This is an Eastern European bread, rather sweet and cake-like, traditionally baked at
Easter and other holidays. Everyone’s grandmother (babci, babca) had her own recipe,
which she would defend as the only ‘true’ babka. This recipe is based on what my own
grandmother (a Carpathian Russian) had made for decades. I tweaked it for the particular
tastes of my own family.
The process: We make a rich mixture of milk, eggs, butter, yeast, and sugar, then add
flour to make a soft, kneadable dough. We work in the raisins, let the dough rise once in
a bowl, then a second time in the loaf pans. It bakes for 30 to 40 minutes.
Time: From start to baked loaves, about four hours. (Or, about an hour one day, an
overnight rise in the fridge, then two hours the next day.)
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Hardware
Two 9x5 loaf pans, glass, metal, or stoneware
Two big mixing bowls, wooden spoon or stout spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
The Liquids
In a large mixing bowl, blend together:
2 cups whole milk, warmed to about body temperature or so. (At least take the chill off it.)
5 egg yolks, no whites
! cup sugar
" stick melted butter
1 tablespoon salt
! teaspoon vanilla extract
To this mixture, add two packages of yeast. Sprinkle in and let stand for a minute or two to dissolve.
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Then mix in more flour, about a handful at a time, to create a soft dough. (You may need to abandon the spoon
and use your hands.)
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Add just enough flour to form a shaggy, slightly sticky dough that you can just about pick up.
In general, softer and stickier is better than stiff and dry.
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Empty the dough onto the floured surface. Sprinkle more flour atop the dough. Coat your hands with flour.
To knead, flatten the dough with the heels of your hands. Then fold it over on itself, give it a quarter turn, then
flatten it again. Flatten, fold, turn. Or use whatever kneading technique you like. Continue.
If the dough sticks to your hands or the countertop, sprinkle on just enough flour to make it handleable. Don’t
work in too much flour and stiffen the dough. After about five minutes, the dough will become satiny and
elastic, and feel alive under your hands. The time is not critical. Flatten the dough into a rough oval, and let it
rest while to you tend to the raisins.
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Raisins
Pour off the water from the raisins, and pat them with a paper towel to remove excess water. They will be
plump and soft.
Knead the dough for a minute or two to work in the raisins. If some raisins try to escape, just tuck them back
in. Eventually they’ll stay.
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Form your dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Then flip the dough over, so the uppermost surface is
coated with butter. This prevents the dough from crusting over during the rising.
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Cover the bowl with a towel, and leave it in a warm place (such as the oven with just the light on) for about an
hour.
Or, place the covered bowl in the fridge overnight, and continue the next day. In the cold, it will take the
dough 8-10 hours to rise.
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After an hour or so, the dough will rise to double its original size. Sort of like this.
To see if it has risen enough, poke two fingers deep into the dough. If the holes remain, and don’t spring back,
the dough is ready.
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Turn the risen dough onto a well-floured work surface. Knead a few strokes to press out the bubbles. Divide in
two. Form loaves by pressing the dough into a rough oval. . . .
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Pinch the seams together and drop into the loaf pan. (The loaves won’t fill the pans, but they will rise again.) If
any raisins pop out of the dough, pick them off. They will burn in the oven.
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Cover the pans with a towel and return to the warm place for about an hour.
The dough should be about 1 inch above the rim of the pan. (Not to worry, they will rise still more in the oven.)
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In a small bowl, beat one egg, 1 Tablespoon milk, and one drop of Vanilla extract.
Now slide the loaf pans onto middle shelf of the oven.
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If they begin to brown unevenly, just rotate the pans every ten minutes or so, to even out the browning.
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They are done when the loaves are a rich glossy brown, and have firm hollow sound
when tapped. Or they look like Babka. If in doubt, bake five more minutes. Five
minutes over is better than five minutes too little.
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Remove from oven, and tilt the loaves out of the pans. If they’re reluctant to come out, run a knife around the
edges of the pan to release them. (And use more butter next time.)
Let the loaves cool on a wire rack before slicing or storing in plastic bags.
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Eat.