Last updated on November 8th, 2024.

Babka is a deliciously rich, soft bread swirled with fillings like chocolate, cinnamon, or fruit. The secret to a perfect babka lies in the Dough—it should be soft, tender, and easy to work with. Today, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process of making babka dough from scratch, with ingredients, detailed instructions, troubleshooting tips, and suggestions for making ahead or freezing.

A piece of chocolate babka.

I grew up eating Babka, though in Israel, we call it Yeast Cake or Kranch Cake, and it wasn’t until I moved to the States that I even heard the name Babka.  Babka is widely popular among Jewish communities, and traditional babka was made by repurposing leftover challah dough; maybe that is why I used to raise my eyebrow the first few times I tried it and realized that it could be dry, dense, and just wrong. (If you even stayed for coffee and cake after Shabbat services, you know what I mean.) So I spent more than a decade perfecting what I believe is the ultimate Babka dough you can use to make any flavored Babka such as Chocolate Babka Recipe, Apple Babka, Pistachio Babka, Nutella Babka, or even Israeli Rugelach, and cinnamon rolls

You can find the full recipe for this rich dough, complete with the ingredients list and measurements, in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to read through the entire post, as I’ve included all the essential tips, details, and guidance you need to perfect this recipe and elevate your babka-making skills.

Ingredients 

  • Flour. You can use unbleached all-purpose flour, bread flour, or a combination of the two. I will be honest and say that while the bread flour makes the dough easier and more pleasant to work with when it comes to flavor, I could never notice any difference.
  • Yeast. I love using SAF Instant yeast. However, I am aware that it is hard to find outside of the United States, and in Europe, fresh yeast and active dry yeast are more common. So use whichever is available to you, I have included all options in the recipe card below.
  • Milk Powder. This is optional, and if you do not use it, replace it with more flour. Milk powder is mostly protein that tends to stretch during the mixing process and baking. That means that our babka bread will rise taller with more volume.
  • Sugar. White granulated sugar is great because it adds sweetness, feeds the yeast, and does not contribute any flavor. However, if you want to add some depth to the dough’s flavor, replace some of the sugar with brown sugar.
  • Salt. Salt is important to develop gluten and elastic texture, I wrote about it in my cookbook “Baking Science”.
  • Large eggs. At room temperature. For vegan options see below.
  • Warm Milk. Skim or whole milk are both a good option. Make sure the milk is lukewarm at a temperature of 90-105F.
  • Unsalted Butter. Soft, and cut into  1/2 inch pieces. Do not use salted butter, too much salt will delay the fermentation process, and we might end up with a too dense dough. Because each brand adds a different amount of salt and it is hard to control

Vegan and Dairy-Free Options

For vegan babka dough: Use plant-based milk or warm water and plant-based butter or margarine. Remove the eggs and increase the milk amount by two tablespoons and the butter amount by one tablespoon.

For a nondairy (parve)  dough: Use plant-based milk or water and plant-based butter or margarine.

Babka Filling

This post is all bout the dough so but when it comes to the fillings, the sky is the limit and you can really shine and express your creativity with countless options like Biscoff, chocolate filling, Nutella, Cheese, Almond Paste, Italian Pastry cream, and more.

For shaping, check out my blog post on How To Shape Babka.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step One:

Measure the dry ingredients and place them in a large bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs and use the paddle attachment to mix in low while you add the milk.

Step Two:

Mix at low speed until the ingredients have been incorporated and the flour is hydrated. 

Step three:

Replace with the dough hook attachment and knead on medium-low for about two minutes. Do not overknead; the goal in his step is to create an initial gluten net.

Step four:

On medium speed add the butter one piece at a time waiting for the butter to be incorporated into the dough before adding the next piece.

Step Five:

Knead for 5-7 minutes until you have a sticky, elastic dough that cleans the side of the bowl. Do not add any flour, it is ok for the dough to be sticky, as it rests the flour will absorb the access liquids and the dough will be easy to work with.

Step Six:

Transfer the dough to a large bowl using a rubber spatula or a rubber bench scraper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for the first dough to rise for 90-120 minutes.

Using Active Dry And Fresh Yeast

Unlike instant yeast, active dry and fresh yeast need to be activated before making the dough. To do that:

  1.  place the yeast, warm milk, and one tablespoon of the sugar in a large bowl. You can use the mixing bowl you will be using.
  2. Mix and set it aside for about 15 minutes until there is a foamy layer on top.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the yeast mixture, and follow the recipe according to the instructions.

Yields

This Babka dough recipe yields three 8×4-inch loaf pans, each serving 8-10 people, depending on the size of the slices, two 9×5-inch loaf pans serving 10-12 people, or one large tube pan serving 18-24 slices, depending on the size of the slices.

Troubleshooting and Tips

  • Most baking troubles result from inaccurate ingredient measurements. For best results, use a kitchen scale, measuring cups, and spoons to measure the ingredients. This will eliminate 90% of the problems and lead to success.
  • The dough is much easier to work with when cold; when you can, place it in the refrigerator for about one hour (after the first rise) to chill before shaping.
  • Dough Too Sticky: The dough is supposed to be sticky and will change its texture during the first rise. Do not be tempted to add more flour. If you start with a smaller amount of flour than the recipe calls for, the dough might be too wet and seem sicky.
  • Dough Not Rising: First, make sure you place the dough in a warm place in your kitchen and give it the time it needs, changes are, that you will not notice any rise during the first hour. This can happen due to a few reasons: the milk was too hot and it killed the yeast, that is why it is important to make sure the milk is at a lukewarm temperature. Dip your finger into temperature control before you pour it into the dough. Another reason is that you over-kneaded, or did not knead the dough long enough. If the dough develops a gluten net that is too tight, it will be too tough for the gas coming from the yeast to lift the dough. On the other hand, if there is no gluten net, there is nothing to trap the gas and lift the dough. 
  • Butter Not Incorporating: If the butter isn’t mixing into the dough well, make sure it’s softened but not melted. Cold butter can be hard to incorporate, while melted butter can make the dough too wet.
  • This dough is really soft and fluffy, so when it is baked and beautifully golden brown, use a serrated sharp knife to slice it.
  • Rotate. As you roll the dough, rotate it by 90 or 180 degrees to ensure it is not sticking to the table and rolling pin. If needed, sprinkle flour.

Storing

Store at room temperature for up to five days, covered.

Make Ahead and Freeze

  • Make Ahead: To make the dough the night before, reduce the yeast amount, allow the dough to rest for one hour then refrigerate. The next day, you can go ahead and use a rolling pin to roll and shape the dough cold. Then, set it aside for the second rise.
  • Freeze: Babka dough freezes beautifully. After the first rise, punch down the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, then shape and bake as instructed. You can also freeze the dough after shaping: wrap the pans with plastic wrap, place them in a plastic bag, and freeze for about eight weeks. When ready, unwrap the loaves, allow them to reach room temperature, and give them the extra time they need for the second dough rise.
A piece of chocolate babka.

More Babka Recipes

Babka dough Recipe

The ultimate soft, tender, and delicious babka dough.

Course Dessert
Cuisine jewish
Keyword Babka dough
Prep Time 25 minutes
Servings 24 people

Ingredients

  • 4 cups + one tablespoons Bread flour (490g)
  • 1/4 cup Dry milk powder (30g)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/3 cup Sugar (70g)
  • 2 large Eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup Warm milk (240ml)
  • 7 Tablespoons Unsalted butter at room temperature cut into 1-inch pieces (100g)
  • 1 1/2 Cups Filling
  • 1 Large Egg for egg wash

Instructions

Make The Dough

  1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, milk powder, yeast, sugar, salt, and egg and mix at low speed while adding the milk.

  2. Once you have a shaggy mass and the flour is hydrated, replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for about two minutes.

  3. Increase the speed to medium-high and add the butter one piece at a time, waiting for each piece to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

  4. Knead for 5-7 minutes on high speed until you have a smooth, slightly sticky dough and elastic.

  5. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest for the first rise, about 90-120 minutes.

Shape and Bake

  1. Grease and line with parchment paper two 9×5-inch loaf pans.

  2. Divide the dough into two equal parts and roll each into a 12×18-inch rectangle

  3. Top with your choice of filling, then roll the dough into a log starting from the long side.

  4. Shape the dough into a U, then twist the two sides around each other.

  5. Gently place the dough in the prepared pans, brush with egg wash, and set aside to rest for the second rise, about 2 hours.

  6. Bake at 350F on the middle oven rack for 35-40 minutes.

  7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 40-60 minutes, then invert and serve.

Recipe Notes

  • If you do not have bread flour accessible, use unbleached all-purpose flour.
  • Milk powder is recommended but optional and can be replaced with one tablespoon of cornstarch.
  • Make sure the milk is not hot; otherwise, it might kill the yeast.
  • For vegan babka dough: Use plant-based milk or warm water and plant-based butter or margarine. Remove the eggs and increase the milk amount by 2 tablespoons and the butter amount by one tablespoon.

    For a nondairy (parve)  dough, Use plant-based milk or water and plant-based butter or margarine.

  • If using active dry or fresh yeast, increase the amount to one tablespoon, then place the yeast, warm milk, and one tablespoon of the sugar in a large bowl. Mix and set it aside for about 15 minutes until there is a foamy layer on top.
  •  Store the babka at room temperature for up to five days, loosely covered.
  • Freeze: After the first rise, punch down the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, then shape and bake as instructed. You can also freeze the dough after shaping: wrap the pans with plastic wrap, place them in a plastic bag, and freeze for about 8 weeks. When ready, unwrap the loafes, and allow them to reach room temperature, and give them the extra time they need for the second dough rise.

  • Make a head: Reduce the amount of instant yeast to 1 1/2 teaspoons, active and fresh yeast to 2 1/4 teaspoons, then refrigerate the dough after one hour of rest
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