In 2018, Bon Appetit magazine declared that babka is the new bagel, meaning it is finely making its way to the masses. We can only rejoice, and maybe thank Uri Scheft of Breads bakery in New York, for making this beloved cake even better, and therefore more popular.

Jewish-American babka has Polish roots (babka meaning small grandmother), although the non-Jewish babka is a simple tall yeast cake that’s baked in a kugelhupf pan without any filling. The Jewish babka is a twisted filled yeast dough made with a simple relatively lean dough.

In Israel, yeast strudels became popular through Hungarian bakeries and cafes which offered traditional versions of poppyseed or cinnamon and raisins filled rolls. Those cakes, which have their roots in the Austro-Hungarian tradition, as well as Russian, Polish and other Eastern European countries, became so popular that you can still find them in every supermarket, as well as in coffee shops and bakeries all over the country.

But this delectable yeast pastry’s appeal did not stop there.

In recent years, a version of the German hefekranz, a braided cake baked in a round shape (kranz means a wreath), or simply kranz, made its way to the shelves of Israeli bakeries. The only thing left from the original German braided cake in its Israeli version was just that, the braiding. But the term “kranz” became synonymous with a braided cake of laminated yeast dough, filled with a variety of fillings. Laminated dough is a very rich yeast dough that basically combines the techniques of yeast dough and puff pastry. It is very time consuming since to the already long process of making yeast dough you need to add a few steps of folding the dough with cold butter. These days, any braided yeast cake in Israel claims the name kranz but the real ones are undeniably rich, very tasty and will stay fresh for longer thanks to all that butter.

To make things simpler for the home baker, chefs came up with recipes for butter-rich yeast dough that does not require all the folding. It is not as flaky and light as the original laminated dough but it is still very rich and in that sense very different from the American babka. (And, some would argue, superior to it.) My version is below.

Halva and Chocolate babka

Recipe by Vered GuttmanCourse: Cakes and cookiesCuisine: Jewish, Ashkenazi, IsraeliDifficulty: Difficult

Yields

inch babka

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

Rising time

hours

Total time

hours

minutes

This recipe brings the much loved chocolate babka to Israel, with the addition of halva.
I highly recommend using SAF Instant yeast (it’s available online and can keep for months in the fridge.)
When using instant yeast, you should skip the process of proofing the yeast.
If you’re using active dry yeast, start the recipe by proofing the yeast and continue as usual.

This recipe makes either two 8” x 4½” loafs or one 9” round cake.

INGREDIENTS

For the dough
1 lb. all purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
1 tablespoons instant yeast (or active dry yeast) See note above
½ cup sugar plus more for the pan
2 large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
⅔ cups warm milk
10 tablespoons soft butter plus more for greasing
Grated zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For chocolate-halva filling
6 tablespoons soft butter
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder (optional)
Pinch salt
6 oz. halva, crumbled
½ cup milk chocolate chips
For brushing
1 egg, beaten
For glazing
½ cup sugar
½ cup water

DIRECTIONS

If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST, skip to instruction number 2.
If you’re using INSTANT YEAST, make the dough using a stand mixer with the dough hook. Put flour and yeast in the mixer’s bowl and mix with a fork. Add sugar, then 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, then add lemon zest and salt. Turn speed to medium-low and mix for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed. The dough is very soft, but don’t be tempted to add more flour into in.
Skip to instruction number 3.
If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST you need to proof it first. Put ½ 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.
To make the dough use a stand mixer with the dough hook. Put flour in the bowl and make a well in the center. To the well add yeast mixture, the rest of the sugar, eggs and the rest of the milk and mix for about 3 minutes on medium-low speed, 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, then add lemon zest and salt. Turn speed to medium-low and mix for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed. The dough is very soft, but don’t be tempted to add more flour into in.
Remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a spatula, transfer dough into a lightly greased large bowl (I use Pam spray,) cover in 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 1 hour.
Check the dough, on a hot day it may be too soft at this point, and therefore hard to work with. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling.
In the meantime make the filling. In a large bowl mix butter, sugar, cocoa powder (if using) and salt. Set aside.
Generously butter two 8” x 4½” loaf pans or one 9” cake pan and sprinkle sugar at the bottom. Shake and discard any excess sugar.
Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin.
If you want to make one large round babka (as in the photo) jump to instructions number 14.
If you’re making two loaf size babkas, divide dough into 2 (the dough weighs about 2 pounds, so divide it into two 1 pound portions). Sprinkle dough with a little flour and roll into an approximately 10 inch by 15 inch rectangle.
Spread half the butter-sugar mixture all over using an icing spatula, then sprinkle with half the halva and half the chocolate chips.
Roll up dough jelly-roll style, starting with the short side.
Gently cut the log in half lengthwise, leaving the top connected.
Twist both sides over each other, making sure the cut side is on top and carefully transfer into the loaf pan. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
If you’re making one round babka you can either make a braided one or “roses” shaped one, as instructed below. In either case, start by rolling the dough into about 20” x 15” rectangle.
Spread butter-sugar mixture, sprinkle with halva and chocolate chips and roll up into a long log, starting from the long side.
For a braided round babka, cut the log into two and braid the two halves with each other (as shown on instruction number 12.) Transfer the braid into the pan in a round shape.
For a “roses” shape babka, gently cut long into 7-9 short logs (about 3 inches each) and transfer them, standing up, into a 9” round spring form.
Cover with towel and let rise in a warm place in your kitchen for about 1 hour.
Oven to 325 F degrees. Brush babkas with beaten egg. Bake babka loafs for 45-50 minutes, and round babka cake for about 60 minutes, until golden-brown on top. It’s important not to over-bake the babkas, as they will dry on the inside. Touch the surface in the center of the babka to make sure it’s almost stable, but not completely firm.
While babkas are baking, prepare the glazing. Put sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to boil, reduce to low simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool.
Brush sugar glaze over babkas, just as they come out of the oven. Do not soak them with the sugar syrup, just make sure the top is covered with it, which will help them stay moist. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for at least thirty minutes (if you can) before serving.
Alternative babka fillings for the dough recipe above
Chocolate filling
Melt 8 tablespoons (4 oz.) butter and 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate with a pinch of salt. Spread over dough. Sprinkle with ½ cup chocolate chips.
Cinnamon and hazelnuts
Mix 8 tablespoons butter with 4 tablespoons cinnamon and ¾ cup sugar. Spread over dough. sprinkle with ½ cup golden raisins and ½ cup chopped roasted hazelnuts.