Do you ever have one of those days where all signs point in one direction? Yesterday was one of those days for me. My husband was practicing his Sunday morning Premier League soccer ritual–which with it’s melodic chanting puts me to sleep–so to keep myself entertained, I turned to online shopping.
I visited the King Arthur website for some much needed specialty items, when I stumbled across a kit for Chocolate Babka. For the most part, I tend to shy away from box mixes–not because they aren’t good–but the Babka caught my eye. I thought about adding it to my cart, but then realized it was out of stock.
After getting my order placed, it was off to Instagram where I indulge in countless food posts. Guess what comes up? Babka! What a funny coincidence–or was it the Internet server gods? You decide.
After commenting that Sunday Soccer (which started out as only Saturday Soccer) was cutting into our family food show time, my husband graciously turned the TV over to an episode of Girl Meets Farm for me. (Isn’t Molly Yeh adorbs?!) Anyway, low and behold, what was Molly making? You got it, Babka!
Seizing this serendipitous moment, I decided to head into the kitchen.
If you have no idea what Babka is–that’s ok, I was only recently introduced to it–the best way to describe it is a mashup between cake and bread. It is technically a dense cake of Jewish roots, but it honestly eats more like a bread given its yeasty start. The most distinguishing feature is its ribbons of filling–usually chocolate or cinnamon. Plain and simple, it’s delicious.
So back to the kitchen. I actually made two batches of Babka yesterday. One that more closely resembles a traditional chocolate Babka. I also made a savory interpretation based on Molly Yeh’s recipe. Molly’s recipe sounded amazing as written, but I ended up modifying it based on the tastebuds of other household members.
While Babka is technically a cake, the savory version made into muffins makes one great dinner roll!
Savory Babka Muffins
Course: BreadCuisine: Jewish / Eastern EuropeanDifficulty: Intermediate12
servings3
hours5
minutesIngredients
- Dough
1/2 cup lukewarm whole milk
2 1/4 tsp or one 1/4-ounce envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
- Filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere
2 tsp lightly dried Italian herbs
- Finish
1 large egg
Grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper
Directions
- For the dough: Whisk together the warm milk, yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Allow to sit until it begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to medium and add the salt and eggs. Mix until the eggs are incorporated. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, then reduce the speed to low and add the flour in batches, allowing the flour to fully incorporate with the dough between additions. Continue to mix until well combined. Add the softened butter in small pieces, allowing each addition to become fully incorporated before adding more. Turn the mixer to medium and let the mixer knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise until it has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
- For the filling: Spray a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 12-by-18-inch rectangle. Brush the butter over the dough and sprinkle with the garlic, Gruyere, and Italian herbs. Starting from the longer side, roll the dough up tightly, similar to how you make a cinnamon roll, and pinch the edges to seal, placing it seam-side down. You should have an 18-inch log. Cut into 24 slices. Take one slice and give it one twist, then place in muffin cup. Take a second slice, give it one twist, and add it to the same muffin cup overlapping at a 90 degree angle (making a X or a cross). Tuck in any ends popping out. Repeat until all cups are filled. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
- To finish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Beat the egg together in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the tops of the muffins with the egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt, pepper and Parmesan. Bake until puffed and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool slightly, then use a sharp paring knife to run around the edges to release them from the tin.
