Grape leaves, olive and kaskaval babka

DIRECTIONS

• If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST, skip to instruction number 2.
  If you’re using INSTANT YEAST, put flour, yeast and sugar in a stand mixer’s bowl fitted with the dough hook and mix with a fork. Turn mixer on medium-low speed and mix for a minute. Add eggs and milk and continue to mix for about 2 minutes, until well incorporated. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the flour from the sides using a spatula and continue to mix. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough, then add salt. Continue to knead on medium-low speed for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed.
  Skip to instruction number 3.
• If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST you need to proof it first. Put ⅓ cup warm milk, the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in a glass and stir briefly. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it visibly foams.
  Use a stand mixer with the dough hook to make the dough. Put flour, yeast mixture, the rest of the sugar and the rest of the milk in the mixer’s bowl. Turn mixer on medium-low speed and mix for 1 minutes. Add eggs and continue to mix for about 2 minutes, until well incorporated. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the flour from the sides using a spatula and continue to mix. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, mixing until it’s incorporated into the dough, then add salt. Continue to knead on medium-low speed for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed.
• Spray a large bowl with oil. Use a spatula to transfer dough into the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature, preferably in a warm space (near the oven, for example) until dough almost double in volume, about 2 hours.
• Generously butter a 9” springform cake pan (10” would work as well) and sprinkling bottom and sides with parmesan. Set aside.
• Cover grape leaves with cold water in a saucepan, bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and cook for a couple of minutes until wilted. Transfer to a colander until it cools down, then squeeze all the water out of the leaves and chop them. Set aside.
• Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin.
• Transfer dough to working surface, dust with a little flour and roll to a rectangle of about 20 inch by 15 inch. Spread butter all over, then sprinkle with chopped grape leaves, oregano, olives, feta, and kaskaval.
• Roll up dough into a long log, starting from the long side. Gently cut log into 7-8 short logs (about 3 inches each) and transfer them, standing up, into the pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until dough is about doubled in volume. (In the photos below you can see the dough before and after rising in the pan.)
• Turn oven to 325 F degrees.
• Mix egg yolk and water and gently brush the top of the babka with the mixture.
• Bake babka for about 50 minutes, until golden and just almost firm in the center (do not over-bake it!) Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. You can always reheat for a few minutes in a 325 degrees oven.