Recipe by Melani Huttu, Photos by Gypsy Hill Photography

Date & Cinnamon Babka is a comforting treat with an aroma that spreads from the oven through your home like a warm blanket. Its layers peel apart, revealing a soft, fluffy center, filled with swirled buttery date caramel. It is perfect for a warm weekend breakfast or accompanied by late afternoon coffee. The Barebones Living enamel-coated cast iron loaf pan is ideal for baking, with its easy-to-clean and even-cooking features, browning the edges for a gooey, caramelized bite.

How to Make
Date & Cinnamon Babka

Ingredients

Date & Cinnamon Babka Dough Ingredients

• 5 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 146 grams (2⁄3 cup) lukewarm whole milk
• 38 grams (3 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 10 grams (1 tablespoon) vanilla extract
• 1 gram (1⁄4 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• 275 grams (2 cups & 3 tablespoons) bread flour
• 8 grams (2 teaspoons) kosher salt
• 75 grams (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 30 grams (1⁄4 cup) bread flour
• Vegetable oil for greasing the pan

Date Caramel Ingredients

• 12 pitted Medjool dates
• 4 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
• 100 grams (1⁄2 cup) dark brown sugar
• 1 gram (1⁄4 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• 75 grams (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

Egg Wash Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water

Bourbon Vanilla Syrup

Note: You can also do the simple syrup without the extra flavors.

• 40 grams (3 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 45 grams (3 tablespoons) water
• Splash of your favorite bourbon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Toasted pecans to top the loaf if desired

Materials

• Enamel Mixing Bowl Set
• Enameled Cast Iron Loaf Pan

Instructions

Make the babka dough

1. In a medium bowl, combine the yeast and lukewarm milk. Add the sugar, yolks, vanilla, and cinnamon, and whisk until combined.
2. Add the 275 grams (2 cups and 3 tablespoons) of flour to the liquid. Add the salt and gently stir the salt in the flour to evenly distribute. Roughly mix everything using a wooden spoon or Dutch whisk until a shaggy dough is formed.
3. Oil your hands and give the dough a rough need to bring it together — the dough will be very sticky, and a bench scraper will make your job much easier.
4. Add the room-temperature butter on top once you have an evenly mixed but still sticky dough. Squeeze the dough and butter together to incorporate the butter into the dough. Again, it’s going to be sticky.
5. Once the butter has been incorporated into the dough, sprinkle the remaining 30 grams (1/4 cup flour) on top of the sticky dough. Lightly oil your hands and start kneading. At first, the dough will feel sticky, but slowly get less and less sticky as you knead. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough looks smooth, feels easy to handle, and can easily be shaped into a ball. Then, shape the dough into a ball.
6. Lightly oil the mixing bowl. Add the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and proof for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, in a warm spot, until the dough is visibly larger, almost double (may take more or less time depending on the temperature of your kitchen).

Make the date caramel

1. To a medium bowl, add the dates. Cover the dates with boiling water and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Drain the dates and squeeze them to get rid of any excess liquid. Blend the dates into a smooth paste using a food processor or immersion blender.
3. Add the date paste back to the bowl, add the salt, sugar, and cinnamon, and mix until combined. Add the butter and vigorously mix until combined.

Assemble the babka

1. Lightly flour your work surface. Empty the dough onto the surface and roughly shape it into a rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12 x 14 1/2-inch (30 x 36 cm) rectangle, about 1 cm thick.
2. Evenly spread the date caramel all over the surface of the dough using a spatula. Going lengthwise across, tightly roll the dough to form a log from one end to the other. If the dough feels greasy and soft, chill the dough log on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment, in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Lightly grease a Barebones enamel-coated cast iron loaf pan with oil & line it with parchment paper.
4. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, slice the dough in half, lengthwise, forming 2 strips of stuffed swirly dough.
5. Twist the two strips of dough together (cinnamon side up) 2 or 3 times to form a chunky loaf of dough.
6. Place the dough in the loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Proof for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until puffed up and visibly larger, almost doubled.
7. Chill the loaf in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the caramel is solid to the touch, this will make it easier to egg wash.
8. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Make the egg wash

1. Crack the egg in a small bowl. Add the water and whisk until combined. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush the egg wash over the babka surface.
2. Bake the babka until golden and glossy on top and the center of the babka measures 185°F, about 40 to 50 minutes. Keep an eye on it, the babka will turn darker in color on top. When the color on top starts getting darker, 15-20 minutes in, place a sheet of aluminum foil, tented on top, to prevent it from getting darker.

Make the syrup

1. In a small pot, heat the sugar and water together. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vanilla and bourbon. Brush the syrup over the warm babka. Sprinkle the loaf with toasted, chopped pecans if desired.
2. Allow the babka to cool to room temperature, then serve.

 ABOUT

Melanie Hutti is the stay-at-home gypsy of Gypsy Hill Farm located in central Kentucky. She loves to travel, but equally loves her time on her farm with her husband and two teenage sons. She is a full-time Occupational Therapist in the public schools, where she uses gardening as a therapeutic activity for her students with exceptional needs. She spends her evenings and summers off in her garden and behind the camera with her hobby photography business, Gypsy Hill Photography. She loves cooking, canning, and serving as a missionary in Haiti. She is a collector of hobbies and loves anything food and nature centered.

 Gypsy Hill Photography