolate instead of granulated sugar. I've done this for another recipe and it worked well.
Hi Maurizio! Thank you for the recipe. Made the babka with chocolate filling for the first time yesterday and it turned out to be unreal. Only thing I wanted to ask – any recommendations on how to avoid burning the top? I slightly overcooked the top just after 20 minutes of baking at 170 Celsius. What do you recommend?
Thanks again!
For that browning issue, you've got a few options: try dropping your bake temperature by 25°C, reducing the bake time slightly, or tenting with foil when you see it getting too dark. Each oven behaves differently, so it might take a little experimenting to find what works best in yours. Glad you enjoyed the flavor though!
I veganized it, making it twice. The first time, I used Miyoko’s butter, and it had a “cheesy” taste. I also used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and a whole-wheat starter. I used our Kitchen Aid mixer. It really didn’t rise well. And the overnight proof created a hard dough.
The second time, much more successful! I used flax meal “egg”, and VioLife with a white all-purpose starter. I used King Arthur all-purpose flour. I used soy milk. I hand mixed, following the order in the recipe, and worked the dough on the counter until the dough was nearly window pane. I made the chocolate filling with Trader Joe’s 72% chocolate chips and black cocoa—again using VioLife “butter”.
Hope this helps someone!
I also proofed (both times) in our Breville toaster oven/air fryer. It has a proof feature that I just remembered in our chilly house. Worked great!
Fantastic, very helpful Susie thank you for the comments!
Thank you so much for the recipe! For a long time I wanted to bake babka, but I did not dare. But you give the recipe clearly and in detail. I will definitely try. Will it be possible to double the recipe?
I hope you love it, Nadiia! Yes, you can absolutely double it (check out my post on baker's percentages for more detail).
Hey Maurizio, long time fan, baked many great things following your recipes! First time trying the babka recipe, and wanted to comment that there are some differences in recipe here vs what's in your book (which is remarkable and highly recommend for everyone!). Namely, the warm fermentation time is much shorter here and there are two folds (vs longer fermentation and only one fold in the book). I have noticed smaller differences like this in other recipes too. When diffs like this happen, what shall we follow?
Go with the book (and thank you!). I'm slowly making my way through updating these to include the improvements from the book. They will all work just fine, but the book is slightly more updated. Working on it (there are a lot of recipes 🙂).
That's what I did and came out outstanding on the first try. I used the 'Brown sugar-cinnamon' filling this time, family now wants another one with 'Chocolate filling' :)). Will do another one soon. Thanks again for a wonderful book and great recipes on this site!
Oh fantastic. You're very welcome, glad you're liking both (and the babka!). Happy baking!
I am awaiting my final proof right now – it's the second time I've made this babka and it's absolutely delicious, and so fun to make! I do want to point out that there may be something missing in your book's recipe. There is no mention of the second portion of super fine sugar as you're adding the dough ingredients. I cross-referenced with this online recipe and ended up adding the second half as mentioned here.
Sorry about that Amy, it's a typo in the book. Add all the sugar at the start!
Hi Mauricio, I have made many of your recipes and they are always reliable and turn out well. I’m hoping to convert either the dough here in your Babka recipe or the cinnamon roll dough into a cake that would fit into one or two 8” round cake pans. Any thoughts on how to do that?…The end product is to become a Bienenstich cake, hopefully!
Should work pretty well in round form, you'd just have to adjust the shape and bake time!
Yup, just double everything for 2. Glad you liked it, Susan!
Hi Maurizio! I had such wonderful success with the brioche recipe from your cookbook that i'd like to try the babka next. I'm curious if you have any advice for how to replace the sugar with honey? (I'm a beekeeper and try to use honey wherever I can.)
So glad it worked well for ya, Laura! I would leave the sugar in any levain where it's called for, and swap the sugar in the dough for honey. (And how cool you're a beekeeper!)
My dough looks really loose on warm fermentation stage. After 1hr of fermentation in arround 28C the dough is super loose and impossible to stretch and fold? I’m worried it will be waste. I’ve added additional 50g of flour (11%) hopefully it will fix it slightly. do you know the reason what happened?
Strange. It's possible the flour wasn't strong enough. How did it turn out?
I started this babka yesterday and finished it off today. It is absolutely delicious, but unfortunately it came out slightly undercooked. Of course this could be attributed to baker’s error, but I did bake it according to recipe instructions (350 degrees (according to 2 oven thermometers), 45 min, 200 degrees on instant thermometer). While this was disappointing after so much work, it is so delicious that I will definitely be making it again (with a few adjustments to bake time). Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Oh gosh, sorry to hear that! If the internal temp was hit, it should have been done. I hear your frustration, but thankfully, not a huge change next time! Hope it turns out perfect.
I have made this recipe twice by hand and can confirm slapping and folding at the first mix for 25 minutes until the dough comes together works!
My second attempt I bought a Pullman loaf tin (which is great btw!) however it took my dough 15 hours to rise to an inch below the tin. The loaf rose more in the oven and filled the tin completely and looked amazing.
Just wondering why it’s taking my dough so long to rise? After 7 hours I put it somewhere extremely warm, but it still took another 8 hours!
Bulk fermentation also took 6 hours actually. Although I admit this wasn’t put in a warm place.
Anyway to speed both times along for me?
I have made this recipe twice by hand and can confirm slapping and folding at the first mix for 25 minutes until the dough comes together works!
My second attempt I bought a Pullman loaf tin (which is great btw!) however it took my dough 15 hours to rise to an inch below the tin. The loaf rose more in the oven and filled the tin completely and looked amazing.
Just wondering why it’s taking my dough so long to rise? After 7 hours I put it somewhere extremely warm, but it still took another 8 hours!
Bulk fermentation also took 6 hours actually. Although I admit this wasn’t put in a warm place.
Anyway to speed both times along for me?
So awesome to hear! This is a slow proofing dough, it's expected to take quite a while! You can make things go a little faster by adding in a bit more levain if you're finding it's just too slow.
Hi, How much grams is the levain/starter for the recipe?
It's listed up in the Mix chart!
Turned out delicious! I made it with the chocolate filling and it was a big hit. I was worried that I had ruined the recipe because the dough was quite sticky. I misunderstood the directions regarding the kneading. I believe the dough should come off the sides of the mixing bowl to show that it’s ready. I didn’t do that and it thankfully turned out okay. I will try it again though!
Easy fix next time, Rose!
Hi Maurizio, I make your chocolate babka every year for Christmas, it’s always a big hit. This year I followed the recipe in your book and noticed that you forgot to include the step about adding the 2nd half of the sugar.
Yes, so sorry about that Alexandra. Just add all the sugar at the start!
Could you leave this in the fridge longer than overnight for the cold proof? I know it might change the flavor some.
Yes absolutely.
This is one of my absolute favourite bakes on this blog! It is so fun to come up with different flavour combos for the fillings and people are wowed every time (my latest experiments have been blood orange zest with the cinnamon filling, then vanilla bean infused simple syrup glaze with a touch of orange blossom water, and combining the chocolate and hazelnut fillings from your book for a Nutella inspired affair). Question for you all – has anyone managed to bake this in 40-45 mins? I’m always pushing over a hour and the middle never quite gets to 204, but the ends were at 204 a full fifteen minutes earlier so I’m afraid to put it in any longer and dry them out. I also don’t want to up the temp as I have issues with the top browning too quickly (so always cover with foil and that works). Cheers friends! Babka for all!
Love your tinkering with flavors. I will try. Thanks for sharing.
what would you suggest if I wanted to make the levain overnight (unless you wouldn’t suggest it) in a 62 degree house… 60 + 60 + 18g starter for similar effect potentially?
That should work!
I made this for the third time yesterday and I LOVE IT. This time I added orange zest into the dough and filling and I highly recommend. I have found that the second proof takes 6+ hours to get within 1/2 in of the top of the pan. Should I be proofing more during the first proof or is this just expected because of the enriched and cold dough? I have the Brod and Taylor proofer (such a good investment!) and proofed at 78 degrees then bumped up to 80 degrees because of how slow it was proofing. Any advice?
So glad you liked this one! To a degree, a long proof is very expected with this dough. But yes, give the dough in bulk a little longer and it should help speed up that second part.
Me again! Maybe you have answered this already. Can the babka dough be made ahead and frozen, then taken out to warm up when ready to make another one? Or will that impact the quality of the dough? Just thinking ahead for future family events.
Thanks Maurizio
Theoretically this could work, but I haven’t tried it, Sharon!
Thank you for the correction. I made the chocolate one today. Unbelievable! Absolutely delicious! Mine took almost an hour to bake. The Center was 180 degrees and after another ten minutes it almost got to 200. The ends were at 200 F so I took it out. But total perfection with the taste. My braiding could use some work!
Thank you! My grandchildren want one a week.
So glad you like this! Braiding is a little tricky, keep at practicing and you’ll be a pro in no time. Oh, a cool dough from chilling really does help make the dough easier to handle, too 🙂
Hi Maurizio, this will be my 3rd time making this yummy babka. Just wanted to point out in the printed section of the instruction, where you have the final dough measurements, the levain is not included. You have the levain build listed above it, but not the final amount included with the final dough. You do have it listed way above in the post. But for air heads like me, I might forget to add it in if it’s not right there again reminding me.
Still debating, chocolate or cinnamon? I’m glad to see there is an overnight option. I always thought that it would make the dough more tangy.
Thank you!
Sharon
Thank you so much, Sharon, just fixed that!
I think both chocolate and cinnamon are amazing, really, there’s no wrong answer 🙂
I am feeding my refridgerated stored starter to make this! I can’t decide cinnamon or chocolate filling?? Why not both! (LOVED your sourdough chocolate knots!!)
Could I make 1/2 recipe of each and either blend on the rolled out dough or cover half with one, and half with the other??
You could absolutely do that, why not 🙂 Let me know which you like more! It’s a hard choice…
Hello Maurizio,
I want o try this recipe this weekend. I have 5 egg yolks left from a BDay cake recipe to use up. Can I replace 107g eggs with 107g egg yolks? Do the egg whites provide any structure?
Thanks and I look forward to hearing back from you!
Egg yolks will work!
This is one of my fav recipes – have made it 20+ times. The last time I cut strips, braided them, and put them into muffin tins – got the idea from Richard Bertinet – search YouTube for “The Best Cinnamon Buns | Richard Bertinet”. They came out AMAZING and made them easier to share!
That’s a fantastic idea! I’ve seen that video, super inspiring. Going to now try this, too 🙂
Hiya! We made the babka for the second time today. I think we’ve got a good result (it’s just cooling now) but I do have a question. Despite chilling the dough before cutting/twisting it, the layers sort of ‘flopped open’ on us; not nearly as neat and tidy as your picture. Are we missing something in our technique?
They do sometimes do this—the key is to roll it as tightly as you can and let the dough fully chill before cutting it. Even then, sometimes you’ll get a little spreading, just do your best to keep it rolled tight and it’ll be just fine!
Hi! I’m thinking about adding a tangzhong to this dough with 20g AP flour and 80g milk. Do you think that would work out okay? If I subtracted 80g milk from the milk in the recipe to make the tangzhong, I’d only be adding 27g milk to the dough + the tangzhong. Do you think that would be too little milk and I should add a bit more when mixing the dough or do you think that’ll be okay?
Yes, I think that would work out well!
Hi Maurizio, I could tell you how great you are (because you are) but I’m sure you are being you and that in itself looks pretty damn good!
Ok, so for my question… have you baked babka’s in the Rofco? I have a B20 and have baked babka’s in my home oven (fan force off) so far but am about to try to bake them in the Rofco (tomorrow).
Please let me know if you have and or success or what you would recommend to give it a try.
I use a similar recipe to yours but it’s a vegan version (flax seed for egg, refined coconut oil for butter etc). I bake smaller Babka’s (half your size) around 450g in a Jamie Oliver 19 x 11 cm Loaf Tin
It’s a kick’ass babka (especially the cinnamon) and all vegan
Pics are on website bakerbaron . au. otherwise insta handle is bakerbaronau
Thank you for everything you do, really amazing and inspirationa
I was just going to write and ask about a vegan version! Do you use the same amount for reach ingredient? Soy milk for the whole milk? I made the true version of the recipe in the past and it was amazing. Excited to try a vegan version!
Hi Sarah, yes, same quantities. I’ve been using bonsoy milk which works really well but also wanting to try oat milk. For the butter I use refined coconut oil. You can use all coconut oil (there is no taste to it) or I have also been using a mix of natuli vegan block with the oil for the spreads (but you need to watch the salt content of vegan butter) the egg replacement I use ground flax seeds with water and let it set for 5min. I have lots of pics on Insta- search bakerbaronau or the website is bakerbaron (dot) au
Thank you! Trying it tomorrow morning!
Hey, Allon! Unfortunately I haven’t tried making this in the Rofco just yet, should work just fine though 🙂 Glad you’re liking it! Happy to help.
Hi Maurizio, have been baking lots of Babkas, so good! I bake quite a few at a time and occasionally I get a few that are more ‘doughy’ inside. I hope you have some advice.
My process is: Day 1 (PM), I set the levain at night.
Day 2 (AM-PM) work the dough, ball up 400g and fridge then roll, fill and twist and back in the fridge for the next morning bake.
Day 3 (AM) place in proofing box for about an hour (26c), then soy/maple brush top then bake at 200c for 40min (flip shelves at 13min intervals). I test internal temp reaches 94c+ take out, drizzle with sugar syrup and let cool.
Now, I never keep things simple, so it’s a fully veganised recipe (using coconut oil for butter) and the dough is your ‘Super Soft Sourdough Rolls’ recipe also veganised! Any advice for the doughyness? I think it’s the proofing/warming up session in the morning before I bake (maybe some are colder and not filling out?) Thank you!!
how can a regular sourdough starter leaven this highly fatty and sweet dough ?
from what i found when i wanted to make sweet doughs with sourdough and make it rise with only sourdough it was not possible unless you use a lieveto madre which is bathed and refreshed with sugar water (the panetonne schedule) or using osmotolerant yeast
my starter is a 50% hydration starter but it is not good enough for sweet doughs because i do not frefresh it as a lieveto madre for panettone……
i am very qurious about what you will answer me
thanks 🙂
also how much is the dough rises before you put it in the fridge for the cold ferment
Using a lievito madre (LM) would work really well with this recipe, but it works great the way I have written here, too. There’s likely more sourness, but it’s so, so mild you won’t even detect it.
but isnt entire purpose of using a liveto madre is that only it can leaven high sugar doughs ? and a regular sourdough starter cant ?
i thought the complicated refreshments of the madre is not only for taste but for what i wrote above
I’m bereft of a stand mixer and I did not make sure my dough was at full development before mixing in the butter. I’ve done a good amount of slap and folds but the dough is still a rather sticky mess. Can I still redeem it? Would I just need to slap and fold for an hour or something? Or is it more advisable to start over?
I would suggest dropping the liquid in the recipe to help stiffen the dough. Or, use a stronger flour!
Have made this sourdough babka many times and it is always delicious. I have experimented using my rye starter and also adding cardamom to the cinnamon version… very tasty. Today I inadvertently tried a new variation. When I went to grab the unopened new bottle of whole milk from the fridge, i instead picked up an unopened half and half. this i did not realize until the dough was in the proofer for warm fermentation so I decided to go with it. The result was a very delicious, moist dessert that i am told was an improvement on an already scrumptious dessert.
Amazing, so glad to hear that and thanks for the suggestion. Yes, half and half will have higher fat content leading to a more tender babka—I’m going to try this 🙂
Hi Maurizio,
I’ve been a huge fan of yours for years so thanks for all the great recipes. Quick question on this one: I’m now vegan and have experimented changing some of your recipes to be vegan. Mixed results. Any ideas how you’d go about replacing the milk/eggs in this?
For the egg use a “flax egg,” and for the dairy, go with any full fat oat or nut milk!
I love this recipe, thank you. One question, can I slow ferment overnight already formed (with filling?) if I could do it all in one day and just bake the next day, it would make things much easier for me. Thanks in advance for your response!
Yes, you can place the shaped babka in its pan into the fridge overnight. Take out the next morning and let proof until very puffy and ready to bake.
Ah that’s great news! I just made 6 loaves today and had great results but the doing it in the morning tends to be super hectic for me!
Did you let it rise again in the morning before baking? Wanting to try this next weekend but will need to just pop it straight in the oven while I’m getting ready
Hi Victoria, I ended up forming them in the morning! But I’m pretty sure that if you end up forming the night before you will need to let them proof in the am. Anyone in your home get up early and can pull them out so they have 3-4 hours of proofing?!
I make this babka probably 5x a winter to take skiing. but to keep from getting a sugar crash, i use 25% w.wheat flour and autolase for ~30-40 min before enriching. I use no sugar in the dough, and then for the filling use a mix of dates pureed in my cuisinart, date syrup, chopped walnuts and a ton of cinnamon! I use maple syrup for the glaze, sometimes infused with cardamon. Its a big hit on the tours!
Thank you for your site!!
That sounds delicious, Stacy!
As a general rule with your recipes, which ones are considered definitive–the online versions here or the ones published in your book?
Same question. Well said.
See reply above, Kari!
They should be very similar if not identical. If there are any differences, go with the book, it’s the latest version. (I’m in the process of now updating my website to match my book 🙂).
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your attention to detail and the step by step descriptions you provide. It’s an excellent guide to bread baking. I have over 300 cookbooks, probably close to 25 books on bread baking alone, and your book, a recent purchase, has already become one of my favorites. I’m looking forward to baking through it.
That means so much, thank you, I really appreciate that! Have fun with it, lots to dig into 🙂