11.19.20
How can a year feel like both one hundred years long and yet in the blink of an eye we went from March to Thanksgiving? 2020 has been the ultimate experiment in time warps. Endless…but where did the past 8 months go? Going on and on forever…but here we are closing in on December. This year, in NYC, there are no throngs of people fighting to see the Rockefeller Tree, there are no crowds lined up to see Broadway shows, there isn’t a two hour wait at fancy restaurants. Everything feels like bizarro world. But I will admit, as odd as it is to have such a different vibe in the city this year, there is something a little…….magical to it. I’ve gone to museums I haven’t been to in years, and they’re almost empty. Bad for our economy? Absolutely. A once in a lifetime opportunity to be the ONLY person in a room with a Monet or a Pollock? Also yes. As the year has progressed in this odd slog I’ve slowly begun feeling moments of joy again. Like feeling safe enough to go to a museum which allows me to stand in front of iconic art for as long as I want to truly take it in, or…..baking! Earlier this year baking seemed pointless and almost impossible with the lack of supplies on the shelves. As summer slid into fall, baking has made its way into my weekly routine again, and I dig it. I’ve become a huge babka baking fan this year, learning the ins and outs of bread baking and working on perfecting my rolling. This pumpkin filled babka is the perfect little vessel for classic autumnal flavors and could be a great Thanksgiving breakfast option. Babka toast with a little cinnamon butter, perhaps?
Something I’ve consistently mentioned to friends, strangers and on this blog is that baking is something I love because it brings people together, and it brings a lot of joy. There’s no easier option to bringing a group of friends together than placing a cake on the table. No one is angry eating a cupcake, though I think I’d love to see a video of someone angrily eating a cupcake. Being able to safely see friends here and there has given me more reason to bake, and I continue to look forward to a time when I can make a large spread of desserts for a huge party of friends, and then cry every time someone new arrives. Let your baking bring you some joy, safely share it with someone else and bring them joy. We all need it in this shitrocket of a year.
Pumpkin Filled Babka
Ingredients
Babka Dough
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3 TBSP white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup warm water – around 100°-110°
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg (optional)
Pumpkin Filling
- 1/2 can pumpkin puree
- 4 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Instructions
- In a large stand up mixer bowl add in sugar and warm water
- Sprinkle yeast over top, mix lightly with fork, allow to activate and foam, about 5-10 minutes
- Meanwhile, add milk, butter and vanilla to a small saucepan over low heat, stir to allow butter to melt and the edges to just begin to bubble, remove from heat
- Once yeast is activated, add in flour, salt, eggs, and butter mixture, mix on low speed with dough hook attachment for 2 minutes
- Add in additional flour one TBSP at a time if dough is too sticky
- Continue to beat for 5-7 minutes until dough is smooth
- Dump onto lightly floured surface and shape into a ball
- Lightly grease a medium bowl with olive oil, place dough ball upside down into the bowl, then flip so entire ball is greased
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm area to rise 45 minutes to 1 hour, until dough is doubled in size
- Punch dough down, turn out onto lightly floured surface, press into 8″x10″ rectangle
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
- Once chilled, roll dough into a 10″x12″ rectangle
- Grease loaf pan and line with parchment paper for easier removal
- Spread pumpkin filling (recipe follows) onto dough, keeping a 1″ clean border
- Rolling lengthwise, roll dough tightly into a jelly roll style log
- Make sure log is seam side down and slightly off center, cut lengthwise with very sharp knife or bench scraper
- Turn so both halves are cut sides up, exposing stripes of filling
- Cross one half on top of the other, creating an X, then gently twist top and bottom halves twice around each other and tuck ends under, all the while making sure to keep cut sides up
- Place in greased and lined loaf pan, cover with kitchen towel and allow second rise, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. You know it’s ready when you poke the dough and it mostly springs back but leaves a slight indentation
- If desired, lightly beat remaining egg with a splash of water and brush loaf with egg wash. I’ve made babka with and without an egg wash and I think they’re both perfectly acceptable.
- Preheat oven to 350° and bake for 45-50 minutes, reaching an internal temperature of around 190°. It will bake up a few degrees in the pan so don’t overbake if it’s a little below that when it looks browned and ready to come out of the oven. If needed, you can always throw some aluminum foil over it toward the end of the bake to avoid burning the top
- Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and then remove and allow to full cool on wire rack
- Wrapped tightly or kept in an air tight container this loaf can last quite a few days at room temperature, but should be enjoyed in under week before it looks suspect
Pumpkin Filling
- In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix together filling ingredients
- The butter should mostly mix in, though there may be small chunks of it throughout the filling, this is fine
P.S.
*This babka dough recipe was adapted from the Bake from Scratch Magazine.
