Peanut Butter Babka

This is peanut butter babka, a soft enriched bread loaded with swirls of brown sugar and peanut butter.

This peanut butter babka is made with a sweetened enriched dough that is rolled around a layer of peanut butter and brown sugar and then cut and twisted to create swirls of filling. It's also topped with a generous drizzle of vanilla glaze.

Unlike this chocolate babka and this chocolate walnut babka, the dough for this peanut butter babka substitutes vegetable oil for the eggs and butter, and you can substitute non-dairy milk for the milk in this recipe for those with dietary restrictions.

This peanut butter babka is a wonderful breakfast or tea time treat. It's totally tasty eaten plain or spread with a little fruit jam (I used plum jam).

What is babka?

Babka is made with a sweet yeasted dough that is rolled out and filled, cinnamon roll-style, usually with sweet fillings with poppy seeds, nuts, cinnamon and/or chocolate.

Once the dough is filled and rolled up, it's twisted around itself to create a swirly pattern with the filling.

Babka originated in Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, where they used leftover challah and twisted it around seeds and nuts (Source: My Jewish Learning).

Did you know that babka means "little grandmother" in Yiddish? I can relate because my grandkids called me "tiny grandma" when they were toddlers to distinguish me from their tall grandmother.

How to make peanut butter babka:

First, you make the dough by kneading milk, flour, sugar, yeast, vegetable oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer for about five minutes on medium speed. Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand for about ten minutes.

Next, you let the dough rise for about 40 minutes, until it has nearly doubled.

After that, you roll the dough out to a 14 inch by 8 inch rectangle and spread it with peanut butter and then sprinkle it with brown sugar. Then you roll up the dough lengthwise (like you would with cinnamon rolls).

Finally you split the roll down the middle with a knife into two strands and then twist the strands around each other. It will seem messy, but abandon your perfectionist self and go with it. Set the twisted dough into a loaf pan and let it rise for 30 minutes before baking.

Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F until it's dark golden brown and the interior reaches 190 degrees F.

You will have to let the loaf come to room temperature before glazing it and cutting it, but you will be rewarded with a delicious slice of bread.

Once the loaf has cooled, drizzle it with a glaze of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

Suggested equipment to make this babka (affiliate links):

• A stand mixer: You can knead this dough by hand, but I love my KitchenAid, and it makes it so much easier. Plus, mine is red, which is gorgeous. What's your favorite color? 
• A kitchen scale: You'll notice I've added the ingredient amounts in grams as well as by volume. If you bake, get a scale. You will thank me. Plus, you don't have to wash as many measuring cups and spoons. Just spoon the ingredients into the bowl while it sits atop the scale until you've added just the right amount. 
• An instant read thermometer (not an affiliate link, I just love this brand): This is a great way to determine whether or not your loaf is done. 

What to do with leftover babka?

You can store this babka for up to two days, covered, at room temperature.

Happy Peanut Butter Lover's Day!

More recipes with peanut butter from the Our Dinner Table Group: 

Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake by Red Cottage Chronicles

Chocolate Peanut Butter Peanut Brittle by Daily Dish Recipes

Dan Dan Noodles with Beef by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Easy Thai Peanut Soup by Art of Natural Living

Peanut Butter and Jelly Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Peanut Butter Bars by Intelligent Domestications

Peanut Butter Blondies by Books n' Cooks

Rich and Creamy Microwave Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Fudge by That Recipe

Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

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Peanut Butter Babka

If you like peanut butter desserts, you will love this peanut butter babka. It will remind you of your favorite peanut butter cookie.

If you love peanut butter and jelly, just slice and enjoy with your favorite jam.

Peanut Butter Babka

Yield: 1 loaf

Author: Karen Kerr

This is peanut butter babka, a soft enriched bread loaded with swirls of brown sugar and peanut butter.

ingredients:

For the Dough

• 3/4 cup (180 grams) milk or non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup (54 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (9 grams) instant yeast
• 1/4 cup (54 grams) vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
• 2 1/2 cups (298 grams) unbleached all purpose flour

For the Filling

• 3/4 cup (190 grams) creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup (45 grams) light brown sugar

For the Glaze

• 3 cups (336 grams) confectioners' sugar
• 4 tablespoons (60 grams) milk
• 2 teaspoons (8 grams) pure vanilla extract

instructions:

How to cook Peanut Butter Babka

To Make the Dough

1. Warm the milk to about 110 degrees F and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Whisk in the sugar and yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes. 
3. Add the oil, salt, and flour and mix with the dough hook on medium speed with the dough hook for about 5 minutes. 
4. Place the dough into a lightly oiled dough rising bucket or bowl, cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for about 40 minutes, or until about doubled. 

To Shape and Bake the Babka

1. Spray a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan with spray oil. 
2. Deflate the dough and roll it out to a 14 inch by 8 inch rectangle on a floured work surface. 
3. With and offset spatula, spread the peanut butter over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the top with the brown sugar. 
4. Beginning on one of the long sides, roll the dough up tightly into a log as you would cinnamon rolls. 
5. Use a long sharp knife to split the log in half lengthwise. 
6. Twist the two halves of the log over each other, like a two-strand braid. Place the twisted dough in the bread pan, squishing/condensing the length of the braid to fit in the pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled. 
7. In the meantime, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
8. Bake for 30 minutes, until deep golden brown and the center of the dough is 190 degrees F. 
9. Turn the babka out onto wire rack and cool completely. 

To Glaze the Babka

1. Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. 
2. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the babka. 
3. Let the glaze set before serving. 

Calories
299.28

Fat (grams)
23.05

Sat. Fat (grams)
4.34

Carbs (grams)
17.49

Fiber (grams)
2.48

Net carbs
15.00

Sugar (grams)
9.52

Protein (grams)
9.91

Sodium (milligrams)
248.86

Cholesterol (grams)
1.56

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2020/02/peanut-butter-babka.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

bread, babka, peanut butter

Bread, dessert

Jewish, Eastern European

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Created using The Recipes Generator

This recipe was adapted from Bake From Scratch March/April 2020 (I drop everything when a new issue of the magazine shows up in my mailbox). The recipe is from their article about Goldenrod Pastries in Lincoln, Nebraska. It's a bakery that specializes in baking for special diets. The recipe is from a soon to be released cookbook, Perfectly Golden, by the bakery's owner. If you order the book, you will also get recipes for raspberry babka and chocolate babka.