POLISH CINNAMON BABKA

polish cinnamon babka image

How to make polish cinnamon babka

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

for the bread:
5 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 (1/2 oz.) packets dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
for the brown sugar-cinnamon filling:
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
for the glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons milk
3 Tablespoons brown sugar

Steps:

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a big mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the yeast, warm milk and oil. Mix well and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture. Mix well with floured hands, or in the bowl of a tabletop mixer, using the dough hook attachment.
Add the eggs and mix to combine. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes. (Don't say I didn't warn you.)
Butter a big bowl, and rub some butter on the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours or until light and doubled in size.
Cut the dough in half. Roll out one of the halves on a lightly floured surface to make a 10 x 18-inch rectangle that is 1/4-inch thick.
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. In another small bowl mix the vanilla and butter. Spread half of the butter mixture onto the rolled out dough, and sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture over the top. Roll up the dough into a long "sausage" shape along the longest side. Repeat this with the other half of the dough and filling ingredients.
When you have two long rolls, tightly twist them together, taking care so the filling doesn't come out the sides of the rolls.
Place this long twist of bread into a well-buttered tube pan. Cover with plastic wrap and it to rise for another hour or two, until it puffs up.
Preheat oven to 350. Mix yolk and milk together and brush it over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle the 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar evenly over that. Bake in bottom third of your oven with no racks above it. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out without any dough stuck to it when inserted into loaf. (If it seems to be browning too quickly, you can loosely cover it with foil towards the end of the baking time.)
Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack, and then turning it upright again to cool completely.
Enjoy warm, at room temperature, cold, re-heated or toasted.
Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Stay tuned for my recipe for Chocolate Babka....Coming Soon....