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!
About this bread
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. If you are going to be kneading by hand, I recommend using the slap and fold method. If you’re not familiar, I explain that a bit further down this post.
Here’s what you need:
Helpful tools
Slap and fold kneading
The slap and fold method is is really good for developing gluten by hand in a sticky dough.
Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough on it. Pick up the dough with both hands, lift it, and slap it down onto the surface. After slapping, fold the dough over itself by bringing the bottom edge up over the top of the dough.
Rotate the dough slightly and repeat this motion continuously for about 8-10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add all the ingredients except for the butter.
- Mix for around 5 to begin developing the gluten, then add in the butter. Fat slows down gluten development so I wait to add the butter til after it’s been mixing a while.
- Mix for up to 20 minutes until glossy and strong. Place in a covered bowl and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Make the filling and set aside. Shape the risen dough into a ball, then divide in two.
- Roll each piece into a rectangle, spread with filling and pecans, roll into logs, and chill.
- Halve each log lengthwise, cross one piece over the other to start forming a twist, place in loaf pans. You might need to gently squash it in a bit
- Let them rise until doubled in size before baking. Brush with syrup once baked.
FAQs about babka
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!
More recipes to try!
Pumpkin Babka
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.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! 😀