Pumpkin Babka with Cinnamon Pecan Swirl
This pumpkin babka is soft and tender with a delicious cinnamon-pecan swirl. There is a little orange zest in the filling too, because thats such a good combination with pumpkin!
Babka is a sweet bread that originated from Eastern European Jewish tradition. It uses an enriched dough, similar to a brioche dough but slightly less enriched to make it easier to shape. It can be filled with chocolate too, but I think a cinnamon-babka is always the way to go.
The dough is easiest to make in a stand mixer with a dough hook because it’s pretty sticky thanks to all the butter and eggs. It needs a long kneading time to properly develop the gluten.
Ingredients
You can find the ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a rundown of what’s needed.
- All-purpose flour- All-purpose flour is used for this recipe, one with a protein level of around 11-12%. This protein content is enough to develop the gluten but not too much that the bread becomes chewy.
- Yeast – The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dry yeast. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast.
- Milk. This can be whole milk or skim.
- Large eggs.
- Soft brown sugar and salt. Not too much since there is also a sweet filling.
- Ground cinnamon, orange zest and pecans – The fillings, and there’s a little cinnamon in the dough.
- Butter – Lots of butter to make an extra enriched dough. Have this at room temperature so it can easily be incorporated, though take care it doesn’t get too warm or it will be difficult to work with.
Equipment
- A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment- A stand mixer makes this brioche recipe nice and easy. It is possible to knead by hand, but with such a large amount of butter and eggs in the dough, it takes a lot of arm muscle.
- Two 9×5 inch loaf pans
Method
- Add warm milk and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add in flour, pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, cinnamon and salt and mix into a thick dough.
- Add in the softened butter a few cubes at a time.
- Keep mixing until the dough is soft and strong, around 15 minutes. Let it rise until doubled in size.
- Mix together the filling ingredients.
- Pull the dough from the bowl and cut into two equal pieces.
- Roll a piece into a rectangle and spread with filling and pecans. Roll it up into a log.
- Once chilled, slice a log in half lengthwise with a sharp knife to expose the filling and braid it.
- Place the braid into a prepared loaf pan and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Bake until deep golden brown and brush with sugar syrup.
- Let the loaves cool before slicing.
Storing
This pumpkin babka can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, it can be frozen in a freezer bag for future use. Leftover babka reheats well in the microwave for 5-10 seconds until warm. It makes delicious French toast too!
Related recipes
Pumpkin Babka
This pumpkin babka is soft and tender with a delicious cinnamon-pecan swirl. There is a little orange zest in the filling too, because thats such a good combination with pumpkin! Makes two loaves.
Ingredients
- 60 g whole milk lukewarm
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast or active dried yeast
- 600 g all-purpose flour with a protein level of 11-12%
- 170 g pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 170 g unsalted butter at room temperature, cubed
Filling
- 113 g unsalted butter softened
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp orange zest finely grated
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 65 g pecans chopped
Syrup
- 50 g sugar
- 60 g water
Instructions
- Add the warm milk and stir in the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.If using active dry yeast, let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. To this yeast mixture, add the flour, eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and salt.
- Turn the mixer on medium-low speed and combine it until a thick dough forms. Mix for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten.
- Add in the cubed butter a bit at a time.
- Turn the mixer on medium speed and keep it mixing until the sticky dough strengthens, comes together, and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. This will take around 15 minutes of mixing.
- Proper gluten development will allow you to stretch the dough so thin you can almost see through it. This is called the windowpane test. To test this, let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then grab a piece and stretch it.
- Pull the dough from the bowl onto a bench and form it into a smooth ball. Place the dough ball into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for around 1.5- 2 hours until the dough doubles.
Filling and Shaping
- Mix softened butter, brown sugar, orange zest and cinnamon in a medium bowl with an electric mixer into a creamy paste.
- Grease and line two 9×5 inch loaf pans with parchment paper.
- Deflate the dough and pull it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Weigh the dough on kitchen scales and cut it into two equal pieces.
- Take one piece and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle measuring around 11×14 inches (27×35 cm rectangle).
- Dollop half the butter mixture over the rectangle in little pieces. Use an offset spatula to spread it out, leaving a ½ inch (1cm) border around all the sides. Sprinkle over chopped pecans.
- Roll it up, from the long edge of the dough into a log, jelly roll style. Place it in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill. Repeat with the other dough piece and the remaining filling.
- Once chilled, slice a log in half lengthwise with a sharp knife to expose the filling. Take the top two ends and fold them over. Lift the left half over the right half in the middle of the dough, and repeat down and up, to make a braid. When you reach the ends, tuck the dough underneath to compact the loaf.
- Place the braid into a prepared loaf pan. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough.
- Loosely cover and let the babkas undergo a second rise until they nearly double in size, around 1-2 hours. The rising time depends on room temperature.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and place a rack in the middle. Bake the risen babka for approximately 40 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are browning too much, loosely cover the tops with foil.
- While baking the babkas, prepare the sugar syrup to glaze them. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer until the sugar dissolves, then remove it from the heat.
- Once the babkas are removed from the oven, brush the top of the babka liberally with the syrup.
- Let them cool in their pans for 20 minutes, then remove them and let them cool further on a wire rack.
Notes
Measurements – Both grams and US cup sizes are provided. Use the toggle on the recipe card to switch between the two.
Flour. This recipe works best with flour with around 11% protein. All-purpose flour protein levels can vary between brands, and the name of the flour itself can vary between countries. It’s best to check protein levels rather than just the name of the flour
Kneading by hand. This dough can be kneaded by hand, although it may take longer and require more effort. It’s a very sticky wet dough, so don’t be tempted to add more flour, or it will ruin the texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 381kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 7gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 263mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 2173IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg
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