Category: Holiday

Chocolate Raspberry Brioche Buns

Sometimes we just want to make something special. Something fruity, something chocolatey, something enriched with a whole cup of butter. These brioche buns stuffed with chocolate and raspberry puree are special. They taste of sweet raspberries dotted with chocolate and all wrapped up in a decadent brioche bun. Chocolate raspberry brioche buns are the Valentine treat you didn’t know you wanted to make. I baked up a bunch of them before Valentine’s Day, froze them and will re-heat a couple for our Valentine breakfast…along with this favorite chocolate puff oven pancake and of course a sugar cookie or two.

Enriched Dough

Brioche is an enriched dough, meaning it is made with a lot of eggs, butter and milk. The majority of the liquid in this dough comes from eggs (and milk). Do you remember hearing the quote attributed to Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat cake!”? Translated properly, the phrase would read, “Let them eat brioche!” At the time of Marie Antoinette, only the very rich could afford brioche, which was highly enriched with expensive butter. Brioche can be made with 100% butter (this is super rich and the dough becomes very difficult to handle), 50% butter (which is what I use for this recipe), or even 20% butter is still considered brioche. Each of these doughs are delicious in their own right, but I have found this recipe to be the perfect amount of butter/flour ratio for these buns.

Use a Stand Mixer for Brioche

Brioche often needs the use of a stand mixer. It is a very, very soft dough and difficult to knead by hand as you incorporate the butter. One of the goals when mixing brioche is to keep the dough at room temperature while the butter incorporates. If your hands are warm, they are going to melt the dough as you knead. I prefer using my Bosch mixer to make brioche dough, because this dough needs a long mix to incorporate all the butter and to develop the gluten.

Evolution of Brioche: From Crumbly to Soft Dough

To begin making this dough, mix together the warm milk, bread flour and instant yeast. Let this mixture sit for 10-20 minutes until it gets nice and yeasty and starts to expand a bit. The sugars in the milk help activate the yeast. Continue adding in the eggs, flour, sugar and salt and mix until you get a crumbly and fairly stiff dough. Mix with your stand mixer for a few minutes before adding the butter. Cut the butter into Tablespoons and add a Tablespoon at a time until the dough becomes very shiny and all the butter is incorporated. You will notice the texture of the dough begin to change as you continue mixing. I like to set a timer and just let my mixer mix for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is very shiny, silky and smooth. It may also be a little sticky to the touch.

As you add the butter the dough will turn from stiff to smooth and shiny.

Refrigerating Brioche (4 hours or longer)

Once the brioche has been thoroughly mixed, transfer the dough to a large bowl. It will feel different (more wet/sticky) than most doughs. That is okay! Cover the dough with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge until chilled all the way through, at least four hours or up to overnight. While in the fridge the cold air helps solidify the butter and makes the dough more workable and easier to shape. I like to mix my dough the night before for a morning bake or I mix in the morning and then bake for an after school snack, because who doesn’t love fresh brioche when they get off the school bus?

Make the Raspberry Puree

If you have a favorite raspberry jam (seedless is my preference), you can use that in place of making the raspberry puree. The puree itself is fairly simple to whisk up and tastes delicious. Place 6 oz raspberries into a saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons water. If you use frozen raspberries, use 1 Tablespoon water instead of 2. Mash up the raspberries and let the mixture come to a boil at medium heat. Boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the raspberry puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a container. Use a spatula or stir the raspberry mixture as it strains through. Mix around until all you have left in the strainer is seeds. Make sure you check the underside of the strainer to get any extra puree that might be there before discarding the seeds. You will end up with about 1/4 -1/3 cup raspberry puree. Let the puree cool before using in these chocolate raspberry brioche buns.

Preparing the Parchment Paper

This recipe makes about 16 brioche buns, so you will need 16 pieces of parchment paper to line the muffin tins. Cut a square of parchment paper (you can eyeball this with your own muffin tin). Fold the square in half, then half again to make a smaller square. Holding the tip of the parchment, cut a circular arc as seen in the photo below. Repeat until you have 16 pieces of parchment paper.

Shaping the Brioche Buns

Now for the fun part! Shaping the brioche buns. After at least 4 hours of chilling, dump the dough out on a counter. Use a kitchen scale to weigh small balls of dough, about 75 grams per ball. Working quickly (so as not to heat up the dough too much), roll the ball of dough into a small rectangle. Spread about a teaspoon of raspberry puree on the dough. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Fold the dough on top of itself (hot dog style). Holding both ends of the dough, twist the dough. Starting at one end, roll the dough into a swirled bunch shape. Place a piece of cut parchment paper over a muffin tin and drop the bun into the center of the parchment. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

Second Rise and Baking Brioche

Lightly cover the brioche buns and let rise until puffed up, at least an hour. Due to the enriched dough, these buns may not quite double in size, but they will look puffed up and fill out the tin a bit. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make a quick egg wash with one egg and a teaspoon of water, scrambled together. Brush it over the top of the buns right before placing in the oven. Bake the buns for about 15-20 minutes until golden on top and baked through. Let cool.

Chocolate raspberry brioche buns are decadent and make for the perfect special occasion breakfast. I hope you love them. Enjoy!

Can I make this into a swirled brioche loaf instead of buns?

Yes. This brioche dough works great for a swirled loaf. Separate the dough into two portions. Spread the puree, sprinkle the chocolate chips, shape and assemble like this Babka. Let rise, egg wash and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

I don’t have a stand mixer. Can I make these brioche buns?

If you don’t have a stand mixer, I would not recommend making this recipe by hand. Try using this roll recipe that is easier to knead by hand. Add the raspberry/chocolate and follow the brioche shaping instructions instead.

What makes brioche different from other breads?

Brioche is a bread enriched with butter and eggs unlike a traditional sandwich loaf which is often made with water and oil. Brioche has a longer shelf life, takes longer to rise and is light and fluffy when baked.

How long can the brioche dough be refrigerated?

The brioche dough can be refrigerated up for 24-48 hours before bing shaped and baked.

How do I store extra brioche buns?

Brioche can be stored at room temperature for about 24 hours. After that I like to freeze brioche. When I’m ready to eat I thaw for a couple hours or re-heat for 20-30 seconds in the microwave.

Chocolate Raspberry Brioche Buns

Amy
Decadent brioche buns filled with fresh made raspberry puree and dotted with bits of semi-sweet chocolate make for the perfect special occasion breakfast. These are soft, fluffy and taste of bright raspberry and chocolate. Absolutely delicious!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Rise Time: 4 hours to overnight 5 hrs
Total Time 6 hrs
Course Bread, Breakfast, Valentine
Cuisine American, French
Servings 16 buns

Ingredients
  

Brioche

  • 1/2 cup bread flour 75 grams
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1/2 cup milk 117 grams, warmed to the temperature of baby's bathwater
  • 5 eggs 250 grams
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 1/4 cups bread flour 500 grams
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened and cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
  • 1/4-1/3 cup raspberry puree (store bought or made according to recipe below) reserved for shaping
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips reserved for shaping
  • 1 egg reserved for egg wash

Strawberry Puree

  • 6 oz raspberries
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons water

Instructions
 

Brioche Dough

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1/2 cup bread flour, instant yeast and 1/2 cup warm milk. Let stand for about 30 minutes until puffed up and risen.
  • Add the eggs and sugar. Mix together. Add the bread flour and salt. This will be stiff, almost a little crumbly and that is okay. Knead for 3-5 minutes.
  • Cut the softened butter into Tablespoon sized chunks. With the mixer running, add the butter a chunk at a time until all the butter has been added to the mixer. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until the butter is fully combined and the dough looks shiny and smooth. It should be sticky but not overly sticky at this point.
  • Transfer the dough to a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
  • While the dough is refrigerating, prepare the raspberry puree and the parchment paper (Directions for raspberry puree is below. Directions/pictures for cutting the parchment are in the post)
  • Once the dough has risen for 4+ hours, transfer to a countertop. Split dough into 16 pieces, about 75 grams per dough ball.
  • Shape bun: Take a piece of dough. Roll out into a small rectangle on the counter. Spread 1 teaspoon of raspberry puree in the middle. Sprinkle 12-15 semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of the raspberry puree. Fold the dough in half. Holding both ends, twist the dough and then swirl into a bun shape. Place on top of a piece of parchment paper and into a muffin tin. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
  • Cover the buns and let rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Egg Wash: Scramble one egg together with a teaspoon of water and brush onto the risen buns.
  • Bake buns for 15-20 minutes until golden on top and baked all the way through. Enjoy!

Raspberry Puree

  • Place 6 oz raspberries into a saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons water. If you use frozen raspberries, use 1 Tablespoon water instead of 2. Smoosh up the raspberries and let the mixture come to a boil at medium heat. Boil for about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and pour the raspberry puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a container. Use a spatula or stir the raspberry mixture as it strains through. Mix around until all you have left in the strainer is seeds. Make sure you check the underside of the strainer to get any extra puree that might be there before discarding the seeds. You will end up with about 1/4 -1/3 cup raspberry puree. Let puree cool before using.

Notes

Flour: This recipe calls for bread flour. If you don’t have bread flour you can use all purpose flour with good results.
Raspberry Puree: Make your own or use a good quality raspberry jam from the store (seedless preferred).
Keyword brioche, brioche buns, chocolate bread, raspberry bread, Valentines

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a very small amount from qualifying purchases.

Follow me on Instagram @amybakesbread, like Amy Bakes Bread on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest for more baking ideas. Please share this recipe if you enjoyed it! Post a photo and tag me @amybakesbread so I can see your bake.

Amy1 Comment

19 Gifts for A Home Baker

With the holidays coming up, I thought it would be nice to make a list of my tried and true favorite baking tools that would make great stocking stuffers or “big ticket” gifts. I started this as a “top ten” list, but the more I listed the things I love to use in my kitchen on a weekly basis, the more this list grew! So here it is: 19 things that would make the perfect gift for a home baker or someone who just loves to bake. Everything that made this list is something that I use and love in my kitchen (or something I want for myself for Christmas) and would be thrilled to receive as a gift over the holidays. If you have an aspiring baker in your life or someone who just loves baking in the kitchen, check some of these ideas out. I hope it helps!

Disclaimer: These are all products that I use and purchased myself or a few that I would love to receive. I am a member of Amazon affiliate. Clicking on any Amazon link and purchasing through my link will earn me a very small amount through qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me in running this website so I can bring you more great content.

  1. 1. Zester: Whether I’m zesting lemons, frozen ginger, oranges or limes, this zester comes in handy to add bright flavor to many baked goods or dinners. It’s the perfect size for a stocking stuffer too!

  1. 2. USA Pans: These are my long-time favorite pans. They are the easiest to clean of any pans I’ve ever used. I found them at Costco a few months ago, so be sure to check there as well. I love their traditional loaf pans, baking sheets and cookie sheets the most. They are perfect for baking brioche buns or these cloverleaf dinner rolls.

  1. 3. Pastry Mat: Using a pastry mat to roll out and work with dough is a game changer for me! I love turning out my dough onto a pastry mat instead of the countertop. I also love how easy it is to have the measurements right in front of you when making cinnamon rolls, rolling out pie dough or shaping a cookie cake.

  1. 4. Sourdough Bread Lame: I love the UFO bread lame from Wire Monkey which I received last year as a Christmas gift. It is easy to hold and makes bread scoring very easy. I’ve also liked this one you can grab on Amazon. Either of these options will change the way you score bread and give your finished bread a beautiful look!

  1. 5. Tartine Bread Book: This is the book that started my love of sourdough. It has beautiful images and amazing recipes from the beginning of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. It is not an easy book to start with, but would be perfect for someone who loves baking with sourdough or wants to learn more complex recipes. I also love their second book of mostly pastries, and their third book (all about baking with whole grains) is making its way on my Christmas list this year.

  1. 6. Potato “Bread” Pot: I’ve waxed poetic about this potato pot to bake bread in before on Instagram. It is not necessary. You can make awesome bread with a baking stone or using a dutch oven (I used a pot like this for many years before upgrading and it worked really well). But, if you want to splurge on someone for Christmas who loves baking sourdough, this pot is the way to go! At the time of posting Costco online also carries these pots if you want to save about $40. This is where I purchased my pots (and I have four of them!).

  1. 7. 00 Pizza Flour: Have a pizza lover in your life? Grab them a bag of this Italian-style pizza flour to mix up their next batch of pizza dough. It costs more than a regular bag of flour but makes delicious chewy and crispy crust, just the way they eat in Naples.

  1. 8. Cookie Dough Scoop: I use this cookie scoop ALL. THE. TIME. From small batches of cookies to scooping out my favorite muffin batter, it makes my life easier. I like the 2 Tablespoon size which is good for most cookie recipes, mini muffins or scoop twice to fill a muffin tin. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer or small gift for anyone who loves to bake.

  1. 9. Meat Thermometer (Candy Thermometer): I went too many years without using a thermometer in my kitchen. I love using this one to cook meat on the grill to the perfect temperature. I also love that I can use it when making caramel sauce on the stove to check the temperature as I go. It makes a great gift or stocking stuffer.

  1. 10. Danish Dough Whisk: Want a unique Christmas gift that looks neat and is so much fun to use? This Danish Dough Whisk is fun for any baker, whether it’s for mixing up waffles or stirring together a wet sourdough. I bought mine a few years ago and use it every week. This dough whisk is perfect for a unique gift exchange or to place under the tree for your favorite baker.

  1. 12. Bread Banneton: If you have been around here for awhile, you know how much I love to bake sourdough bread. These bread bannetons are perfect to hold sourdough bread while it proofs. I love the circular lines that form on the bread loaves when I use these (compared to small kitchen bowls). For someone who wants to bake sourdough or up their bread game, this is a great gift.

  1. 13. Bench Scraper: I use a bench scraper every time I make sourdough bread and almost anytime I work with roll dough. I bought this nice one from King Arthur Flour, but this one on Amazon would make a great gift too.

  1. 14. Sourdough Starter: If you want a really unique and fun gift for your favorite baker, grab this sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour. It will save time vs making one from scratch and is really good quality.

  1. 15. Parchment Paper: My all-time favorite parchment paper is this Kirkland brand you can find at Costco. I tried so many different brands of parchment paper during the pandemic when the supply of parchment paper was running low and this is far and away my favorite. If you don’t have a Costco membership, go with a friend or you can grab a roll or two on Amazon (but Costco is much cheaper)!

  1. 16. Metal Measuring Cup and Spoons: I’ve been meaning to upgrade my measuring cups and measuring spoons and these are the ones I’ve got my eye on with their many great reviews on Amazon. Maybe they will find a place in my Christmas stocking this year. Wink, wink to my hubby.

  1. 17. Bosch Mixer: If you’re looking for the best bread mixer for a home baker, the Bosch Universal Plus cannot be beat. This is definitely a high ticket item but it will last years and there’s nothing better than turning it on and letting the high quality motor knead the dough for ten minutes to really develop the gluten. I find this is best for large (two loaves or more) batches of dough.

  1. 18. KitchenAid Mixer: Another high ticket item that any home baker will love. I love using a KitchenAid for cookies, cakes, frostings and marshmallow. My daughter uses it a lot for her cookie business. Definitely go with the Professional 600 or higher series for the higher power motor. This mixer can also knead bread with a dough hook, though it isn’t quite as powerful as a Bosch for bread.

  1. 19. Ooni Pizza Oven: This one is a big splurge but it puts out amazing pizza and naan bread. Be prepared for a long wait time when you order (it may take awhile), but the wait is worth it. I love experimenting with the Ooni Koda Pizza Oven and will be posting more recipes as I use it more. I chose the Ooni Koda 16 specifically because it can make larger (16 inch) pizzas, and I have been very happy with it.

And there you have it! Nineteen awesome gifts for a home baker. I hope this is helpful as you are gathering your Christmas gifts and buying for those you love. And really, the best gifts are the gifts of time spent together, enjoying family and friends and making memories. I wish I could bring you a plate of Christmas cookies this year as a thank you, but a recipe for the Best Christmas Cookies Ever will have to do. Thank you for being here and have a wonderful holiday season!

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a very small amount from qualifying purchases.

Follow me on Instagram @amybakesbread, like Amy Bakes Bread on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest for more baking ideas. Please share this recipe if you enjoyed it! Post a photo and tag me @amybakesbread so I can see your bake.

Amy1 Comment

Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Babka

This Babka bread is decadent. It is filled with buttery cinnamon sugar. It is light, soft, tender and uses 100% sourdough to make a really delicious loaf of sweet bread. The sourdough has a bit of a learning curve that includes making a sweet leaven, but when you open the oven door and see two beautifully risen loaves of Babka, all the time is completely worth it. If you’ve never made a Babka before, this advanced sourdough cinnamon sugar babka recipe should make your list.

Jump to Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Babka Recipe

What is Babka?

Babka originated in Eastern Europe and is an enriched bread dough that is usually swirled with a sweet chocolate or cinnamon sugar filling. If you’re looking for a chocolate filling, try out this one I’ve used for a swirled brioche before. It would be delicious with this recipe. Pronounced “bahb-kah,” this bread has become very popular at bakeries and in home kitchens this past year with the beautiful swirl braids and outstanding flavor. I love that this recipe gives two loaves of Babka. If I’m going to trouble with a three day sourdough recipe, I always like to share a loaf or freeze one for later (or who am I kidding…eat the day after we eat the first loaf).

Sample Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Babka Schedule

I find it personally helpful to see a sample schedule when making sourdough because it does take longer than a traditional dough using commercial yeast. This dough is enriched with a lot of eggs, butter and sugar which takes even a bit longer to rise. 

Day 1 (Make Sweet Leaven)
  • 8 AM: Mix sweet leaven, let rise and bubble
  • 8 PM: Take 120 grams of the sweet leaven and feed it again with the measurements in the recipe. Cover and let it rise and bubble until morning.
Day 2 (Mix Babka Dough, First Rise)
  • 8 AM: Mix together Babka dough ingredients (except salt and butter), rest. Add salt, mix, rest. Add butter a Tablespoon at a time and mix using stand mixer for 10 minutes.
  • 11 AM: First set of Coil Fold
  • 1 PM: Second set of Coil Folds
  • 2 PM: Cover dough and rest in refrigerator overnight (12-24 hours)
Day 3 (Assemble and Bake)
  • 8 AM: Roll out and shape Babka
  • 8:30-3PM: Let Babka rise (the rise time will vary depending on the warmth of your kitchen, but allow for at least 6-8 hours)
  • 3-4PM: Bake Babka

Sweet Leaven

One of the unique things about this sourdough recipe is making a sweet leaven before actually making the bread. Typically with sourdough, the longer the bread rises, the more tang you will taste from sourdough. I love the tang in this recipe in my Basic Country Artisan Loaf or my no-knead sourdough loaf but in a sweet babka, I don’t want to taste the tang. Making a sweet leaven helps temper the tang and mellows the flavors, letting the sweet cinnamon be the overpowering flavor. The addition of sugar to the leaven also helps temper the sour flavor. The taste of the Babka is sweet, light and delicious when using a sweet leaven. You can create this leaven directly from your current sourdough starter and through a series of power feeds (feeding it twice in a 24 hour period before using it), have it ready to mix your Babka in just 24 hours. Sweet leaven is also fairly stiff compared to a regular 100% hydration leaven. Due to the low water content, this stiff leaven ferments slowly and helps the bread keep its texture and maintain the gluten structure. This helps the bread rise slowly to keep the sweet flavor expected from a Babka.

Enriched Dough

Babka is made with an enriched dough. Lots of milk, butter, eggs and sugar go into this beautiful loaf. One of the keys to making a great Babka is the process of incorporating the butter. Once the leaven, flour, milk, eggs, sugar and salt have been mixed together to form a dough, it is time to add the butter. This takes a somewhat thick dough and turns it into a silky, smooth and a little bit sticky enriched dough. Cut the softened butter into chunks and add it to the center of the dough hook as the dough is mixing. Plan to knead the dough for about 10 minutes. I like to set a timer and let my dough get to work developing the gluten and incorporating the butter. I highly recommend using a stand mixer for this process. It can get very sticky and is difficult to knead for the length of time required with cold hands (so the butter doesn’t melt and leak everywhere). 

Coil Fold

The coil fold is a technique of picking up the dough from the middle and letting the dough fall down onto and under itself, resulting in a coil. Wet your hands with water. Place your hands under the middle of the dough and pull up. The dough will stretch up (but should not tear) and release from the bottom of the bowl. Once the dough releases, let the dough fall back under itself. Repeat the process for both sides of dough. Then turn the container and repeat the coil fold. This process of folding the dough increases tension and strengthens the strands of gluten in the dough. If you skip this step, the dough can bake up flat because it lacks structure. Watch the coil fold process below to help visualize the process.

Refrigeration

Refrigerating the sourdough cinnamon sugar babka dough overnight or 12-24 hours (not much longer than that) chills the butter, enhances the sweet Babka flavor and makes the dough easy to work with when you pull it out in the morning to shape your Babka. The dough will not double in size and may not even look like it did much rising. Don’t worry! Once it comes back to room temperature it will rise again. When you pull the dough out of the refrigerator to roll out, it will be a little stiff and hard because it is cold. This chill actually makes it easier to work with the Babka dough. Add a little bit of flour on the bottom and on top of the Babka to help roll it out. 

Babka Filling

Babka can be filled with any kind of sweet (or sometimes savory) filling. When mixing the filling, use softened, room temperature butter to mix with the dough. If the butter is too cold, it will not incorporate fully into a paste. If it is melted, it will leak all over the dough and make the Babka difficult to shape. I also love the addition of a bit of flour to the filling. This keeps the filling sticking to the dough and not falling all over your pastry mat. Mix the ingredients together to form a thick paste and set it aside. I have also made this Babka into a strawberry flavored version, using white sugar and crushed up freeze dried strawberries, that was insanely delicious. Check the recipe notes for the full substitution.

Strawberry Babka filling recipe is in the recipe notes.

How to Shape Babka

Flour a countertop or pastry mat and roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 14 by 18 inches. Spread half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on the dough and roll up cinnamon-roll style. Take a sharp knife and slice the Babka in half, length-wise. This will leave you with two long, open-faced pieces. Pinch together the ends and twist the dough around each other to form a swirled and braided loaf. Place into a parchment-lined loaf pan and let rise.

A Long Final Rise

I have made the mistake before with this recipe of being a bit impatient and baking the Babka too quickly. This results in a dense, gummy bread that is just not good. It can be hard to be patient with sourdough, but I promise the results are worth it. Wait until the bread has puffed up and mostly filled out the loaf tin which will take 6-8 hours. You can also lightly press the top of the Babka dough and watch as the dough springs back. If it springs back without any indentation, it needs to rise longer. If it springs back just a little and has been at least six hours, then you should be good to bake. The time will vary based on the warmth of your kitchen so it could rise faster or slower. My experience has been six to eight hours generally.

After shaping and after rising. Notice how the dough fills the pan and has puffed up and risen.

Simple Syrup

What better way to finish off a decadent bread than with some simple syrup, am I right?! To help keep the Babka fresh and moist, whip up this simple syrup while the Babka is baking. I make mine in the microwave, but you could use a pot on the stovetop as well. Mix together the sugar and water. Microwave on high in 1 minute increments until the sugar is dissolved and liquid is boiling. Stir together and let sit while waiting for the Babka to bake. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Pull the Babka out of the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Then remove to a baking rack and brush the simple syrup over the top of the Babka. Use all of the simple syrup, even if it looks like it doesn’t need more.

It is hard to let the Babka cool and truthfully, I don’t always wait because it is so tempting! This Babka does slice best when it has cooled and even makes great french toast a day or two later if it lasts that long. Sourdough cinnamon sugar Babka is a showstopper recipe and it tastes even better than it looks! Enjoy!

Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Babka

A rich and delicious cinnamon sugar babka bread made completely with sourdough
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 55 mins
Rise Time 1 d
Course Bread
Cuisine American, Polish, Ukrainian
Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients
  

Sweet Leaven (feed at least twice before making the Babka dough)

  • 120 grams sourdough starter 100% hydration see recipe notes
  • 100 grams all purpose flour
  • 25 grams granulated sugar
  • 40 grams water

Babka Dough

  • all of the leaven about 300 grams
  • 620 grams all purpose flour
  • 200 grams whole milk see recipe notes
  • 4 large eggs about 200 grams
  • 50 grams granulated sugar
  • 16 grams salt
  • 200 grams unsalted butter, softened about 14 Tablespoons

Babka Filing

  • 160 grams unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup
  • 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 160 grams brown sugar 2/3 cup
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Egg Wash

  • 1 teaspoon water

Simple Syrup for Babka

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions
 

Sweet Leaven (24 hours)

  • Mix together ripe sourdough starter, flour, granulated sugar and water. Cover and let sit for about 8-12 hours.
  • Take 120 grams of this new leaven and feed it with flour, sugar and water. Cover and let sit for 8-12 hours until bubbly, about doubled in size and passes the float test.

Babka Dough Day 1

  • Set the bowl of a stand mixer on a kitchen scale. Tare the scale and add all of the sweet leaven, flour, whole milk, sugar and eggs. Mix together with a spoon or dough whisk. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Add the dough hook to the bowl, sprinkle in the salt and mix for 6 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10-20 minutes.
  • Cut the butter into Tablespoon sized chunks. With the dough hook running, add the butter to the center of the dough. The butter will begin to incorporate into the dough. Continue adding chunks of butter until all the butter is added.
  • Knead for a total of ten minutes until the dough is smooth, sticky and silky.
  • Turn the dough out into a rectangular container (I use this 9 by 13 pan, affiliate link). The dough will be sticky. It can help to wet your hands before turning the dough out if it sticks to your fingers. Cover the dough and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
  • After 2 hours, wet your hands and perform one set of coil folds on the dough by lifting up in the middle of the dough and letting the sides pull up and fall under the dough. Repeat from the other direction. This is one set of coil folds. See video for how to perform a coil fold. Cover and let rest.
  • After another 2 hours, perform a second set of coil folds on the dough. Cover and let rest another hour.
  • Transfer the dough to a container, cover tightly and set in the fridge to chill overnight or 12-24 hours.

Babka Dough Day 2

  • Prepare two 9 by 5 loaf pans (affiliate link) with parchment paper.
  • The next morning, make the Babka filling. Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour to make a thick paste. Set aside. See recipe notes for strawberry version.
  • Pull the dough out of the refrigerator. Lightly flour a pastry mat or silpat liner (affiliate link). Turn the dough out onto the mat and cut in half.
  • Lightly flour one piece of dough and roll into a 14 by 18 inch rectangle.
  • Divide the Babka paste in two. Use your fingers to spread half the cinnamon sugar mixture over the rectangle of dough. Once the dough is covered, roll the dough up cinnamon-roll style.
  • Using a sharp knife, cut the roll in half; straight down the middle of the roll the long way. This will leave two long ropes of dough. Beginning on one end, squish the ends of the dough together and then twist the dough around each other forming the Babka loaf. Push the ends of the dough together and place the Babka in the prepared loaf pan. Repeat this process with the second loaf.
  • Cover the loaves and let rise 6-8 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. This bread is made with 100% sourdough and will take much longer than a traditional loaf of bread to rise. Let it rise until it has mostly filled the loaf pan and gets light and puffy.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together the egg and a teaspoon of water. Lightly brush the egg wash on top of the bread until covered.
  • Bake Babka for 50-55 minutes until baked all the way through.
  • While the Babka is baking, prepare the simple syrup for the top of the Babka. Mix together the granulated sugar and water in a microwave safe liquid measuring cup. Microwave on high a minute at a time until boiling and all the sugar is dissolved. Mix together with a spoon and let cool until the Babka is out of the oven. The simple syrup can also be made on the stovetop. Boil the sugar and water together for about 1 minute until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool a bit while the Babka bakes.
  • Pull Babka out of the oven and let rest in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans using the parchment paper and place on a cooling rack. Pour half of the simple syrup on one loaf and half on the other loaf, using a pastry brush as needed. Let it soak into the warm bread.
  • Let the bread cool before slicing and enjoy!

Notes

Sweet Leaven: I make this leaven with 100% hydration sourdough starter. If you don’t have 100% hydration starter, take a Tablespoon of sourdough starter and add equal weights of water and flour to it. Let it rise and then use it in the recipe for sweet leaven.
Whole Milk: If you don’t have whole milk, you can substitute 180 grams 2% milk and 20 grams heavy cream.
Strawberry Babka:  To make a strawberry filling, replace the brown sugar with white granulated sugar. Replace the cinnamon with 2 Tablespoons of crushed up freeze-dried strawberries. Combine white sugar, softened butter, crushed up freeze-dried strawberries and flour. Mix together into a paste and use in place of the cinnamon-sugar filling for a delicious strawberry flavored Babka.
Keyword babka, Cinnamon sugar

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Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that makes a normal day just a little extra special. We love to celebrate with a visit from the leprechaun and a festive meal. Often we’ll serve this Irish Soda Bread to accompany our dinner and some years we choose to make these cloverleaf dinner rolls. We love them for any special meal, though they are especially fun on St. Patrick’s Day. Shaped like a clover, three little bread balls are set in a muffin tin to rise and create the perfect, fluffy, pull-apart dinner roll. Cloverleaf rolls are tender and would be a tasty addition to your March 17th. 

Honey and Oil

One of my favorite tips whenever I’m using a recipe that calls for both honey and some kind of oil or melted butter is this: Pour the oil (or butter in this case) in first, then use the same measuring cup for the honey. In the case of this recipe I melt the butter in a liquid measuring cup and then add the honey to the same measuring cup. The honey slides right out and doesn’t stick to the measuring cup.

Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour?

Bread flour really gives these rolls a nice texture. The exterior is chewy and the rolls bake up nice and tall. I recommend getting your hands on a bag of bread flour if you can. If you only have all purpose flour, go ahead and use it, but the rolls might not rise quite as much. Adding about a Tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to the all purpose flour is a good substitute for bread flour in this recipe. And if you don’t have vital wheat gluten, check out this post that tells you all about why you need it in your kitchen.

Eight Minutes of Kneading

One of the keys to good bread and dinner rolls is in the long kneading time. You can knead this dough by hand, but it will be an arm workout. I like to use a Bosch Mixer (affiliate link) or a Kitchen Aid (affiliate link) stand mixer. Any mixer that is fitted with a dough hook should work. When I mix bread dough, I add flour just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Pinch a piece of dough off, roll it into a ball and notice if you have just a bit of sticky residue left. These are clues that you can stop adding flour. After I’ve determined that the amount of flour is correct, I’ll set a timer and let my mixer go for about 8 minutes. Doing this develops the gluten strands in the dough. These gluten strands are what will trap the gases from the yeast and give your rolls a beautiful shape. If you want to improve your bread skills, start with kneading the dough for a good eight minutes (ten to twelve minutes if you are doing it by hand).

Shaping Dough into Large Rolls

After the dough has risen, it is ready to be shaped. This recipe makes twelve large rolls. If you’d like to make them a little smaller or even four-leaf-clover shaped, cut the dough into more pieces. Separate the dough into twelve (or more) equal-sized pieces. Taking a piece at a time, cut it into three equal-sized balls. Place each ball into the cup of a lightly greased, non-stick muffin tin (affiliate link). Let the dough rise until puffy and just over the top of the muffin tin before baking.

Festive St. Patrick’s Day

If you really want to get festive with these, you could brush the top with a little bit of green-dyed egg wash, like I did with these pumpkin-shaped rolls in October. They would be a lot of fun for a green-themed meal. With or without the green dye, I hope the leprechaun shows up at your house so you can create a little St. Patrick’s Day magic with these cloverleaf dinner rolls.

Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

Light, fluffy and tender, these cloverleaf dinner rolls are a fun take on a traditional roll. Easy to pull apart and delicious for any dinner or fun to make for St. Patrick's Day.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 22 mins
Rise Time 2 hrs
Course Bread, rolls
Cuisine American
Servings 12 rolls

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup 2% or whole milk, warmed temperature of baby's bathwater, see note
  • 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 1/2-4 cups bread flour see note
  • melted butter for topping

Instructions
 

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm milk, instant yeast and honey. Drizzle in the melted butter and add the salt.
  • Turn on the mixer and add three cups of bread flour, a cup at a time. Knead together and continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough moves away from the sides of the bowl and you can pinch off a piece, roll it up in your fingers and have just a little bit of sticky residue left on your fingers. More tips for checking the readiness of your dough here.
  • Knead the dough for 8 minutes. I like to set a timer to make sure my dough gets the full eight minutes. This helps develop the gluten strands in the dough which gives a better crumb, rise and texture to your bread.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and let rise about an hour or until doubled in size. The warmth of your kitchen will impact how long it takes for the dough to rise.
  • Lightly grease a muffin tin (affiliate link) with cooking spray.
  • Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a countertop and cut into twelve (for large rolls) or sixteen (smaller rolls) pieces. Take each dough piece and cut it into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place the three balls into one cup of the muffin tin to create a cloverleaf shape. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough until all of the muffin cups are filled with dough.
  • Cover and let rise 45 minutes to an hour until puffy and about doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 20-22 minutes.
  • Top with melted butter as they come out of the oven. Enjoy!

Notes

Milk: 2% or whole milk is best in this recipe. If microwaving milk, warm it in 20-30 second increments, stir the milk and check the temperature in the middle of the milk (it can sometimes be hotter than the edges). The temperature of the milk should be warm, not hot. Milk that is too hot will kill the yeast. 
Bread Flour: These rolls are best made using bread flour. If you don’t have bread flour you can use all purpose flour and add 1 Tablespoon of vital wheat gluten to help increase the protein content and texture of your bread.
Amount: This recipe makes 12 large rolls. If you want the rolls a little smaller, make 16 rolls and bake for a minute or two less.
Keyword Clover, Dinner Rolls, St. Patrick’s Day

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King Cake Scones

King Cake Scones

A year ago, when starting this blog, I wrote one of my first ever posts about a kid-sized king cake that I enjoy making with my kids during Mardi Gras season. We had so much fun making a traditional king cake into a smaller version to enjoy as a family. This year, Fat Tuesday, the last day of the Mardi Gras season falls a few days after Valentines Day and with all our celebrations and cookie baking, I needed something quick and easy to make this year. These king cake scones take about 30-40 minutes…start to finish! No rise time. No kneading dough. Basically, the perfect sweet treat I was looking for to give us the Mardi Gras feel after a busy weekend of celebrating.

Jump to King Cake Scones Recipe

Cinnamon Flavor

These King Cake Scones are based on the flavors in my kid-sized king cake recipe. Traditionally, king cake is flavored with cinnamon, though you may find other flavors now as well: vanilla, cream cheese, etc… I based the scone recipe off of these chocolate chip scones which we love. The scones themselves are not super sweet with only ⅓ cup of sugar in the dough. The cinnamon sugar filling and the glaze on top really give these king cake scones their sweetness and the balance between the two is perfect.

Grating Butter

One of my favorite tips when working with pastry, scones or biscuits is to grate the butter into the flour mixture. Start with butter straight from the freezer or refrigerator. Grate it into a pile and add the small bits of grated butter to the flour mixture. This grated butter is the perfect size for most recipes calling to “cut in” butter. You can also use a pastry cutter (affiliate link) to get pea-sized pieces of butter sprinkled throughout the flour mixture.

Preheat Oven

I used to be the kind of baker who would forget to preheat my oven. ALL. THE. TIME. As a busy mom, I never thought I had the time to wait for my oven to fully preheat. While that might work for some recipes (I’ll often put loaves of bread into a preheating oven to finish the rise while the oven comes to temperature), it does not work well for others. These scones really benefit from a properly preheated oven. They don’t bake very long and the high heat reacts with the baking powder giving them a beautiful rise. Basically, for this recipe, you won’t want to cut corners. Preheat the oven before baking these king cake scones.

Light Hand

Scone dough is very similar to biscuits or pie crust. If the dough is overworked, the gluten starts to develop, which results in tough, not tender scones. To achieve a tender scone, do your best to use a light hand when working the dough. I use a fork to mix the dough together until it has just barely come together. Then turn the dough out on the countertop and fold it over in a kneading motion two-three times. And that’s about all you’ll want to “work” this dough.

Sandwiching the Filling

Typically, scone dough is rolled out, cut and baked. This recipe differs because you actually cut the dough in half. Roll out both halves of the dough into equal eight inch circles. Then add a sweet cinnamon filling on top of one of the circles of scone dough. Smooth it around, leaving a little bit of space at the edge of the circle of dough. Then sandwich the other piece of dough on top. You get a nice thick layer of cinnamon filling in the middle of the scone. Pinch the edges of the scone dough closed together, moving around the edges of the dough. Initially I thought the scones would be oozing out filling but the filling holds pretty well when baked. A little cinnamon mixture will ooze out a bit, but it is easily removed from the scone after the scone cools if desired.

You may need to use a bench scraper to lift the scone from the pastry mat or countertop if it sticks a little bit.

Glazing and Sprinkling Sugar

Once the scones have cooled, spread the glaze over the top. The glaze is meant to be fairly thick to allow the sanding sugar (affiliate link) to stick to it. If you want a thinner glaze, add a little more cream to thin it out. Sprinkle sanding sugar on top of the glaze in the typical Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and yellow. 

My whole family loves these scones. They taste sweet, cinnamony and are super quick to make. My kids all enjoyed helping glaze and sprinkle the sanding sugar on the king cake scones. King Cake Scones are the perfect low-key way to celebrate Mardi Gras this year! Enjoy!

King Cake Scones

King Cake Scones

Quick, fun and super delicious. These King Cake Scones, sandwiched with cinnamon, covered in sweet glaze and sprinkled with sanding sugar are the perfect way to celebrate Mardi Gras!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 scones

Ingredients
  

King Cake Scones

  • 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold from the fridge or freezer
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup milk

Scone Filling

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Scone Topping

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • green, yellow and purple sanding sugar

Instructions
 

Scone Dough

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • Grate the entire stick of cold butter into small pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix until little pieces of butter are evenly distributed throughout. Alternatively you can "cut" the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter into pea sized shapes.
  • Mix together the eggs, heavy cream and milk in a liquid measuring cup. Pour into the butter/flour mixture and mix together until it is just combined and forms a ball.
  • Turn the dough out onto a countertop or pastry mat and knead two or three times. Cut the dough into two equal sections. Let rest while you mix together the filling.
  • To a small bowl, mix together the scone filling: brown sugar, powdered sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  • Lightly flour both balls of dough. Roll both balls out into equal sized 8 inch circles. Spread the cinnamon scone filling on top of one of the circles, leaving a little gap on the edges.
  • Place the other 8 inch circle of dough on top of the cinnamon filling, sandwiching the scone dough together. Pinch the seams closed.
  • Cut the dough into 8 triangular sections and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake scones for 14-16 minutes until baked through and a little brown on top.
  • While the scones bake, mix up the glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract. After the scones have cooled a bit, top each scone with glaze. Sprinkle colorful sanding sugar on top of the scones. Enjoy!
Keyword King Cake, Scones

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Chocolate Puff Oven Pancake

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I’m the kind of mom who loves sweet, simple and easy traditions. We like eating this puff oven pancake on special mornings (ie: back to school) and we look forward to this chocolate version every Valentine morning. It is simple enough to throw together on a school morning. It’s sweet enough to be a “Valentine-kid-approved” breakfast and also has enough protein to be “mom-approved.” This chocolate puff oven pancake is the perfect breakfast to start your Valentine’s Day off right.

Jump to Chocolate Puff Oven Pancake Recipe

Valentine Traditions

In my home while growing up, the tradition was to eat a sugar cookie for breakfast on Valentines Day. Yes. It’s the day I looked forward to every year as a kid because I got to eat a frosted Valentine cookie with my name on it! Sometimes I would save it for when I got home from school, but more often than not I would eat it for breakfast…and savor every bite. You can find the recipe for these best ever sugar cookies here. As I became a mom myself, I still give my kids a cookie with their breakfast (some traditions are hard to break!), but I also like having something that has a little more protein, some fruit and not quite as much sugar as my kids will be consuming throughout the school day. This chocolate puff oven pancake hits all the right spots. It is breakfast decadence at its finest, but also filling and just delicious. It could also be a delicious Valentine dessert, or a fun anytime breakfast for the chocolate lover in your life.

Use a Blender or Whisk by Hand

I love puff oven pancakes because they are so simple. Throw ingredients in a blender, pulse for 20 seconds, pour the batter into a preheated pan and stick it in the oven. We love this recipe for an original puff oven pancake and make it frequently. This chocolate version, made chocolatey with the addition of cocoa powder, really puts a special spin on an old favorite recipe for a special occasion. If you don’t have a blender, you can always whisk the ingredients together in a bowl and it will turn out just fine.

Cocoa Powder in Chocolate Puff Oven Pancake

The cocoa powder is what gives the chocolate puff oven pancake its rich, chocolatey flavor. I’ve made it with dark/rich cocoa powder and regular cocoa powder from the grocery store. My family preferred the puff oven pancake made with the dark cocoa powder. The flavor is more intense with a dark cocoa powder and not as subtle. My favorite cocoa powder is this one from Costco, but I also like using the Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder (affiliate link) that you can find in most grocery stores. You can use a dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe with no issues.