Apple Butter Cinnamon-Sugar Babka

This is one of those places where I cram a lot of my favorite things into one recipe and see how it comes out.  Apple butter, check.  Cinnamon-sugar, check.  Soft delicious challah dough in a twisty babka bread??  Check.

And I’ll be honest…halfway through making this I was pretty sure it was going to be a disaster.

I can’t remember what gave me this particular brainwave, but it was very likely when I made a new batch of my amazing homemade apple butter and was thinking of all the different ways it could be used.

I’d been browsing challah and babka recipes including peanut butter and jelly, tahini and pistachio, and so many more, and thought…why not apple butter??

This babka would make amazing small-batch french toast!

So I started looking for apple butter babka recipes and really kind of came up empty.  Which I found surprising, because it feels like such a logical and beloved flavor combo.  So after finding a few different things that were in the right direction, I set out to figure out something on my own.

I think you’re going to like it…

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray or cover with butter and set aside.

Combine the milk, honey and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Heat it *just* until the butter is melted, then remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes (you want it to be around 120-130 F before you pour it into the mix, if it’s too hot it’ll kill the yeast).

Making the dough is easy enough…in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine roughly 2 cups of the flour and the salt, cinnamon, and yeast, as well as the lemon zest.  Add the slightly-cooled milk mixture and mix until smooth.  Then add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is mixed in after each.

Your dough will be quite sloppy at this point, so add the remaining flour a little at a time, incorporating it into the dough before adding more…you want the dough to be soft and sticky, but clear the sides of the bowl.  Don’t add too much flour!!

Continue to knead the dough for about 5 more minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic (I turned it out on a lightly floured surface and did a bit of hand-kneading toward the end).

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour (but may be a bit more).  Go do your own thing for a while.

Once your dough has doubled, it’s time to get down to business.

Stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.  Get your apple butter ready.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface, punch it down, give it a knead or two, and then roll it into a rectangle (about 9 inches on the short side and 1/4 inch thick).

Spread the apple butter all over the dough in a thin layer, leaving a very thin strip along the edges free.  Then top with the cinnamon sugar.

Starting at the short side, roll into a tight log (like a cinnamon roll).  Tack the end of the dough down and give it a gentle roll to make sure it’s sealed, and then use a sharp knife to cut the log in half lengthwise (leaving one of the ends slightly attached).  I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally rolled it up the long way…didn’t ruin anything, but I didn’t get quite as many swirls in there.

Twist the two long pieces together (it will be MESSY), and place in the prepared pan.  I truly thought it would be rubbish at this point, with how messy it was.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a big plastic bag, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Once it’s ready, uncover pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.  Generally speaking, bread should be 200 F inside when done, but you have to be careful about hitting an apple butter vein (which will be hotter).

Cool completely before slicing.  I was shocked and pleased with how it turned out.  Soft, a little sweet, warm spices.  What’s not to love??

So here’s to persevering when you think something has gone to crap…delicious soft apple butter babka.

Other twisty breads you’ll love:

• Heavenly Dark Chocolate Orange Babka
• Orange Cinnamon-Sugar Twist Bread
• Cinnamon Walnut-Stuffed Challah
• Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Paul Hollywood’s Chelsea Buns
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Babka

Apple Butter Babka with Cinnamon-Sugar 

Dough:

• 1/2 cup (118 ml) of whole milk
• 1/4 cup (85 grams) of honey
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) of unsalted butter
• 3 cups (360 grams) of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons, 7 grams) of active-dry yeast
• 2 large eggs
• Zest of 1/2 lemon

Filling:

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup apple butter (I recommend my super easy homemade apple butter)

Make the dough:

1. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray or cover with butter and set aside.
2. Combine the milk, honey and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Heat it *just* until the butter is melted, then remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes (you want it to be around 120-130 F before you pour it into the mix, if it’s too hot it’ll kill the yeast).
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine roughly 2 cups of the flour and the salt, cinnamon, and yeast.
4. Add the milk mixture and mix until smooth.  Then add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is mixed in after each.
5. Add the remaining flour a little at a time, incorporating it into the dough before adding more…you want the dough to be soft and sticky, but clear the sides of the bowl.  Don’t add too much flour!!
6. Continue to knead the dough for about 5 more minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic (I turned it out on a lightly floured surface and did a bit of hand-kneading toward the end).
7. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour (but may be a bit more).

Assemble the loaf:

1. Stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.  Get your apple butter ready.
2. Once your dough has doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface, punch it down, give it a knead or two, and then roll it into a rectangle (about 9 inches on the short side and 1/4 inch thick).
3. Spread the apple butter all over the dough in a thin layer, leaving a very thin strip along the edges free.  Then top with the cinnamon sugar.
4. Starting at the short side, roll into a tight log (like a cinnamon roll).  Tack the end of the dough down and give it a gentle roll to make sure it’s sealed, and then use a sharp knife to cut the log in half lengthwise (leaving one of the ends slightly attached).
5. Twist the two long pieces together (it will be MESSY), and place in the prepared pan.
6. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a big plastic bag, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Uncover pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped (it should be 200 F inside when done, as long as you aren’t hitting an apple butter vein).
8. Cool completely before slicing.