Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Babka

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This look produces the benignant of dense and chewy babka recovered successful Montreal bakeries. The 2 secrets to making it are nary emergence clip -- a boon for engaged location cooks -- and rolling the dough highly thin. The rolled doughs won’t look similar they are large capable to capable the pan, but they volition cook up to a bully size.

You’ll request 3 8-by-4 1/2–inch pans (for tiny loaves); 2 9-by-5-inch pans (for mean loaves); oregon 1 12-by-5-inch cookware (for the ample loaf, disposable via KingArthur.com and different commercialized bakers’ suppliers online). Use a conventional, not convection, oven.

Marcy Goldman uses a operation of antithetic crushed cinnamons: Saigon, cassis and Costco brand.

See the cocoa schmear VARIATION, below.

Wrap the baked babka successful wax insubstantial and spot it successful an untied integrative bag; store astatine country somesthesia for up to 5 oregon 6 days. The babka (unbaked oregon baked) tin beryllium frozen for up to 3 months; defrost the unbaked babka overnight successful the refrigerator.

From Montreal cookbook writer Marcy Goldman.

Ingredients

measuring cup

Servings: 16-20 (makes 3 tiny loaves, 2 mean loaves oregon 1 precise ample loaf)

For the cinnamon schmear

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cupful confectioners' sugar
5 tablespoons crushed cinnamon (see headnote)
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, astatine country temperature
2 ample ovum yolks
Regular oregon low-fat milk, astatine country temperature, arsenic needed

For the elemental syrup

3/4 cupful sugar
3/4 cupful water

For the food crumb topping

1/2 cupful confectioners' sugar
1/2 cupful King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, astatine country temperature

For the dough

1/2 cupful water
4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, preferably SAF brand
5 1/2 cups to 6 1/2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour, oregon much arsenic needed, positive much for the enactment surface
5 ample eggs, positive 1 beaten ovum for brushing
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, astatine country temperature, chopped into chunks
1 1/3 cups regular oregon low-fat milk, astatine country temperature

Nutritional Facts

Per serving (based connected 20, utilizing low-fat beverage and 6 1/2 cups flour)

Calories
590
Fat
23 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Carbohydrates
89 g
Sodium
110 mg
Cholesterol
120 mg
Protein
8 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugar
54 g

This investigation is an estimation based connected disposable ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s oregon nutritionist’s advice.

From Montreal cookbook writer Marcy Goldman.

Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick.

Published April 3, 2016

Updated March 15, 2026