Cinnamon Babkacooks Country Recipes

Steps:

• FOR THE FILLING: Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside 1 tablespoon filling.
• FOR THE DOUGH: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Grease large bowl. Whisk milk, egg yolks, and vanilla together in 1-cup liquid measuring cup.
• Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed until combined. Slowly add milk mixture and mix until dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium-low and add butter, 1 piece at a time, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in turned-off oven until dough has risen slightly, about 1 hour. Place in refrigerator until dough is firm and has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
• Line 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over edges. Punch down dough on lightly floured counter. Roll out dough to 20 by 14-inch rectangle. Spread all but 1 tablespoon reserved filling over dough, leaving ½-inch border around edges. Working from short side, roll dough into cylinder and pinch along seam to seal. Position cylinder seam side up and roll back and forth until stretched to 18-inch length. Spread reserved filling over top of cylinder. Fold cylinder on top of itself and pinch ends to seal. Gently twist double cylinder twice to form double figure eight. Place shaped dough seam side down in prepared pan, cover loosely with plastic, and let rise in turned-off oven until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Lightly beat whole egg in bowl. Remove loaf from oven and discard plastic. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush loaf with beaten egg. Bake until deep golden brown and loaf registers 190 degrees, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve.
• TO MAKE AHEAD: Instead of letting dough rise in step 4, cover shaped loaf with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
• **Once you've added the butter in step 3, if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl after five minutes of mixing, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of extra flour. The test kitchen's favorite loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a standard 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking the babka for doneness after 40 minutes.

Steps:

• Cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are creamy. Mix the yeast in warm water with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. When this thickens, add it to the egg yolks with the vanilla and salt.
• Combine the milk with the egg yolks and the creamed butter and sugar. Begin adding the flour until a soft dough is formed. Stir in the raisins until they are evenly distributed. Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky.
• Cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm place until it doubles.
• Butter a 3-quart pan and shape the dough into it. Allow the dough to rise again for about 2 hours.
• For the topping, cream the cinnamon, sugar and butter, then mix in the egg, milk, and the flour. Coat the top of the dough with this topping and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water, sprinkle the yeast over it, and let stand until softened.
• FOR THE SPONGE: Combine dissolved yeast with the lukewarm milk and 1 cup of flour.
• Beat well, cover, and allow the sponge to rise in a warm place until light and bubbly.
• Beat the eggs with the salt, add the sugar gradually, and continue beating.
• Beat in the butter and lemon rind.
• Combine this mixture with the sponge.
• Stir in the flour and KNEAD IN THE BOWL for about 10 minutes.
• This dough should be slightly thicker than for the usual babka mixture.
• Knead in the raisins.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
• Punch down, knead a few times, and let it rise again.
• Butter tall, round baking pans (or coffee cans) with soft butter sprinkling them lightly with fine bread crumbs and fill them ONE-THIRD FULL.
• I like to use greased parchment paper on the bottom and sides of pan.
• For this recipe you will need about 2 or 3 large coffee cans.
• If you are going to use smaller cans, you will need more of them and use your judgment to how many you will need.
• Adjust baking time for the smaller cans.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough reaches the brim of the pan.
• Brush the loaves with a beaten egg diluted with 2 Tablespoons of milk or water.
• Bake in a moderately hot oven (400 degrees F) for about 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F.
• ,and continue baking for 40 minutes longer, or until done.
• Avoid browning the top too deeply.
• If necessary, cover with aluminum foil.
• Remove the baked loaves from the oven and let them stand in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Tip each loaf very gently from the pan onto a cloth-covered pillow.
• Do not cool the loaves on a hard surface.
• This is extremely important.
• Careless handling of the baked babka may cause it to fall or settle.
• As the loaves are cooling, change their position very gently a few times to prevent settling.
• If desired, the cooled loaves may be iced or glazed and decorated with bakers' confetti.
• This is the custom in the old country.
• Babka is always sliced in rounds across the loaf.
• The sliced bottom crust serves as a protective cover, and it is put back to prevent the loaf from drying.
• BABKA WITH PUMPKIN: This is a very old recipe, but it is worth preserving.
• Mashed pumpkin imparts a mellow, yellow color to babka and keeps it fresh and soft for days.
• A fewer number of eggs is required when pumpkin is used.
• Follow the preceding recipe for Country Babka.
• Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/2 cup of orange juice and about 4 eggs.
• Add enough flour to give a soft dough.

Steps:

• For the dough: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When the oven reaches 200 degrees, shut off. Line 13-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil and medium bowl.
• Whisk milk and yeast in measuring cup until yeast dissolves, then whisk in eggs. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add warm milk mixture in steady stream and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium, and add butter, one piece at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto clean surface and knead to form a smooth, round ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• For the filling: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 18-inch square, spread with 4T butter, and sprinkle evenly with filling. Starting with the edge nearest you, roll dough into tight cylinder, pinch lightly to seal seam, and cut into 8 pieces. Transfer pieces, cut-side up, to prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size.
• For the glaze, and to bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar on medium bowl until smooth.
• Discard plastic wrap from buns and bake until deep golden brown and filling is melted, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and top buns with 1/2 cup glaze. Cool 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift buns from pan and top with remaining glaze. Serve.
• Make ahead: After transferring pieces to prepared pan in step 3, buns can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 24 hours. When ready to bake, let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove plastic wrap and continue with step 4 as directed.

Steps:

• Filling/Topping: Combine the ingredients in a small bowl ,breaking up any clumps. Cover till needed.
• Dough: Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Whisk milk, melted butter, and yolks in a measuring cup. Mix 1/4 cup of the cinnamon mixture, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn mixer to low and slowly add the milk mixture. After dough comes together increase speed to medium and mix the dough until smooth and comes away from the bowl(About 5-6 minutes). If dough seems too sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more flour during kneading. Turn out onto an unfloured surface. Knead in the raisins by hand until evenly distributed. Form into a smooth round ball, and place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled. (Do not place in warm oven or sugar in dough will melt.).
• Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, press dough into a 20 x 8 inch rectangle, with the short side facing you. Using a spray bottle filled with water, lightly spray the dough evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar over the dough, leaving a 2 inch border along the top to seal. Lightly spray the cinnamon sugar with the water until damp but not wet(this is to seal the sugar to the bare dough on both sides). Roll up from the edge nearest you, and ending at the sugarless end. Pinch to seal. Place in the loaf pan seam side down. Let rise another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt remaining butter and brush over top of dough. Sprinkle with remaining sugar, and bake until top is deep brown and internal temperature is 185 to 190 degrees, about 45 to 60 minutes. Turn bread out and cool on wire rack before slicing. ( can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.).