Cranberry Orange Babka
This easy Cranberry Orange Babka is a flavorful sweet bread perfect for the cranberry and holiday seasons. The babka is beautifully braided and has an impressive look. With its soft crumb and flavorful cranberry orange filling this bread makes a great treat for breakfast or as a snack during the day.
Ingredients
Makes about 10 servings
Babka Dough
- 2 ⅔ cups (330g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2g) salt
- 1¼ tsp (4g) active dry yeast
- 2/3 cup (160ml) lukewarm milk
- 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (40g) melted butter
- Zest of an orange
- 1 egg , beaten
Cranberry Sauce
- 10 oz (300g) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 2 tbsp (30ml) orange juice
- zest of an orange
For Brushing
- 1 egg , beaten
Instructions
Prepare the dough.
- In a medium bowl add yeast, 1 tsp (5g) sugar and ⅓ cup (80ml) lukewarm milk. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the remaining milk, activated yeast, egg, vanilla extract, orange zest and melted butter. Start kneading it until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You can knead the dough by hand or use a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Give the dough the shape of a ball. Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rest for about 1 hour at room temperature (warm space) until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the cranberry sauce.
- Place cranberries, sugar and orange juice into a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until thickens.
- Remove from heat and sieve. Add orange zest, stir to combine and set aside to cool until ready to use.
Assemble the babka.
- On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a rectangle of about 18×10 inches (45x25cm).
- Spread cranberry sauce evenly, leaving about a 1/2-inch (1cm) border around the edges. Roll up the dough and cut the log in half lengthwise using a sharp knife.
- Start braiding the two pieces, trying to keep the open layers exposed so the cut ends remain on top.
- Transfer the cranberry orange babka to a 9x5-inch (23x13cm) loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Let it rest for 20-30 minutes to room temperature.
How to bake the babka.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- Brush the bread with beaten egg.
- Reduce oven temperature to 320F (160C).
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes.
- Cover with aluminum foil after about 15-20 minutes if browns too fast.
- Let the cranberry orange babka cool completely before cutting it into slices.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving out of 10Calories: 240kcalCarbohydrates: 44.3gProtein: 4.7gFat: 4.4gSaturated Fat: 2.4gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 115mgPotassium: 118mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 17.3gCalcium: 33mgIron: 2mg