Baklava Babka

Two beloved treats meet in this show-stopping baklava babka that brings baklava's honey-soaked, nutty magic to babka's tender, layered dough.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Milk: Provides moisture and creates a tender, soft crumb structure in the bread.
• Butter: Creates tenderness and adds flavor to the babka. The melted butter brushed on the rolled dough helps the sugar adhere to the dough and helps the bread turn golden brown during baking.
• Hazelnuts: Bring a rich, nutty flavor to the babka filling. Use toasted unsalted nuts for the best results.
• Orange: Adds bright, citrusy notes to the filling.
• Cardamom: Adds warm, slightly floral notes that complement the nuts. You can omit it if you dislike cardamom.
• Honey: Used for the finishing syrup, adding sweetness to the babka, and helps keep the bread moist.

Substitutions and variations

• Nuts: Feel free to use a different combination of nuts, such as walnuts and pistachios, or just one nut.
• Flavors: You can add a touch of rosewater or orange blossom to the filling, if desired.

Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Baklava Babka

1 babka wreath

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: bread

Servings: 12

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Dough

• ½ cup milk (125 ml)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (7 grams)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• ½ cup butter, cubed and softened (113 grams)

Filling

• 1 cup unsalted, toasted pistachios (120 grams)
• 1 cup unsalted, toasted hazelnuts (120 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• zest of 1 orange
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133 grams)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅓ cup butter, melted (75 grams)

Honey syrup

• ½ cup honey (168 grams)
• ½ cup water (125 ml)

Instructions

• Make the babka dough. Heat the milk in the microwave until it reaches 100 degrees F, about 30 seconds. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy.
• Combine the yeast mixture with the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, eggs, and egg yolk. Mix until the dough comes and knead for 2-3 minutes or until firm. Add the butter a little at a time, mixing well between each addition. Continue to knead the dough until smooth, about 7-8 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover, and let proof in a warm area for 1 hour. It may not double in size.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. In a food processor, pulse together the pistachios, hazelnuts, vanilla, salt, and zest of 1 orange until the nuts are finely chopped. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and place a 4-inch oven-safe ramekin in the center.
• Punch down the dough. Lightly dust a clean work counter with flour and roll out the dough until it's a 12x24-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with half of the melted butter, leaving a ½-inch border.
• Sprinkle the spiced sugar evenly on the buttered portion of the dough. Top with the chopped nut filling and drizzle the remaining melted butter on top. Starting with the long side facing you, roll the dough into a tight rope. You should end up with a 24-inch-long rope.
• Trim the ends of the log and cut it in half lengthwise. Flip the logs so that the cut sides are facing up. Gently pinch the ends of the top of the log together and start to twist the two logs together. Lift one side over the next to form a twist, keeping the cut sides facing up. Transfer the log to the prepared pan, shaping it into a circle. Tuck the ends together to enclose the circle. Sprinkle any of the nuts that may have fallen off on top. Cover the pan and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the honey syrup. Combine the honey with the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to low and continue to simmer the syrup for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Bake the babka for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and pour the honey syrup on top. Let cool completely.

Notes

You can make the nut mixture and spiced sugar ahead of time. 

 

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make dough

What is babka? As Paul Hollywood described it, it's a bread made with enriched dough that's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It has swirls of chocolate and nuts that run through the bread, making it utterly delicious. Although in this case, we're taking out the chocolate and adding baklava ingredients. It's still utterly delicious, I promise you.

To make the baklava babka, you first have to make the dough. If you have ever made brioche, this is the same method. Heat some milk and add the yeast and sugar to activate the yeast. Combine the yeast mixture with flour, eggs, egg yolks, salt, and sugar.

Once the dough starts to come together and firms up, add the butter a couple of pieces at a time. You don't want to add all of the butter at the same time, or the dough will be one greasy mess.

Let the dough proof for one hour in a warm spot. It may not double in size, but that's okay because it will have a chance to proof again later.

Step 2: Prepare filling

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Baklava is made with a variety of nuts, but I chose pistachios and hazelnuts for this bread because, well, they're my favorite. Choose what you like, adding an equal amount of each into the filling.

Pulse the ingredients together in a food processor until the nuts are coarsely chopped. You can also chop the nuts by hand and combine them with the remaining ingredients. Mix the sugar with the spices and set it aside.

For the sugar seasoning, combine sugar with the spices until well combined.

Step 3: Shape dough

Now it's time to assemble the babka. Roll out the dough fairly thin into a 12x24-inch rectangle. Brush on half of the butter, sprinkle on the sugar, and top with the nuts. Then, drizzle the remaining butter on top to help moisten the filling.

Roll up the dough into a 24-inch log; don't worry if the nuts fall out. We're going to save them and top the bread later on.

Cut the log in half so that it's two 24-inch-long logs. Flip the cut sides so that they're facing up and twist the two logs together by flipping one side over the other. I'll admit, this step is messy because some of the filling will fall out.

Now comes the tricky part. Transfer the twisted log into your greased pan to form a circle. You can use a tube pan, but the shape might be slightly odd since tube pans are tapered. To have a consistent size, it's best to use a 9-inch springform pan and put an oven-safe 4-inch ramekin in the center.

Pinch the ends together to enclose the circle and sprinkle the top with the nuts that fell out. Cover the pan and let the babka rise for 45 minutes.

Step 4: Bake

While the babka is proofing again, make the honey syrup. Simmer together equal parts honey and water until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Let it cool completely.

Alas, it's finally time to bake the bread! Pop the babka in the oven and bake until browned and the internal temperature is 180 degrees F, about 30-40 minutes.

Now get that honey syrup and pour it all over the bread. It seems like a lot of syrup, but we're making baklava babka, so it's totally appropriate. If you want it less sweet, just pour less syrup and serve the extra on the side. Now comes the hard part: waiting for the bread to cool.

I literally was standing around waiting for this baklava babka to cool so that I could have a taste. One look at the inside and I was in love. But then I took a bite of the bread, and I fell head over heels. This babka was incredible, filled to the brim with pistachios and hazelnuts with the perfect hint of orange and a subtle taste of rosewater. It was everything I wanted and more.

For another baklava-inspired dessert, check out this baklava pudding pie!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can prepare the dough the night before and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. You can also make the filling and sugar mixture the day before.
• Store: Keep the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Frequently asked questions

More sweet bread recipes

Looking for breads with nuts? Try these: