Blueberry-Lemon Babka
Springtime!
Birds chirping, flowers blooming, a surprise N’oreaster in April…Just kidding (I hope).
Warmer weather is upon us, at least that’s the goal. And with that brings light, fresh, and delicious desserts. Although to be fair, babka is certainly not exclusive to being an after dinner treat and would be just as good at any time of day for any occasion. If you’d never had babka, it’s a kind of sweet bread with Eastern European origins. It’s a yeasted loaf, similar to brioche, that is split into two halves to be braided together. I’ve also seen a more bundt-cakier version which also looks amazing, but for today, we’re sticking with the braided loaf.
In the past I’ve made a cranberry-orange babka, and I’ve seen so many chocolate babka recipes out there that look so decadent and tasty. For this time though, I felt like doing something a little lighter and more springy. What better way to kick off the season of warm weather recipes than with Blueberry-Lemon Babka! I’m a sucker for blueberry-lemon anything, so it didn’t really take a lot of arm-twisting on my part.
This recipe is a blend of a few different ones I found. For the filling, you can certainly make your own jam, but I decided not to do that this time. This can also be made with a streusel top, but I opted to go without. Most of the recipes I looked through also had a syrup to brush the loaf with when it comes out of the oven, but I decided not to do that either. This is partly because I thought the blueberry preserves I used would get sticky when it was baking, and I was right! Getting this loaf out of the pan was a little tricky, so be careful when you turn it out.
There are so many flavor combinations you can use, but this one is one of my favorites. This recipe is great for Easter, brunch, or even Mother’s Day in a few weeks!
-S
Ingredients:
For the dough
2 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2tsp yeast
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature & sliced into tablespoons
For the filling
1 cup blueberry preserves
1 tbs lemon zest
2 tsps cinnamon
Method:
**Note: this recipe requires the dough to chill overnight in the fridge!
Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer.
With the dough hook attachment, mix in eggs, milk and vanilla until it comes together.
With the mixer on low, add the salt then the butter, one tablespoon at a time until it’s fully incorporated. Run the mixer at medium speed for 7-10 minutes until the dough is completely smooth. Add another 1-2 tbs of flour if the dough gets too sticky.
Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. It won’t double in size, so if it doesn’t look like it has grown a ton, that’s okay!
When the dough is ready, roll out on a floured surface to a 10x12 rectangle (ish)
In a small bowl, mix together the blueberry preserves, cinnamon, and 1 tbs lemon zest. Spread a thin layer of filling over the top of the dough, leaving half an inch border around the perimeter of the rectangle.
Starting at one of the shorter ends, roll the dough tightly away from you (like cinnamon rolls). Use a sharp knife to cut down the length of the center of the dough log so you now have two pieces.
Twist the two pieces around each other, top-to-bottom, like a two-stranded braid, and then into the prepped loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 1.5-2 hours.
When you’re dough is ready, preheat oven to 350 °. Bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes, or when the internal temperature reaches 180°. I ended up sticking my thermometer in 2 or 3 spots since the preserves were probably hotter than everything else.
Leave in the pan to cool for 5-10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire cooling rack.
Let it cool a little before slicing, and enjoy!
