Babka, Bubka and the Holidays (edited)!
I started baking today and thought I would make a couple loaves of babka. Of course I started and didn't realize I did not have everything. I had no almond paste, no milk powder, or corn syrup. I ran to the store, actually 4 of them and not one had almond paste. Well, I decided (this recipe calls for almond paste, which I love!) I would substitue because I have a recipe that calls for pound cake crumbs. Made it home and then realized someone had eaten the rest of the poundcake. Anyway, I had no filling but my dough was rising. I made a filling out of Sugar Cookies crumbled, orange marmalade, oh yea, I was out of apricot preserves too, almonds, butter and cinnamon. It turned out pretty good as I don't like it too sweet anyway. I didn't put much in there to begin with. I made four but two are Orange marmalade and two are chocolate. I will freeze two and eat two.
I had some issues with rolling and even division of the dough so two are catywonkus in size and shape.
Babka roll
Finish
This recipe is based on Marcy Goldman's recipe. I made some changes and didn't use as much flour. I could have as this doug is tacky to sticky but once it bulk ferments it is workable. Great to refrigerate overnight. This isn't a really sweet babka, I guess it could be depending on the filling.
edit:
Here is the Chocolate! It is one of my favorites too! This is the one that suffered from less dough.
Chocolate Babka
Eli
Comments
Yum. That looks wonderful!
Eli, these are so deliscious looking...I love the chocolate one...but have a weakness for anything almond...I keep almond flour..meal...which is basically ground up almonds...I buy it by the bag at trader joe's and keep it in the freezer....it makes a wonderful easy almond paste always handy..it's almond flour,honey or sugar, egg whites mixed together..pretty easy and handy...I try to avoid corn syrup all together because it's so very unhealthy and raises your blood sugar fast. I like the mixture you came up with..sounds very nice and not to sweet!
Happy Holidays, Sylvia
Do you know how Goldman's recipe compares with Maggie Glezer's?
I made Glezer's version once. The dough was very good, but her instructions for the filling were ambiguous, and I ended up using too much - Waaaay too sweet for my taste.
I need to return to the babka project. Yours sure are tempting.
David
Thanks! Maggie Glezer's is much sweeter. Actually I read in a Q&A that she admitted it was sweet and if she were going to cut the sugar she would start with the filling. This one has a very light textured dough, baked it has a crispiness to it similar to a pastry. It isn't very sweet and that is what I like. I don't even like glazed doughnuts, too much sugar. However, with this one I like the filling but I also like trying less sweet fillings.
And thank you, everyone!
Eli
www.elisfoods.wordpress.com
After I sent my reply, I found that you had actually posted Goldman's recipe in a reply to my Babka topic. I'll have to give it a try.
David
Here is the chocolate filling I used for the choc one. It isin't very sweet and I like it.
chocolate cinnamon filling
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
3 tablespoons unsweetened powdered cocoa
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pecans chopped
(I add pecans to mine too)
www.elisfoods.wordpress.com
David,
I know you were looking for a babka recipe, and I found this one. I couldn't find the post where you requested it, so I'll put it here.
http://foodgeeks.com/recipes/recipe/20660,ukrainian_sourdough_babka_with_variations.phtml
Marni
Less dough = more chocolate! I LOve sweet gooey babka. Yours look great!
Marni