This sweet bread is called 'Babkallah', because it is the hybrid baby of Babka and Challah. Because the dough is so rich, it looks quite small at first, but, you'll be amazed at how big it gets after baking! Some Babka I've tried in the past has been so sweet and buttery I felt a little gross after eating it. I made sure with this recipe to get the balance right, but still make a treat that tastes delicious. This beautiful bread is perfect year round as a holiday treat or just a midweek pick me up.
An awesome way to enrich and sweeten the dough is to use super ripe, frozen bananas! That way you can replace the eggs and most of the sugar, all with one thing. It bakes really nicely and you can't even taste the banana. The filling is balanced with the sweet, heavy dark chocolate and the tart, fresh berries. However, the dough and concept of the bread is super versatile so you can pretty much switch the filling out for anything. A couple things that would work great are; cinnamon roll filling, replace the banana with vegan yogurt, and the filling with some vegan cream cheese and chives, cinnamon and apple filling, blueberry cream cheese filling, jam or marmalade filling, and many more.
I like to prepare the dough the night before, let it sit overnight in the fridge, and then bake it off the next morning. That way you can have it (depending on how early you get up) for breakfast, morning tea or brunch. Enjoy!
Ingredients
for the dough
1 frozen ripe banana, thawed to room temp (72g)
118ml plant based milk
1 Tbs yeast
1 tsp vanilla
113g vegan butter, melted(1/2 cup)
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
384g flour (3 cups)
for the filling
4 dates
6 oz dark chocolate
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
34g vegan butter, melted
34g nut butter*
about 1/2 cup berries, fresh or frozen
optional stuff
plant based milk for brushing
turbino sugar for sprinkling
*here you can use any type of nut butter, I make it with peanut butter. You really can't taste the peanut flavor very much, but it makes the filling taste rich and butter-y 😋
Instructions
1. The evening before, mix together all the dough ingredients and knead until a smooth dough forms (5-10 minutes). Transfer to a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rest in the fridge overnight. Place your dates in a heat prof bowl and boil around a cup of water. Pour the boiling water over the dates and set them aside (cover with a clean cloth).
2. The next morning, combine all the filling ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until a thick paste forms. If you don't have a blender or yours doesn't have enough power, put all the ingredients onto a cutting board and chop it with a sharp knife until a paste forms, set aside. On a clean surface, divide the dough into three portions (about 233g each) and roll them into logs.
3. Roll out the dough logs and divide the filling evenly between them (about 107g for each). Spread the filling out and sprinkle the berries on top.
4. Roll each dough piece length wise, braid the three rolls together. If you want, you can cut slits in the rolls so that you can see all the layers of filling and dough. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours. Brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 35-45 minutes.
recipe inspired by Bon Appetit
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