This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
What Is Babka?
Babka has a rich history. When I read more about the treat as I worked on today’s recipe, I learned that it originated in the early 1800s with the Polish Jewish community. Leftover challah dough was filled with jam or cinnamon, rolled up, and baked. The babka we see all over the place today, I read, is much richer and sweeter than its ancestor. You can find it filled with chocolate or almond paste—this is my favorite chocolate version—or the newer babka variations with pizza fillings, Nutella, pesto, and more. Food52 has an in-depth article all about babka if you want to read more about its history and popularity today. I first tried my hand at homemade babka a couple years ago. Who’s made the Nutella babka recipe before? If you loved it, you’re in for a treat today. If you’re not a fan of Nutella, you’re also in for a treat today. I revamped the dough so it’s (1) even richer (2) even flakier and (3) only yields 1 loaf instead of 2. In terms of taste and texture, it’s more like a brioche loaf than croissant bread. We’re filling it with a thick layer of sweet cinnamon and you can use your favorite variety of apples. If I’m being honest, this apple cinnamon babka has to be one of the best things I’ve made all year. Between all the recipe testing, today’s photos, the video, and making it for a few friends, I’ve baked about 12 loaves by now. And there’s NEVER a crumb leftover. In case you’re wondering, our self control is stuck inside one of those apple cinnamon swirls. I’m positive you’re going to obsess over it too.
Detailed Overview: How to Make Apple Cinnamon Babka
The full written recipe is below, but let me walk you through the steps so you can understand the process before starting.
The dough. You need milk, yeast, sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt, and flour. Why only egg yolks? They make the richest tasting dough. We’re not wasting the egg whites, though—we’ll use one in the filling and one to brush on the dough before adding the topping. The dough is very soft, supple, and almost creamy-feeling. After the dough is prepared, it’s time to knead it. You can knead the dough with your mixer or by hand. You can watch me knead the dough in the video tutorial above, or in my separate How to Knead Dough post. Add additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to your work surface. Extended rise time. Allow the prepared dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 3–4 hours or until nearly double in size. This dough is rich with fat, so it takes longer than other doughs to rise. Don’t be nervous if it’s closer to 4–5 hours—it’s a heavy dough and needs extra time to rise. The apple cinnamon filling. First, soften the apples on the stove with a little butter. (Step 5 in the recipe below.) Second, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract until crumbly and combined. Stir in one of the leftover egg whites. The egg white helps solidify the cinnamon filling, so it’s extra thick and crumbly inside. Like cinnamon crunch bread and cinnamon swirl quick bread, this babka is heavy on the cinnamon. We really want it to stand out! Shape the babka dough: As noted in the written recipe below, punch down the dough then roll it out into a 12×16-inch rectangle. Gently spread the brown sugar cinnamon filling all over the dough, then top with the apples. We’re shaping today’s babka a little differently than the Nutella babka. In that recipe, you slice the rolled dough down the center to expose the Nutella inside. That proved to be very difficult here, as all the apples spilled out. Instead, tightly roll up the dough to form a 16-inch log. Fold in half, then twist it to form a figure 8. Use the video tutorial above for a visual and detailed directions below as your guide. 2nd rise: Let the shaped babka rise in a greased loaf pan for about 1–1.5 hours. Crumble topping: The crumble topping is totally optional. But it uses some of the same ingredients you need for the dough and filling, so why not? Mix a little brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add cold butter and using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut it into the brown sugar mixture until crumbles form. Finish it off before baking: Remember that other egg white? We’ll use it here. Carefully brush the surface of the babka with the last remaining egg white. Using a toothpick, poke 10–12 holes all over the top of the loaf. Why are you doing this? It actually allows steam to escape from inside the loaf so the layers don’t separate. I learned this trick from Food52. Finally, sprinkle the crumble topping on top. Time to bake: The bread takes about 1 hour, give or take. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.
Serving/Slicing Tip: For neat slices, I recommend cooling the babka completely before slicing. The bread has so much filling that it will fall apart if sliced warm.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here is the dough after you mix the dough ingredients together: Here is the dough after it rises and then after you punch it down: Soften the apples on the stove and make the cinnamon filling: Spread cinnamon filling on rolled out dough and top with apples: Roll it up into a log: Left photo below (before 2nd rise): Fold log in half, then twist into a figure 8. Place into your greased loaf pan, then let it rise until puffy, about 1 hour. Right photo below (after 2nd rise): Dough is nice and puffy. Brush with egg white, poke holes in the loaf to prevent separation, then top with crumble topping. Bake until golden brown. The brown sugar cinnamon topping melts down, some apple cinnamon filling may seep out creating jammy-like edges and crevices, and the entire kitchen smells like fall. This is SO GOOD:
In Short, This Apple Cinnamon Babka Is:
Extra flaky Buttery, moist, and overflowing with apple cinnamon filling Mesmerizing with all those delicious swirls Topped with buttery brown sugar cinnamon crumbles Irresistible & addictive (we COULDN’T STOP EATING THIS) Satisfying, especially on a cool rainy day Worth all the effort, trust me!
For an easier apple cinnamon recipe without yeast, you’ll enjoy this apple cinnamon bread. And don’t forget to try my classic apple pie & apple cobbler, fresh and easy apple cake, or apple cider French toast if you find yourself with a plethora of apples!
