With being home so much we have been doing A LOT of cooking, and one of the first purchases I made when we knew what was happening was a bread machine. I figured one, bread was going to be hard to come by and two what better way to teach the girls about volume and measurements (this is one of Kinley’s math topics right now) than to do some baking.

One of the great things about using a bread machine is that its a form of lazy baking. While I hear some people say they are bored, I have to admit I have had less time to get stuff done between working from home, homeschooling, and cooking every fricken meal. With a bread machine, you literally add all of the ingredients (in the correct order) push a couple of buttons, and wha la, out comes a delicious fresh loaf of bread.

After tracking down flour and yeast, which was quite the feat, we had to choose the first loaf of bread to make. Call it part my sadness of knowing that I won’t be going back to Israel for a bit and part knowing I couldn’t go wrong with a sweet bread for the girls, we settled on Babka bread.

Babka: Babka is a sweet braided bread or cake of Central European Ashkenazi Jewish origin, popular in Poland, United States, and Israel.

This is literally one of my favorite things to eat when I visit Israel, it’s the perfect mix of sugar, chocolate, cinnamon, and oh yeah, crispy bread all swirled into one. I will say I was skeptical because typically this is baked in the oven and comes out in a perfectly twisted fluffy form, and while the bread machine version does not have the look of an oven loaf (it never will) the taste is on point.

After testing the recipe we decided it needed a little something extra. Prior to COVID19 we did not often by nut butters such as peanut butter and Nutella because the girls go to a nut-free school, so we tend to just not buy them since they can’t take them for lunch. When I did my initial grocery stock up we purchased a jar of Nutella and the girls were instantly obsessed, so after the first loaf, Kinely suggested we add a little to our Babka bread and I am happy she did because wow, but I will let you try it for yourself. Please let us know how it turns out, we want to see your Babka.

Print Recipe

Babka Bread with Nutella

Course

Bread

Cook Time

3.5 Hours - varies depending on your settings

Servings

Pound Loaf

Ingredients

DOUGH

• 2/3 Cup Whole Milk Room temperature
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted butter Room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 Eggs Large egg Room temperature
• 1 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons Granulated sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3 Cups All purpose flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground nutmeg
• 2 Teaspoons Yeast, active dry instant or bread machine

FILLING

• 1/4 Cup Granulated sugar
• 1/4 Cup Nutella
• 2 Teaspoons Ground cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder
• 1 Pinch Kosher salt

GLAZE

• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Granulated sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

Course Bread Cook Time 3.5 Hours - varies depending on your settings Servings Pound Loaf Ingredients DOUGH 2/3 Cup Whole Milk Room temperature 4 Tablespoons Unsalted butter Room temperature, cut into 4 pieces 2 Eggs Large egg Room temperature 1 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract 3 Tablespoons Granulated sugar 1 Teaspoon Kosher salt 3 Cups All purpose flour 1/4 Teaspoon Ground nutmeg 2 Teaspoons Yeast, active dry instant or bread machine FILLING 1/4 Cup Granulated sugar 1/4 Cup Nutella 2 Teaspoons Ground cinnamon 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder 1 Pinch Kosher salt GLAZE 1/2 Cup Water 1/2 Cup Granulated sugar 1 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Put all dough ingredients, in the order listed, into bread pan fitted with kneading paddle. Secure bread pan into the Cuisinart® Bread Maker.
2. Press the PROG button to select the Sweet program. Select desired Crust Color and Loaf Size. Press START/STOP to begin the bread-making process.
3. While the dough is mixing and resting, prepare the filling. Put the filling ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine; reserve.
4. When paddle signal sounds, press START/STOP to pause the unit; remove dough and kneading paddle. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, about ¼ inch thick and 16 inches in length. Spread the Nutella across the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder beginning with the shorter side, making sure the ends are tucked in and sealed. Place the dough back into the bread pan (make sure the kneading paddle is removed) and press START/STOP to continue.
5. While the bread is baking, prepare the glaze. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved; reserve.
6. When the cycle is complete, remove the bread pan from the machine and transfer babka to a wire rack. Immediately brush the sugar syrup glaze over the warm babka (any additional syrup can be cooled completely and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks).
7. Cool the babka completely before slicing.

Recipe Notes

To Prepare Using the Ultra-Fast Program (1- and 1½-pound loaves only)

Prepare ingredients for the 1- or 1½-pound loaf, replacing the yeast with 1¾ teaspoons of rapid rise yeast for the 1-lb. loaf, or 2½ teaspoons of rapid rise yeast for the 1½-lb. loaf. Secure the bread pan into the unit and select the Ultra-Fast program. Press START/STOP to begin the bread-making process and then continue to Step 3 in the recipe above.

If you want to try you hat at a traditional Babka in the oven here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Chocolate Babka

The Pioneer Woman: Babka Bread