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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 babka's 1043g Recipe makes 2 babka's)
Calories 3235
Calories from Fat 1044		(32%)
Amount Per Serving		%DV
	Total Fat 116.1g	178%
	Saturated Fat 66.5g	332%
	Monounsaturated Fat 31.4g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 7.4g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 895mg		298%
Sodium 2107mg		87%
Potassium 1544mg		44%
Total Carbohydrate 482.2g		160%
	Dietary Fiber 15.8g	63%
	Sugars 149.6g
Protein 70.8g		141%
how is this calculated?

Ukrainian Country Babka

Recipe #78678 | 1¼ hours | 20 min prep | add private note

⁽²⁾ RATE IT NOW Print Recipe

By: Olga Drozd
Dec 12, 2003

Babka or baba is a rich yeast-raised cake bread traditionally served at Easter. It is one of the most distinctive Ukrainian breads. A successful babka--rich, tender, fine textured, spongy, and very light--is a great triumph of a Ukrainian homemaker.

2 babka's (change servings and units)

Ingredients

FOR THE SPONGE

2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 (1/4 ounce) packages dry yeast
1 cup scalded milk, lukewarm
1 cup flour

Bread

6 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon rind
5 1/2 cups sifted flour, about
1 cup raisins (or more)

Directions

1
Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water, sprinkle the yeast over it, and let stand until softened.
2
FOR THE SPONGE: Combine dissolved yeast with the lukewarm milk and 1 cup of flour.
3
Beat well, cover, and allow the sponge to rise in a warm place until light and bubbly.
4
Beat the eggs with the salt, add the sugar gradually, and continue beating.
5
Beat in the butter and lemon rind.
6
Combine this mixture with the sponge.
7
Stir in the flour and KNEAD IN THE BOWL for about 10 minutes.
8
This dough should be slightly thicker than for the usual babka mixture.
9
Knead in the raisins.
10
Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
11
Punch down, knead a few times, and let it rise again.
12
Butter tall, round baking pans (or coffee cans) with soft butter sprinkling them lightly with fine bread crumbs and fill them ONE-THIRD FULL.
13
I like to use greased parchment paper on the bottom and sides of pan.
14
For this recipe you will need about 2 or 3 large coffee cans.
15
If you are going to use smaller cans, you will need more of them and use your judgment to how many you will need.
16
Adjust baking time for the smaller cans.
17
Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough reaches the brim of the pan.
18
Brush the loaves with a beaten egg diluted with 2 Tablespoons of milk or water.
19
Bake in a moderately hot oven (400 degrees F) for about 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F.
20
,and continue baking for 40 minutes longer, or until done.
21
Avoid browning the top too deeply.
22
If necessary, cover with aluminum foil.
23
Remove the baked loaves from the oven and let them stand in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes.
24
Tip each loaf very gently from the pan onto a cloth-covered pillow.
25
Do not cool the loaves on a hard surface.
26
This is extremely important.
27
Careless handling of the baked babka may cause it to fall or settle.
28
As the loaves are cooling, change their position very gently a few times to prevent settling.
29
If desired, the cooled loaves may be iced or glazed and decorated with bakers' confetti.
30
This is the custom in the old country.
31
Babka is always sliced in rounds across the loaf.
32
The sliced bottom crust serves as a protective cover, and it is put back to prevent the loaf from drying.
33
BABKA WITH PUMPKIN: This is a very old recipe, but it is worth preserving.
34
Mashed pumpkin imparts a mellow, yellow color to babka and keeps it fresh and soft for days.
35
A fewer number of eggs is required when pumpkin is used.
36
Follow the preceding recipe for Country Babka.
37
Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/2 cup of orange juice and about 4 eggs.
38
Add enough flour to give a soft dough.
39
Traditional Ukrainian Cookery by S.
40
Stechishin.

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Featured Reviews for This Recipe

From: Kai Hire

On Aug 10, 2008

Excellent, traditional babka! This would make two large bundt pans' worth or three loaf pans, loaf pans happened to be what I had on hand. I did add about another 1/4 cup flour after the second rising because it seemed too sticky, could probably have even added a full 1/2 cup, but this is absolutely delicious. Used the rind of 1 orange AND 1 lemon, and added 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (that's what my grandmother always did). Don't be scared of all the rising, if you follow the recipe exactly it comes out perfect.

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From: mianbao

On Oct 23, 2005

I am reposting this review of Sept 12, 2004 to correct the size of the pan I used. It was an 8-inch, not 9-inch pan. I really enjoyed making this, and now we're enjoying eating it. It was my first experience with such a traditional recipe, and was quite interesting. I did cut the recipe in half, and baked it in a 8-inch tube pan. It rose high and light and lemony. I left it on the tube pan base until it was fairly cool then removed it to a cooling rack. It didn't fall. Phew!! Thank you for this recipe.

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