CHEESE BABKA

Cheese Babka image

Polish cheese babka like my grandmother served every Easter.

Provided by KRISTINALANGER

Categories Bread Yeast Bread Recipes Egg

Time 6h40m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 pinch white sugar
¼ cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup lukewarm milk
3 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 ½ cups farmers cheese
⅓ cup white sugar
1 ½ tablespoons sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon dried lemon peel
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Steps:

Sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the warm water; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Combine the 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, milk, and 3 eggs in a bowl with 1 cup of flour and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and beat for 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Shape the dough into a round, and place it in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Beat together the farmers' cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, sour cream, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and dried lemon peel in a bowl until smooth. Set the filling aside. Lightly oil a 10-inch fluted tube pan (such as a Bundt®).
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 10-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Spread the cheese filling evenly over the dough. Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, starting from the long end; twist the dough 6 to 8 times to form a rope. Pinch the seams and ends closed and arrange the rope of dough in the greased pan. Cover loosely and let rise 1 hour.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake the babka until deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes; invert the babka onto a wire rack and remove the pan. Allow the babka to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 512.7 calories, Carbohydrate 44 g, Cholesterol 133.9 mg, Fat 28.2 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 19.1 g, SaturatedFat 19 g, Sodium 768.6 mg, Sugar 10.9 g