There was one day that I got the urge to just bake and not just bake anything, I needed to bake a beautiful Babka.
But in tradition and absolutely true to The Miniature Life, I had to make it a little bit Indian.
That is how this EPIC Blueberry and Cardamom Babka came to be.
In all honesty I wasn’t sure what to expect when I made this beautiful bread, but it’s just so fantastic, I have recreated it numerous times.
What is Babka
Babka is a sweet braided bread with origins in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. Made with yeast, flour and eggs and then filled with chocolate, cinnamon and sometimes fruit, this bread is so aesthetically pleasing! In recent years the popularity of Babka had really taken off with many mainstream supermarkets selling their own versions of it.
A great babka has beautiful layers of bread, then filling. Depending on the specific recipes, some use layers of butter to create airy light bread and other recipes use loads of eggs to create an almost custardy bread.
How to make the Brioche Bread
Oh this brioche bread is absolutely incredible, if I say so myself. When creating this recipe, I wanted to create a brioche that was still buttery, and rich but had that beautiful lightness of a regular bread with yeast. I started with one egg which yielded a more bread-y flavoured babka. And then I I slowly developed this recipe into one that is absolutely perfect, and fool proof – the trick is definitely in the proportions.
The first thing you need to do is set the eggs out to reach room temperature. Next is to prepare the yeast which needs to bloom in warm full cream milk – trust me and use full fat milk for the recipe. Light, or skim milk won’t quite give you that beautiful richness you want in the babka. If you are looking for a plant-based alternative, I recommend using something like a creamy almond milk (look for a barista style one) or oat milk. Both of these don’t have an overly strong flavour and are lovely and rich enough to use in this style of baking.
Blooming the yeast
Even though my recipe uses instant yeast, I always let it bloom in a warm liquid and sweetener (in this case a little bit of white sugar. I find the result is an even better dough. If you are short on time, then I definitely would prioritize resting the dough rather than the blooming of the yeast, but if you can afford 10 minutes then this process is certainly worth it.
Once the yeast is ready, simple mix this with the plain flour, butter, pinch of salt, eggs and remaining sugar. Combine this using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer or knead by hand. If using the stand mixer this process should only take a few minutes to bring the dough into a lovely smooth ball. If you are kneading the dough by hand, you will need to do this or at least 10 minutes. Once the dough is ready, continue to knead this for another couple of minutes on a floured surface until beautifully smooth. Gently cover the dough in a little bit of butter and place in a buttered bowl to rise covered for at least 4 hours (if leaving at room temperature) or overnight in the fridge. If you leave the dough overnight, simple remove the dough at least an hour before you plan on using it in order for it to reach room temperature.
Let’s talk about the filling
When it comes to making a babka like this, you absolutely want to buy a really good jam. One of my favourite new brands has to be the Beerenberg Australian Jams (*not sponsored). What makes them really awesome is the name of the person that packaged them and the date the jar was packaged. Apart from the nice touches, the jam is really quite beautiful – deep, and rich in flavour but packed with that delicious tart blueberry taste. Based in Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, these jams have quickly become a favourite at home.
When the dough has finished resting for at least 4 hours, punch down the air from the dough and overturn it onto a floured surface and knead gently for a minute or so until soft and pliable. After this, you need to roll out the dough into a large rectangle that is roughly 1/4 to1/2 an inch thick depending on how much weight you can put into this without ripping the dough – this really will depend on how much gluten develops.
Now you spread the jam. In the photo below I have used WAY too much jam, but you know what? No regrets because it just made the whole bread all the more delicious. Remember to keep roughly 1 cm from the edges of the rectangle when spreading the jam. Once the jam is evenly spread, sprinkle over the cardamom. You can adjust the amount here if you love a lot of cardamom, then sprinkle a bit more than what I have outlined in the recipe below.
Once the log is rolled up, use a sharp knife to cut through the middle of the dough saving 1/2 to 1 inch at on end. This way you get two parts of the dough with lovely layers of dough and jam ready for twisting. This part is SUPER messy and yet so much fun. Be sure to wear an apron here or at least some really old clothing because that jam definitely gets everywhere. To twist the bread, simple loop the dough strands over each other
Once you’ve created the twisted bread, you need to arrange it into a lined bread tin. Depending on how long the log you created is, you may need to tuck in either end and add an additional fold to fit the dough nicely into the tin. Now the dough need to rest once again for at least 30-40 minutes to double in size again, at room temperature and uncovered.
You should be able to purchase loaf tins from your supermarkets or variety stores. Alternatively you can find good quality loaf tins at
Now let’s bake!
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celicus and prepare the middle rack to keep your bread tin. After the dough had doubled in size, place the tin in the oven and let the babka bake for at least 15 minutes and up to 25 minutes. The time will depend on your oven and how the dough baked overall so keep an eye on the oven. The babka is done once there is beautiful golden brown to brown colour on the bread. At this point your home should smell absolutely incredible!
And finally here is the recipe for one of the most amazing breads you will ever eat. Trust me this one is just too good to pass! I love brushing my babka with a touch of honey right at the end to get that gorgeous glossy finish
How to make Blueberry & Cardamom Babka
Equipment
- Loaf tin
- Knife
- Baking paper
- Microwave safe bowl or cup
- Stand Mixer with a dough hook (if available)
- Measuring cup and spoons
Ingredients
- 450 g plain flour
- 130 g warm milk at 30°C/86°F 125 mL
- 40 g caster sugar you need 15g for the yeast & milk mixture and 25g for the dough
- 1 tsp instant yeast 2 tsp of dried yeast
- 60 g melted & cooled butter
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ to ½ tsp ground cardamom adjust the amount to your taste
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup blueberry jam I love using Beerenberg Jam
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tbsp water
Instructions
- Combine 15g of sugar, warm milk and the yeast in a measuring cup or bowl. Set this aside for 10 minutes to bloom
- In the meantime, combine the flour, salt, and cardamom in a mixing bowl
- Add the bloomed yeast mixture to the flour, then add the eggs, and vanilla. Combine using a stand mixture on the lowest setting (typically named "Fold/Knead") or using a wooden spoon then your hands as the dough comes together
- Gently stream the melted and cooled butter into the bowl whilst mixing and continue to knead for about 2 minutes on the stand mixer or 10 minutes by hand, until the dough comes together into a smooth ball
- Now, knead the dough by hand for a further 2 minutes until smooth
- Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with a silicone lid, or a damp tea towel and let the dough rest and rise for 4 hours
- Line a loaf tin with baking paper
- Punch the air out of the dough and knead it through
- Roll the dough out into a large rectangle shape
- Leaving 1 inch along each side, spread the blueberry jam across the entire surface of the rolled out dough
- Carefully roll the dough lengthways to create a log
- Use a knife to cut through the middle of the log lengthways
- Carefully twist the 2 strands you have cut over each other to create your babka shape
- Now, gently place and shape the babka dough into the prepared loaf tin
- Set this aside for 1 hour to finish proofing
- With 30 minutes left, pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F
- Bake the loaf for 30 minutes in the oven until golden brown and fragrant
- While the loaf bakes, combine the honey and water
- Remove the baked babka and set onto some heat proof mats. Use a brush to brush over the honey mixture whilst the babka is still hot!
- Let the babka cool a little before removing from the loaf tin, and serve warm. You can serve the babka by itself or with some whipped cream, or even ice cream
As always, leave me a comment below and share your recipe attempts with me on Instagram using my handle @theminiaturelife. Be sure to send me a DM with a screenshot so that I can see the photos!
Hope you enjoyed this delicious bread recipe and fall in love with Babka just as much as I do.
