Babka is always a good idea, especially when it is filled with cinnamon and apples.
Whenever I make babka, I am always thinking of the different flavor combinations. S'mores, chocolate peanut butter, or even something savory. That's when I got the idea for apple cinnamon babka.
Rosh Hashanah seemed like the perfect occasion to try out this idea. Apples are always severed for the holiday with honey for a sweet new year. While this babka doesn't have any honey, it is certainly VERY sweet.
I made the cinnamon apple babka using my classic babka recipe. The dough is a standard yeasted dough and pretty simple to make. The hardest part is being patient while it is rising for a few hours.
Let's talk about the apples. I chose to use Granny Smith because they have a good balance of sweet and tart. They also bake very well and hold up great in desserts. In order to make sure the apple flavor was spread throughout the babka, I chopped them into very fine pieces and spread them out over the cinnamon filling.
Don't be intimidated to roll out the babka! As long as the dough is in equal parts, you should get a pretty consistent shape. Also, the dough may be a little lumpy due to the addition of the apple pieces. Also, not a big deal. Just make sure that they are sealed inside.
The apple babka was a huge hit. The apples caramelized in the rolls and gave the babka almost like a caramel apple flavor. It is definitely a recipe you are going to want to make a few times during the fall!
Check out the recipe below and have a great new year!
Apple Cinnamon Babka
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ oz active yeast (2 packets)
- ½Â cup, plus 1 tsp sugar
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for sprinkling
- 2 sticks margarine,, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg white save the yolk for egg wash
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- ⅓ cup cinnamon
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, finely chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 sticks margarine
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently combine ½ cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of sugar and the yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes until the mixture starts to form small bubbles. Add ½ cup sugar, the flour, 2 sticks of the margarine, egg, and egg white in the bowl. Mix with a dough hook or a wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic and let rise for 2-4 hours. The dough should double in size.
- While the dough is rising, make the filling. In a small bowl combine the remaining sugar with the cinnamon and 4 sticks of margarine. Mix with a mixer or by hand. Keep the filling out and at room temperature. This will make it easy to spread.
- Peel, core, and chop the apples into very small pieces. Let sit out at room temperature.
- Once the dough is complete with the rise, preheat the oven to 375. Grease 2 12-inch loaf pans and preheat the oven to 375.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Take 1 piece and set the rest aside. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a 10x7 inch rectangle. Spread ¼ of the filling onto the dough. Scatter the ¼ of the apples on top of the filling. Roll up the dough beginning with the horizontal side of the rectangle. Repeat the steps with the remaining dough.
- When the rolls are filled, twist them around each other, trying to keep the seam on the bottom. Tuck the ends of the loaf underneath and place it into the prepared pans. Repeat for the remaining loaf.
- Once in the pan, brush the loaves with the reserved egg yolk and a bit of water. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake the babka for 45-55 minutes, until the top has a golden-brown crust. Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, run a knife around the babka and remove from the pan to fully cool.
- Store the babka in an airtight container. The babka should last about a week. The babka freezes very well and should last 1 month in the freezer.
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