Raspberry Almond Babka
A rich, buttery dough filled with a sweet almond filling and raspberry jam.
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar + 1 teaspoon divided
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 pkg active dry yeast, about 2 ¼ tsp
- 1 cup warm milk, about 100-110 degrees
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 10 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened and cubed
Almond Filling
- 7 oz almond paste
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
Sugar Syrup
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup water
Additional Ingredients
- 1 cup raspberry jam or preserves
Instructions
To Make the Dough
- Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Warm milk in the microwave for about 45 seconds or until a thermometer reads 100 to 110 degrees. Add milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir to combine. Let stand for about 5 minutes until the yeast starts to foam.
- Add eggs, vanilla and then the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed until combined and then increase speed to medium and mix for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Add butter and mix on medium about 4 minutes until butter is incorporated and dough comes together but is sticky. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 ½ hours until the dough is about doubled. Punch down the dough and scrape out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 halves and shape into a rectangle. At this point you can choose to proceed with the next steps or wrap each dough disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Doing this makes the dough a bit easier to work with but will work out either way.
- Starting with one disc, roll the dough out on a floured surface to a 12 x 16 rectangle. Spread with half of the almond filling to about ½ inch from the sides. Then spread with half the raspberry jam.
- Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a log. If the dough is very warm or sticky, you can refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to make it easier to work with (if you didn't refrigerate overnight). Trim off about an inch from each side. Slice the dough down the middle lengthwise into 2 long halves with the layers exposed. Place the end of one of the halves over the top of the other half, pressing together lightly (see pictures above) and then braid the 2 pieces over one another to the bottom, again pressing together lightly. Repeat the last 2 steps with the other dough disc.
- Line two 9 x 5 loaf pans with parchment paper leaving an overhang on the long sides. Carefully place each braided dough into a loaf pan, squeezing the ends slightly to fit if needed. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a cool place for an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Immediately after taking out of the oven, brush each loaf with half the sugar syrup, using it all. Cool a few minutes in the loaf pan and then transfer the dough using the parchment paper to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Sugar Syrup
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook on medium high until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
To Make the Almond Filling
- Place the almond filling and sugar into a food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like sand. Add the egg and pulse until thoroughly combined.
Notes
The babka can keep for about 3 days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil or can be frozen for up to a month.
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