Sweet, delicious, gooey cinnamon babka!
A wonderful recipe, taken from Shannon Sarna’s book Modern Jewish Baker.
I’ve been following Shannon Sarna’s amazing looking breads, cakes, babka and other delicious recipes online for a while, so I was thrilled to have them all together in one handy book!
Surprise and delight!
When I first opened the book and had a riffle through it, I found it was not at all as I imagined. Instead of dozens of different recipes for umpteen kinds of bakes, the recipes are divided into just seven categories of dough, namely
- challah
- babka
- bagels
- rugelach
- hamantaschen
- pita bread
- matzah
And that’s it – just seven types of bake… plus of course DOZENS of creative and mouthwatering variations! There are also ideas on how to use leftovers (if there are any) and what to serve alongside. Plus fillings, toppings, tricks, techniques, and inspiration to create your own unique flavours using the book as a guide.
So many choices!
I decided to try and make babka. I turned to the relevant chapter and was faced with the choice of chocolate babka, cinnamon babka, s’mores babka, tropical babka, peanut butter and jelly babka, and three different savoury babkas! Oh my!
Help and guidance
Each chapter has an introduction and guidance about ‘how the dough should feel’. It includes notes on rising, storage, the best kinds of flour for each bake, and the essential tools that will be required.
There are clear photographic illustrations showing how to roll, fold, braid, cut, fill and shape the various breads, cakes and cookies. All-in-all it feels like Shannon is almost there in the kitchen holding your hand and guiding you towards perfect results.
Have faith!
Never having made a cinnamon babka (or indeed any babka) before, I was quite nervous as my dough seemed to be extremely soft and more than a little sticky. Normally, I would probably have added more flour and tried to ‘correct’ it. However, having read Shannon’s introduction and directions carefully, I put my faith in her recipe and simply followed it to the letter.
I was rewarded with the most amazing cinnamon babka! By the time the dough had proved it was silky, smooth and beautiful, and rolled out like a dream. My cinnamon babkas looked fabulous going into the oven, smelled incredible while they baked, and came out looking divine.
I can’t believe these are my first ever babkas – just look at those swirls! Thanks Shannon!
Cinnamon babka – taste test
My daughter Kipper and I taste-tested the cinnamon babka for our elevenses, and blimey it was delicious! Soft, sweet, fluffy, rich, gooey, decadently cinnamony, and incredibly moreish. I had meant to stick to one slice each but neither of us could resist a second. YUM!
Very American
If I have one niggle with the book, it’s that it is unashamedly American. (Both babka and rugelach are fairly recent additions to the British Jewish baking repertoire, but have a much longer history in the USA.) The recipes give measurements only in cups, tablespoons etc, so there is an amount of conversion to do to turn them into grams and millilitres.
I think I found this particularly annoying as Shannon several times calls for a kitchen scale to accurately divide the dough into equal parts. If you have a scale there, why not use it to weigh the ingredients?! No doubt my copy will be full of pencil annotations to the measurements in the fullness of time.
Overall though, this is a gorgeous book. Every photograph in it is either informative, mouthwatering, or usually, both. The recipes are clear and accessible, and the layout of the book makes it easy to use. Shannon’s fun and interesting introductions give a real flavour of her personality and background, and her journey to becoming an obsessive Jewish baker.
Try it yourself
If you’d also like to try out the cinnamon babka, here is the recipe, reproduced with permission. I decided to make a babka, because
- it’s not something I’ve made before, and
- a stuffed loaf overflowing with rich filling seemed like a perfect Succot treat.
I chose cinnamon babka because it’s one of my favourite flavours, so if you want the recipe for a chocolate babka, you’ll just have to buy the book!
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📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Babka
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
- 70 g (+ ½ tsp) sugar
- 110 ml lukewarm water
- 575g g unbleached all-purpose flour 4 ½ cups
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 110 ml whole or 2% milk (or almond milk)
- 170 g unsalted butter or margarine, melted
- 2 eggs
For the sugar syrup
- 150 ml water
- 200 g sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the filling
- 170 g unsalted butter, melted
- 300 g sugar
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Place the yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Add the lukewarm water and stir gently to mix. Set aside until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the flour, ⅓ cup sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
- In a medium saucepan, scald the milk (bring almost to a boil, until milk is just simmering.) Allow to sit for 1 minute to cool just slightly.
- With mixer on low, add the water-yeast mixture, milk, and melted butter. Add eggs one at a time.
- When the dough begins to come together, after 2 to 3 minutes, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides. Raise the speed to high and mix for another 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is shiny, elastic, and smooth. It may seem like a long time to mix, but the result is worth the wait.
- Place dough in a greased bowl with a damp towel on top. Allow to rise 1 to 2 hours.
- Make sugar syrup while the dough is rising: Combine water, sugar, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside and cool. This syrup can be kept in the fridge for 2 to 3 months and makes enough for at least 2 batches of babka (6 medium babkas).
- To make the filling, combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl.
- Prepare three 8½-by-4½-inch greased loaf pans. Note: you can also make two larger round babkas that can be baked on baking sheets.
- Cut the dough into three equal parts (use a food scale for precision). Roll out one part into a rectangle. Spread with one-third of the filling and roll up along the shorter side (to create more swirls inside).
- Once the dough is formed into a swirled log, cut it straight down the middle so the filling is exposed. Cut ½ inch off each end. Layer each cut piece on top of on another and twist. Place in a greased loaf pan.
- Repeat with the other two pieces of babka dough. Lightly drape a kitchen towel over the top of pans. Allow to rise another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) while the dough rises.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Brush each babka with two layers of sugar syrup. Place back in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. The edges should be slightly brown and the middle should be slightly doughy.
- When the babkas come out of the oven, immediately brush each with another 3 light layers of sugar syrup.
- Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a butter knife, loosen sides of the babka from the pan and place on wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More by Shannon Sarna is published by Countryman Press, and is available from Amazon.
More delicious baking recipes
If you like yeasted bakes, you might also like my Chelsea Bun Babka, hot Magen David buns, or vegan chocolate babka.
For more bakes with cinnamon, check out cinnamon and vanilla cookies, cinnamon buns with raisins and maple syrup glaze, or cinnamon-sugar matza nachos – a perfect snack for Passover or anytime!
Since babka is a traditional Jewish bake, I’m linking this up with Inheritance recipes, organised by Pebble Soup and Coffee & Vanilla.
Ruth
Just love this recipe. It is a firm favourite for friends, family & fly off the stall for charity bakes. Makes a great tear & share too
Helen
Thanks Ruth, that’s great to hear! 🙂
rx
Looks wonderful.
Why didn’t you add the American measurements??
Please add, thanks.
Helen
Thanks for your comment. There is a toggle on the recipe just above the ingredients list that lets you switch between metric and US customary measurements. I hope this helps. All the best, Helen.
Jiminy Speilberg
Made these many times. Delicious. However, in a new house with a different oven and new pans and whether coincidence or not, I’ve noticed a caramel-y bottom on these. It sort of liked it, thinking it was the sugar syrup going down the sides, but I now realize it’s a lot of the filling coming out and making caramel at the bottom. Nice until it gets stuck in a molar. Any idea why this is happening? Is it like lamination coming out and the filling needs to be colder? Or should I chill the formed babkas for that second rise before the bake? Thanks. BTW, I don’t think it’s how I’m forming them…they look nice and the cut side (where you can see all the filling) is facing up, just as the videos say to do it.
Helen
Hi Jiminy, thanks for your message. I’ve never experienced what you describe but it does sound like either the filling is leaking out as the babka is baking, or else the syrup is caramelising on the hot pan. In either case, I suspect that your new pans may be the issue. Are they thicker or a different material to the old ones? They may be retaining heat more efficiently and causing the sugar to caramelise more easily. If you still have your old pans, it may be worth doing a test to see if you get this happening when you use them? Otherwise you could try chilling the filling or using a bit less, so there’s less to leak out. Or add less of the syrup in the middle of baking and more at the end, so the syrup has less opportunity to caramelise. I hope this helps! All the best, Helen.
Nene
Hello I’m doing the mini size ( 10 cm )I think for baking the times are reduced right?, and then put them back in the oven for another 15 minutes in the oven with the syrup does not dry the babka? Anyway thanks I let them rest in the fridge and tomorrow I will bake them. Thank you very much
Helen
Hi Nene. I haven’t made them in mini size but you’re right – they will need less baking time. I would bake just until they start to brown, probably about 10-15 minutes, then brush with syrup and put back for maybe 5-10 minutes. Don’t overcook them, it’s better that they’re a little underdone if anything. I hope this helps! All the best, Helen.
Ana
I made this and it was AMAZING 😍 the only thing to note is that sugar caramelized at the bottom so i had to unmold while the pan was hot or else, the caramel would make the bread stick to the pan itself (even if I buttered+floured the pan). Other than that, this recipe is amazing, the whole thing tastes like the center of a cinnamon roll, they are easy to make and delicious! So it’s a win/win/win for me!
Helen
So glad you enjoyed the babka so much! I find that using greaseproof paper to line the pan helps – you can lift it out and then just peel the paper off. I hope this helps! All the best, Helen.
Kate
Hi!
I’m making this for my Jewish MIL and have never made babka before. Do you happen to know if I were to substitute gluten free flour if that would be okay? Just want to make sure it is perfect for her!
It looks amazing!
Helen
Hi Kate,
Sorry, but I don’t think this would work so well with gluten-free flour 🙁
The dough is yeast-raised and is almost like a soft bread dough. If you have a gluten-free blend specifically for making bread/yeast doughs, then by all means try, but I can’t guarantee the results. Sorry.
All the best, Helen x.
Jennifer Robinson
This was such an awesome recipe. I now have to order the book. The only thing I did differently, was to do the first rise overnight in the fridge. Thank you for this recipe.
Helen
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much! Great to hear that a first overnight rise worked well 🙂
Jackie Dubin
Hi, I’m looking forward to trying the babka recipe. I have a question as opposed to a comment.
I’ve baked babka before, but haven’t tried your recipe yet. Can I substitute rapid rise/instant/fast acting yeast? Does that change the rise time or anything else for that matter? Thank you
Helen
Hi Jackie. You should be able to use instant yeast without a problem. I wouldn’t expect it to change the rising times but it might be as well to keep an eye on the dough the first time just to be sure. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the babka!
Teresa
I have made this many times and I love it. But the last few times, the cinnamon has leaked out of the bread and gone under the loaf. It forms a crunchy bottom. It’s not a bad flavor, but I like the bread to be softer. Any idea why that is happening?
Helen
Hi Teresa. I’m not sure why it would do that – have you changed anything at all in what you use, for instance a different brand of butter, or a different kind of sugar? It might affect the way they melt in the oven. The crunchy bottom sounds good though! Sorry I can’t be more help. All the best, Helen.
Paks
I did this recipe today. First time making Babka. My first rise went quickly. I turn my my microwave into a proofing drawer by microwaving a cup of water for 2 minute before putting the dough in. I rolled it very thin since I would be using two 9 inch pans and I wanted to make sure the short side was long enough to work. My filling got a little cold and was hard to spread so I finger painted it. Next time I’ll put the bowl with the filling in another bowl filled with hot water to keep it warmer. Proofing after 30 minutes didn’t look like it has really happened till I realized how much the layers had increased. In the oven it went and oh man it is beautiful and tastes delicious. I never thought I could do something like this and not have it turn out a mess. I am so glad you posted this recipe. I have bought the book.
Helen
Hi Paks. I’m so glad you had such a great result! I hope you enjoy the book and some more of the terrific recipes in it. All the best, Helen.
Wormy Dunsie-Love
Just FYI I accidentally used 2/3 of the butter (1 stick) in one batch of dough and it still came out wonderfully. The filling still had the full 1.5 stick of butter.
Also, don’t underestimate the importance of the simple syrup and add it generously. If you like Green’s babka, which is super sticky and gooey, this gets you part of the way there. I actually prefer this babka…not sickly sweet/almost raw like many of Green’s seem to arrive, but you get the awesome sticky caramelization on the outside that is similar to theirs.
Helen
Great to hear that this recipe has a little flexibility around the quantities! Glad your babka turned out well 🙂
Jan
Hi. Made first time yesterday and WOW!! its delicious. Making it again today.
Helen
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it so much Jan.
Sian
I love this recipe and your website..it made me smile about the cup conversion thing..l have sucuumbed and have bought American cups,..it was worth it, l like the simplicity of them and they have rather a nice simple pioneer cooking feel about them. Thankyou so much for all your lovely recipes and the really interesting writing around them.
Helen
Thank you so much Sian – that’s so lovely of you to say. I too have a set of measuring cups, although I hadn’t thought of them in such romantic terms! Anyway, thanks again and all the best, Helen x.
Arvella Gatlin
Oh my goodness what a great recipe. It does make three fine Babka’s and is rather beginner friendly. Thank you,
Helen
Thanks Arvella! So happy to hear you enjoyed making it.
Debbie
Delicious!!! The dough was the easiest and i have ever worked with. The tastiest cinnamon bread I have eaten. It took me awhile to figure how to roll out the dough— it looks just like the picture.
Helen
Great to hear Debbie! Glad it worked out so well and you enjoyed it 😀
Dana
Is the sugar used granulated sugar or caster sugar? Thank you!
Helen
Hi Dana. This is the recipe as it appears in the book – it just says ‘sugar’. I always use caster sugar for baking but I imagine that granulated would work fine in this recipe too. Hope you enjoy it!
Dana
Amazing recipe! I split the dough into one cinammon babka loaf and the remaining into large nutella babka knot! Thanks alot!
Helen
Thanks Dana – glad you enjoyed it! The nutella babka sounds delicious 🙂
Dana
Am going to do more tomorrow! Can i use softened butter For the filling instead of melted? I feel that the filling leaked during baking!
Helen
Hi Dana. Softened butter should be fine – just make sure all the filling ingredients are really well mixed together. Enjoy!
Sola
Thank you for posting this, Helen! This was my first time making babka, and it turned out amazing. I made two larger ones instead of three, which required them to be baked around 15-20 minutes longer. I also put raisins in one of them by generously sprinkling a layer on top of the filling before rolling it up, and that made it even more delicious! The recipe is fantastic, I can definitely see myself making it again and adding apples next time. (:
Rox
Have you ever froze the dough after shaping ?
Helen
Hi Rox,
I’ve never frozen the dough. However I have frozen the babka once baked. Be sure to wrap it tightly and well, and it should be fine after you defrost it.
All the best, Helen.
Hindy
Want to make cinnamon babka. If not using milk, what do I use to replace 1/2 cup milk with? More water?
Thanks!
Harriet
Helen
Hi Harriet, you can substitute plant milk. I like oat milk or almond is also good. Enjoy! All the best, Helen.
Juliana
This was really good! I split it in two instead of three, next time I will cook it a little longer as I didn’t take the adjusted size into account. My family all loved it as well.
Helen
Great! So happy it came out really well 🙂
Katharine
This was my first time making a babka and I consider it a great success! The dough seemed very wet at first and I wasn’t sure all the butter was going to incorporate. After about 6 minutes in my KitchenAid the dough became supple and beautiful.
If I make it again I will definitely add salt to the dough, along with the flour (probably 1/2 – 1 teaspoon). Using unsalted butter makes it a little bland, and I found myself individually salting the pieces that I ate.
The texture of the bread is fantastic though!
Marci
I just finished my first attempt at this recipe and want to share my experience. The directions were great (especially after viewing the video of the twisting process). I followed everything until the first rise when I tried an overnight in the fridge proofing. I put the dough in a bowl, covered it with cling wrap and left it there until morning. When I took it out it was very hard and I was concerned, but should not have been. After kneading it a bit to soften and warm it up a little, I weighed it for the 3 balls and they rolled out beautifully. I did find I didn’t have enough of the filling for all three. I must have used too much on the first two, so I made one with the leftover cinnamon and some apricot jam. They took about 2.5 hours for the second rise because the dough was so cold, but I expected that. They also took much longer to cook, something I did not expect. I ended up using a thermometer to determine whether they were done. They are absolutely beautiful and the cinnamon one is delicious. Haven’t tried the apricot yet. I wish I could post a picture but I don’t know how. LOL I will be making these again!! I want to try chocolate and Nutella varieties.
Helen
I’m so glad they turned out so well! Thanks for sharing your experience of rising the dough overnight in the fridge – great to know that it’s possible and the finished product turns out well. Enjoy eating them! Helen x.
Elaine
In the dough you list 2 tsp of vanilla. Is that vanilla extract? I wasn’t sure to add 2 tsp of liquid vanilla extract directly to the flour mixture.
Helen
Hi Elaine. Yes, liquid vanilla extract should be fine. It will get well mixed in when you mix and knead the dough. Enjoy the babka! Helen.
Elaine
Hi Helen, I made the babka exactly as the instructions indicated and it came out delicious!! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!
The Baking Shiksa
Thank you so much for this, Helen! It’s the first time I have had babka come out right, and this came out beautifully!
Josh
I didn’t notice much growth in the second rise. It makes my loaf pans look very empty. Is 30 min really enough time?
Helen
Hi Josh. It may depend on how warm the room is where they are left to rise. If you feel they haven’t quite risen enough then maybe give them a little longer? I hope they turn out well and you enjoy them! Thanks, Helen.
Josh
I put them in a proofing drawer. Would double be an ideal increase to expect?
Helen
Hi Josh. That sounds reasonable. They will expand a little bit more in the oven, too. All the best, Helen.
Larissa
For the filling could you use brown sugar? Or is granulated white preferred?
Helen
Hi Larissa. I think brown sugar would probably be fine in the filling. If you try it please come back and let us know how it turned out!
Caroline Geddes
The loaf pans I did this in were a bit big and it sort of spread out and lost some filling, so next time I want to divide the recipe in two instead of 3. Should I lower the oven temp as well as extend the baking time? Thanks! This is delicious.
Helen
Hi Caroline, glad you enjoyed it! I would leave the oven temperature alone and just keep checking every few minutes after the suggested time to see if they’re done yet. I think the recipe will be quite forgiving! All the best, Helen.
Pam S
How would you modify this to make mini loaves? I wanted to do this for Christmas gifts.
Helen
Hi Pam. I’ve never tried making them any smaller than written but I’ve seen recipes elsewhere for mini babka loaves so it must be possible! I would simply shape them into smaller loaves and bake as written but keep a close eye on them as they will probably be cooked through sooner than a larger loaf. If you have a food thermometer then you can check the internal temperature of the loaves – when it reaches 200C they should be done. I hope this helps! Regards, Helen.
Chana
If I have to freeze the Babka, would you recommend adding the final layers of syrup when I defrost it?
Helen
Hi Chana, I have successfully frozen the babka complete with syrup but it certainly won’t hurt it to add the final layer when you defrost. I hope you enjoy it!
Rahel
Once baked, I wonder how long it will be fresh for. I always have the problem that I have to go to an event in the mornings and either bake early in the morning or in the evening so the product is as fresh as it could be. Do you think i can either bake it in the evenings and wrap it good or prepare the dough, filling and syrup in the evening and use it all in the morning. Can’t wait to try it :). Thanks for sharing xxx
Helen
Hi Rachel, I would bake it in the evening and wrap it well. It keeps for a few days well wrapped in an airtight container. I hope you enjoy it!
Rahel
Omg it’s so delicious. Thank you for the tip. I did bake it the day before and even two days later the family loved it. I made sure it’s wrapped tight with cling film air tight (that’s all I had). I can’t wait to buy the book and try some more recipes . Thank you so much for sharing. It’s amazing.
Helen
So pleased you enjoyed it! Have fun with the book 🙂
Gingerbread Golem
Hey:- this is a really tasty recipe, but the twisting directions are a bit of a head scratcher:- I rolled the first one this way [—–] but I found that rolling the second this way [|||||||] brought out the really cool shape.
Helen
I’m not sure I fully understand what you mean but I’m pleased it came out well! There’s a video here which shows the rolling/cutting/twisting process pretty well: https://youtu.be/9LNz1oW0raU?t=2m16s
ENid
I made a chocolate version, using chocolate spread and chocolate
Chips plus a pinch of cinnamon.
Sooooo good!!.
Helen
Sounds amazing – yum!
burbmomoftwo
I have never had Babka before, but was intrigued by the beautiful swirls shown in the pictures. I thought it turned out beautiful and tasted wonderful! Was there any nutritional information given? Also, when my dough was proofing for the second time (just before baking) a clear sweet liquid ran out of the dough. What was that? Sugars that melted from the filling? Was that supposed to happen? I baked on a cookie sheet on a silpat mat. Next time I will definitely bake in a bread pan. Thank you!
Reva
Did you scald the dairy-free milk you used?
I just can’t figure out the instructions after it’s a twisted log. 🙁
Does twisted log mean that you twist it after it’s rolled? Or is it just rolled and flat?
After the 2 ends are cut off and twisted, do you keep doing this with the whole roll?
Thnx so much. Really looking forward to trying it!
Helen
Hi Reva,
Yes, I did scald the dairy-free milk. The milk needs to be hot when it’s added to the mixture.
You roll up the dough into a log/sausage, then cut it lengthwise. Discard the cut ends. Twist the two long pieces together – the filling will be exposed. This video shows how to do it: https://youtu.be/9LNz1oW0raU?t=2m16s
I hope this helps! Enjoy your babka.
Helen x.
Renée
Just a mention about the conversion from imperial to metric – Americans have yet to master it, but it is slowly coming along. Master bakers definitely use them, as well as their scales. Love your blog!
Jolene
Is there supposed to be any sugar in the filling? Or just the butter and cinnamon?
Helen
Hi Jolene – well spotted! I have updated the list to show the sugar. Thanks!
solange
Oh my god! nothing is better than Jewish cakes, this looks absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for posting this on Inheritance recipes
Helen
Thanks Solange! They are pretty good 😀
Margot
Wow, this looks amazing! I really should explore my Jewish roots more 🙂 Babkas and all kinds of sweet breads are my personal favourite… Thanks for sharing with the Inheritance Recipes.
Helen
Thanks Margot! You definitely should, even if it’s only for the delicious baked goods 🙂 What an incentive!
Jackie
Just wondering if this would be okay is i froze it? Thanks
Helen
Hi Jackie. It should be fine. Wrap tightly in foil and then in plastic wrap and it should freeze OK. You can thaw at room temperature and then warm slightly in the oven for a delicious treat!
Amy J
This recipe looks great, I’m always trying to make more traditional Jewish recipes – made rugelach this week!
Would love to win this book!
Bente Boee
Would like to try more receipes and would love to know more jewish baking than I do so the book would be handy. This receipe sounds so good.
Helen
Thanks Bente. This book would be a great place to start if you’re interested in Jewish baking – it covers all the key points and has some terrific recipes!
Jacqui Bellefontaine
I must try this pinning for later It looks stunning and we love cinnamon breads in our house
Helen
Thanks Jacqui. I love cinnamon too – especially at this time of year. Deliciously autumnal.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Yuuum! This looks so sticky and moist. Would love to give this a try!
Helen
Thanks Becca. It’s a bit time consuming but totally worth it!
Ceri Jones
I don’t think I’ve ever tried, let alone baked any Jewish breads, though babka and challah always look so tempting. Love to get a copy of this book and give them a go!
Helen
Oh you should Ceri! Babka is a gorgeous rich cake, that’s perfect with a cuppa, while challah is a fluffy, soft, slightly sweet loaf that makes the best French toast in the world 😀
Emily
Mmmmm this sounds amazing and autumnal. Could devour a slice with a cup of tea right now x
Helen
Thanks Emily. It does go very well with a cup of tea as it happens, although I haven’t been able to stop at just one slice!