Did you know that the traditional flavor for this delicious Jewish bread is actually cinnamon and not chocolate? You'll love the soft, fluffy texture and yummy flavor in this epic cinnamon babka.
Love sweet breads? You'll definitely want to try our recipes for kanellängd and a Swedish tea ring.
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About
Babka is a Jewish sweet bread originating in Poland or Ukraine and is typically filled with a paste made from cinnamon, butter, sugar, and flour. The bread is twisted into a beautiful shape and baked in a loaf pan.
The name babka literally means "little grandmother" and was often baked in a pan that resembled the shape of an old woman's skirt. The word itself comes from a Slavic language (likely either Polish or Ukrainian in origin).
Ingredients
Fortunately, cinnamon babka doesn't take any unusual ingredients. You probably have almost all of these already in your pantry or fridge.
- Bread Flour: I recommend using King Arthur bread flour for this recipe, as it has a higher protein content. Do not use all-purpose here, as it lacks the protein content necessary for a high-rising, delightfully fluffy bread.
- Liquids: I use a 50-50 mixture by volume of milk and water, but you can use 100% water or milk if you prefer. (Keep in mind that the brand of flour you use, the protein content it has, and the humidity will affect how much liquid you need to add to the dough.)
- Yeast: Use fast-action (aka instant) instead of active dry so you can skip the 10-minute blooming in warm liquid and sugar that active dry requires. (Fresh yeast isn't available where I live, but you can use that as well.)
- Filling: This is a simple paste made from brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and flour. The flour helps prevent gaps in the bread later, so don't skip it. Be sure to use good-quality cinnamon such as Saigon for the best flavor.
- Syrup: A simple syrup of granulated sugar and water is brushed on the babka once it comes out of the oven to improve its moisture and to help it keep fresh longer.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Don't like cinnamon? Swap it for cardamom.
- Vegan? Use vegan butter in the dough and filling, plant-based milk, and two flax eggs in the dough to make vegan cinnamon babka.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients for our cinnamon babka recipe.
- Stir the salt and yeast into the flour, making sure that the salt doesn't touch the yeast. Mix in the sugar, eggs and egg yolk, and softened butter.
- Gradually add the warm milk and water to form a soft dough, then cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
3. Knead with the dough hook until the dough passes the windowpane test, about 2-3 minutes. (See the recipe card for a description of this technique.)
4. Cover and let the babka dough rise in the fridge for at least 8 hours but no more than 24 hours.
5. Mix up the filling ingredients to form a smooth paste.
6. Let the dough warm up for 1 hour, then punch it down and roll it into a 9x24-inch rectangle. Spread the filling on top, roll into a log, and pinch the ends and seam to seal.
7. Split the log in half lengthwise, then turn the lengths filling side up and twist them together.
8. Place the babka in a parchment-lined loaf pan, cover, and let rise until the dough slowly springs back when prodded with a fingertip, about 1 hour.
9. Bake the cinnamon babka at 350°F for 50 minutes, covering it with foil after 20 minutes if it starts to get dark. Brush with the simple syrup and let it cool in the tin for 15 minutes before allowing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Once the cinnamon babka has cooled, slice it and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Babka is a Jewish bread that originated in Poland and Ukraine but has gained great popularity among Jews and Gentiles alike in the United States. It is also a popular treat in Israel.
Cinnamon babka tastes almost exactly like a fluffy cinnamon roll. It is sweet, buttery, and has a light texture, which makes it hard to stop eating. The bread is very soft even after baking, which makes it especially mouth watering.
Enjoying babka at breakfast, for dessert, or with coffee and tea are all great ways to eat this tasty sweet bread. You can serve it plain or spread it with butter.
My cinnamon babka recipe makes one large loaf, which is usually cut into twelve slices. Each slice of that size contains 404 calories, 16g fat, 59g carbs, 27g sugars, and 7g protein. For the full nutrition facts, scroll to the bottom of the recipe card.
Serve
If you're looking for other sweet bread recipes, make sure to try our mouthwatering recipes for vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, kardemummabullar (Swedish cardomom buns), kozunak (Bulgarian Easter bread), pulla (Finnish cardamom bread), and cinnamon raisin rolls.
Expert Tips
- Don't skip the 30-minute rest. This helps the dough have a better rise and texture and reduces the kneading time.
- Don't omit the flour from the filling. This ingredient helps the dough stick to the filling as it rises and bakes, preventing big gaps inside. You can reduce gaps even further by brushing the dough with egg wash before spreading on the filling.
- Want two loaves of cinnamon babka instead of one? Divide the dough into two pieces after it's warmed up on Day #2, roll into smaller rectangles, then proceed with the recipe as written. You will need to shorten the baking time by probably 15-20 minutes.
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Recipe
Cinnamon Babka
Ingredients
For the Dough
- ½ cup whole milk, 120 ml
- ½ cup filtered water, 120 ml
- 4 ⅛ cups bread flour, such as King Arthur (500g)
- 3 teaspoons fast-action yeast, 10g
- 2 teaspoons table salt, 10g
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 66g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (144g)
For the Filling
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (200g)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 15g
- 4 teaspoons ground Saigon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (58g)
For the Syrup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, 50g
- ¼ cup filtered water, 60 ml
Instructions
Day #1: Make the Dough
- Pour the milk and water into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture reaches 115°F, stirring frequently.
- Dump the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl, then stir in each one with your finger. Keeping the salt separate from the yeast prevents it from killing the yeast.
- Add the sugar, eggs and yolk, and softened butter and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until a dry, clumpy mixture forms. Gradually trickle in the warm milk and water mixture to form a soft, flexible, but not sticky dough. (I only used ⅔-¾ cup of the mixture, but the exact amount needed will vary based on the brand of flour, its protein content, and the humidity.)
- Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Use the hook to knead the dough on medium-low speed until it passes the windowpane test, about 2-3 minutes. The windowpane test means that you can stretch a lump of dough thin enough for it to be translucent without tearing. If it fails the test, knead for 1 minute longer and check again.
- Shape the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Let it prove in the fridge for at least 8 hours. (I left mine in the fridge for almost 21 hours, but don't go beyond 24 hours.) During this stage, the dough will rise, but harden up quite a bit. This long, slow prove builds a great flavor in the dough and makes it easier to handle later.
Day #2: Making the Babka
- Place the bowl of chilled dough in a warm place for 1 hour to make the dough warmer and more pliable.
- While the dough is warming, prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl to form a smooth paste. If it is too dry to spread easily, add an extra tablespoon of softened butter.
- Punch down the dough and roll it out into a 9x24-inch rectangle. Spread the filling on the dough, leaving a border one inch all the way around.
- Roll the dough into a tight log like a roulade, starting from one of the long sides. Pinch the seam and ends to seal.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the log in half lengthwise, then turn the two halves so the filling faces upwards. Twist the two lengths together, keeping the filling side up.
- Place the bread in a parchment-lined 9x5-inch loaf pan, tucking the ends under, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the loaf rise until it has crowned above the edge of the pan and slowly springs back when prodded with a fingertip, about 1 hour at room temperature.
- About 30 minutes before the loaf is done proving, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the babka at 350°F for 50 minutes. It should be well browned and have an internal temperature of 190°F on a meat thermometer when it's done. Check it frequently and cover with foil after the first 20 minutes if it starts getting dark.
- While the babka is baking, combine the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Brush the babka with all of the sugar syrup. While this step is optional, it does improve the babka’s moisture and helps it stay fresh longer.
- Let the babka cool for 15 minutes in the tin. Remove it from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely, about 1½-2 hours. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Don't skip the 30-minute rest. This helps the dough have a better rise and texture and reduces the kneading time.
- Don't omit the flour from the filling. This ingredient helps the dough stick to the filling as it rises and bakes, preventing big gaps inside. You can reduce gaps even further by brushing the dough with egg wash before spreading on the filling.
- Want two loaves instead of one? Divide the dough into two pieces after it's warmed up on Day #2, roll into smaller rectangles, then proceed with the recipe as written. You will need to shorten the baking time by probably 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Our cinnamon babka recipe was originally posted on September 3, 2021.
Alex
The babka tastes like a cinnamon roll, and the crust is chewy and sweet. Yum! It is so soft and light.
Emma
Thanks, Alex! I definitely agree that this babka tastes like a cinnamon roll.
Beth
This is a delicious bread that is so soft and chewy. It tastes just like a cinnamon roll, but even better. It is buttery and light.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! I'm glad that you enjoyed this so much.