Recipes
Caroline Schiff’s Lemon Poppy Cream Cheese Babka
I’ve always gravitated toward the combination of lemon and poppy. It’s such a perfect pairing and always visually appealing. When I was experimenting with different babka fillings, my friend Jessica (who styled and produced the photoshoot for this book!) suggested a Danish-like cream cheese filling, which I thought was pure genius. I made a test loaf ASAP and biked it over to her apartment to sample. I knew we had a winner when her three-year-old daughter, Michaela, devoured bite after bite. Thus, this Lemon-Poppy Cream Cheese Babka was born. It’s a bright surprise and the cream cheese gives the layers of dough a rich, satisfying creaminess. As with the other enriched doughs in the book, this one takes time, so plan accordingly
Makes one 9 inch babka
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 levain build, doubled in size
- 325 grams (2½ cups plus 1½ tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 114 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 24 milliliters (1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling
- 226 grams (8 ounces) cream cheese
- 120 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 30 grams (3 tablespoons) poppy seeds
for the glaze
- 60 milliliters (¼ cup) water
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
method
- For the dough: In the bowl of a mixer with the dough hook, combine the levain, flour, soft butter, granulated sugar, whole eggs, egg yolk, milk and salt. Knead on low speed for 25 to 30 minutes, stopping the mixer and scraping it down every 10 minutes or so to make sure everything is getting incorporated, until the dough comes together in a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The long kneading time is necessary for proper gluten development. It’ll start off looking very shaggy and messy, but resist the urge to add additional flour before it magically smooths itself out!
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated very lightly with neutral nonstick cooking spray. Cover and set in a warm spot, letting the dough proof for 4 hours at room temperature. It may not rise much this first proofing; that’s OK! Gently fold the dough over itself, cover and transfer to the fridge to ferment overnight, 12 to 14 hours.
- For the filling: Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest and salt in a mixing bowl. Cream together until smooth. You can make this just before shaping the dough or up to 1 day ahead of time. If you make it in advance, keep it refrigerated and bring it up When the dough has fermented for about 12 hours, spray a 9 x 4 x 4-inch (23 x 10 x 10-cm) loaf pan with neutral nonstick cooking spray.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and gently turn it out onto a floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and gently roll it out into a 10 x 20-inch (25 x 51-cm) rectangle, with the short end of the dough facing you. Spread all the filling over the dough in an even layer. Then dust evenly with the poppy seeds. Roll the dough up starting with the short edge to form a 10-inch (25-cm)-long spiral.
- Cut the roll down the middle the long way, creating two 10-inch (25-cm)-long strips. Place the middle of one half on top of the middle of the other half—forming an X—then twist the strips around one another. Place the twisted dough in the pan, tucking in the ends. Spray the top of the babka lightly with a nonstick spray and cover loosely with plastic.
- Place the babka in a warm spot and proof again, until it increases in size by about a third and is light and puffy in appearance, 3 to 4 hours. Heat the oven to 350F degrees with a rack in the center. When fully proofed, transfer the babka to the oven and bake until a deep golden brown on top, 45 to 55 minutes.
- For the glaze: While the babka bakes, bring the water, sugar and lemon zest to a boil in a small pot. Boil for 2 minutes to reduce slightly, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Remove the babka from the oven and immediately pour the glaze over the top, using it all. When cooled to room temperature, gently unmold, slice and enjoy.
Divider
Pastry Chef Caroline Schiff Talks Hanukkah Treats and Holiday Baking
listen on radio cherry bombe
Links
| Image |
 |
| Button | BUY THE BOOK |
| Description | We'd love for you to order from your favorite bookstore! If you order from our shop, please note, some of the items we link to may earn us a small commission. |
