Blueberry Babka Braid

I’ve been doing a fair amount of baking thanks to the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders. This babka braid looks complicated but isn’t very hard. It’s a fun way to use up frozen blueberries! Store leftovers in an airtight container, or wrap tightly before freezing.

Step: 1

Combine milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Step: 2

Add remaining sugar, butter, and eggs to the milk mixture. Stir until mostly combined, but it won’t be smooth.

Step: 3

Measure flour, cardamom, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in wet ingredients and attach dough hook. Mix until dough comes together in a shaggy mass. Cover the stand mixer with a clean dish towel and let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Step: 4

Uncover the dough and knead on medium speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Continue to knead on low speed until dough is soft, elastic, and shiny, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Step: 5

Meanwhile, make the blueberry filling. Combine blueberries, sugar, and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a low boil. Smash the blueberries with a potato masher. Continue to simmer until the mixture has thickened enough to spread, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in extracts. Chill until completely cool.

Step: 6

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down and divide into 2 pieces. Roll 1 piece into a 9x18-inch rectangle, squaring off with a bench scraper as you roll to make it is as even as possible. Spread 1/2 of the blueberry filling over the dough, leaving about a 1-inch border. Roll up the dough into a tight roll, starting from the long edge closest to you. Pinch seams to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Step: 7

Place logs side by side on a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.

Step: 8

Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to each log in half, lengthwise, so you have 4 filled strips of dough on the baking sheet.

Step: 9

Place 2 strips across each other to form a plus sign. Arrange the remaining 2 strips to form an interlocking cross. Fold the end of the strip closest to you over the strip to its right. Repeat 3 more times, moving clockwise. Fold remaining strips over to the left, moving counterclockwise. Repeat folding step until only short ends remain; join ends and tuck them carefully under the braid.

Step: 10

Cover the braid and place in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.

Step: 11

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) towards the end of the second rise.

Step: 12

Beat egg with a pinch of salt and brush some over the braid. Sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Step: 13

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

Per Serving: 394 calories; protein 8.8g; carbohydrates 62.3g; fat 12.3g; cholesterol 82.6mg; sodium 282mg.

The best flavour of the flour can make a real deal to your bread. Different brands do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard dough flours – especially if you’re make wholemeal bread , which not always getting bigger as well as clear bread.

To make this in a dough , add all the ingredients to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A dough’s first rising can be make in the fridge overnight . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.