Baby Babkas

For years, I've been obsessed with the notion of Babkas. No doubt this was fuelled in part by Seinfeld and my own interest in Jewish food. At long last, I had a proper one last year in New York and, well, there's no turning back now!

I finally braved up to make my own this weekend. With Rosh Hashanah just passing and Yom Kippur around the corner, there are loads of yummy recipes being featured on my favourite blogs and news sites. 

I chose to do two different kinds, both with a few tweaks of my own: one with apricot and chocolate; the other with marzipan/almond paste and rum soaked raisins. 

What isn't shown here is the dough rising, proofing, resting, chilling. It's a process. 

After many hours, you roll out a rectangle (trust me, it's a rectangle) shaped piece. Since I was doing 4 small ones, I had quartered my original loaf (which was designed to do 2 big ones).

You then add your fillings. Here's the almond paste & raisins. I think this process reminds me a lot like making cinnamon rolls. 

You then roll it up lengthwise - again, just like cinnamon rolls. 

Then you twist it into a spiral and somehow lift it up and put into the pan. It's a jumbled mess, but that's the point!

Et voila.

My 4 baby babkas, proofing again in the sun. I've dusted them with cinnamon sugar & drizzled with melted butter and leftover raisin rum juice.

Baked! They rose nicely. You can seem some chocolate breaking out on the bottom right one. Can't wait to crack them open and dive in!