Apple Pecan Babka

When I was given the great honor of hosting Bread Baking Day #5, I decided that Filled Breads were a interesting option. But when it came time to bake my own bread, I was at a loss. Nothing was really speaking to me. But as a wandered through my cookbook collection, I came across a Babka, or Grandmother's Roll, recipe. I had never had a Babka, but I like the way the name rolls off my tongue. It has an interesting figure eight shape, which is an unusual, but truly brilliant shape for a filled bread. It distributes the filling throughout the dough, as opposed to the more common rolled shape that tends to leave a single spiral of yummy filling, but the rest of the bread unfilled and uninspiring. I was sold. The recipe called for the Babka to be filled with both cinnamon and chocolate, but Mike doesn't like chocolate (go figure), so I decided to substitute chopped pecans, Granny Smith apples and brown sugar. This recipe also has a deliciously crunchy streusel topping, again an unusual, but inspired choice for a bread.

The resulting Babka is a revelation. A slightly sweet dough, peppered throughout with crunchy pecans, moist apples and little pockets of cinnamony sweetness. The streusel topping adds a nice finish, and is a nice change from the frosting so often seen on rolls and coffee cakes. This a perfect accompaniment to a morning cup of coffee or tea.

                                       

As a side bar, every New Year's Eve, I bake something and hide a coin in it - a money cake to start the New Year. There is a French tradition of a Three King's Cake, where a favor was hidden in a cake to be enjoyed at the New Year. It was said that whoever found the favor would have much prosperity in the coming year. I started baking the money cake a few years ago when Mike was in a career slump. I figured that if he found the coin, his prospects might improve. So when he found the coin in his piece (I decided that it couldn't hurt to set him up the first year), he thought that it must be destiny that his business was going to turn around. And it did - Amazing! Since that first year, I either close my eyes to put the coin in or have Lovie do it, so I have a fair, but not unfair shot at finding it myself. The Babka was our money cake this year, and Mike again got the piece with the coin in it. This is my entry in Bread Baking Day #5, Filled Breads. Be sure to read the roundup! Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Apple Pecan Babka

Dough

4 oz. warm milk

1 1/2 t. dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, plus 1 yolk

2 1/4 cups AP flour

1/4 t. salt

5 T. butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Filling

2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped Pecans

1 cup Brown Sugar

Cinnamon

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup Butter

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 Brown Sugar

2 t. Cinnamon

Dissolve yeast  in warm milk, let stand until creamy. Mix eggs, sugar, and yeast mixture and whisk until combined. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. Add the egg mixture and beat with the paddle attachment until the flour is incorporated. Switch to the dough hook. Add the butter and knead 10 minutes until a smooth dough forms.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

Butter a 9x5 loaf pan, add parchment paper leaving several inches overhang on each side, butter the parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and let rest 5 minutes.

Roll dough into a 16" square. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash. Spread apples, pecans and brown sugar over the dough leaving 1/2 " around the edges. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll the dough up, pinching the edges to seal as you go. Twist the rolled dough 5 or 6 times, then fold the log into a horseshoe shape. Cross the ends to form a figure eight and twist twice more. Fit the twisted dough into the prepared pan. Let rise 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the streusel, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is about the texture of coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the loaf. Bake loaf 50 minutes, rotating the pan after 25 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 325, and bake 20-30 minutes longer, until golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Do not underbake! Cool on a wire rack. Slice and Enjoy! 

Comments

[Ivy]

Wow, that looks super. Chelsea I do not know where to begin from. First of all thanks for hosting this great event. I've been reading and bookmarking recipes all day long. I don't know which one to start with. Yours is definitely in my to do list, especially with the apples and pecan nuts as they are my favourites. Then the story of the coin in the cake. If you take some time to see my recipe of the New Year's cake called Vassilopita, you'll see how this tradition has started and yes it's good luck to whoever finds it. Thank you again for hosting the event and will be looking forward to another one soon.

http://kopiaste.blogspot.com/search?q=christopsomo

[Ivy]

Wow, that looks super. Chelsea I do not know where to begin from. First of all thanks for hosting this great event. I've been reading and bookmarking recipes all day long. I don't know which one to start with. Yours is definitely in my to do list, especially with the apples and pecan nuts as they are my favourites. Then the story of the coin in the cake. If you take some time to see my recipe of the New Year's cake called Vassilopita, you'll see how this tradition has started and yes it's good luck to whoever finds it. Thank you again for hosting the event and will be looking forward to another one soon.

http://kopiaste.blogspot.com/search?q=christopsomo

[zorra]

Lucky Mike to find the coin and to have you, who perpares such yummy breads.

The tradition with the coin is also known in Switzerland and Spain. I usually use a almond instead of the coin. I don't want to loose my teeth. ;-)

[Sophie]

We would like to feature this recipe on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks :)