Babka

Hey foodies!

I don't know if you've also noticed that over the past few months, everyone has been talking about this famous Russian brioche, the Babka.

So here is my pistachio and orange blossom Babka.

For one 23 cm Babka you will need:

- 120gr of milk

- 27gr of water

- 5gr of yeast

- 325gr of flour

- 1/4 tsp of salt

- 50gr of sugar

- 1 tsp of vanilla extract

- 2 eggs

- 60gr of butter

- 150gr of pistachio paste

- 1 tsp of orange blossom water

- 35gr of pistachios

In a bowl, pour 120gr of milk and 27gr of water. Heat these two ingredients in the microwave at 600Watt for 30 seconds.

Then weigh 5gr of dry yeast using the scale spoon and pour the yeast into the lukewarm milk.

Be careful, the milk should be lukewarm and not boiling hot. Otherwise the yeast may die.

In a large bowl, pour 325gr of white flour and 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix the two ingredients with a spoon.

Make a well in the centre of your flour and add 50gr of sugar, the milk/yeast mixture and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Add 1 egg.

Then knead everything for a few minutes (1-2). Just until the dough starts to come together.

Don't let it become a nice smooth ball. Stop before that.

Finally, add 60gr of butter to the dough and knead it for 10 minutes at medium speed.

Once the 10 minutes are up, shape the dough into a nice ball in your bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth.

Let your dough rise for 1h30-2h at room temperature.

After 1h30, your dough has doubled in size. Perfect!

Lightly flour your work surface and grab a large rolling pin.

Roll out your dough into a rectangle. Ideally your rectangle should be about 30 x 40 cm. Don't panic if it's not 100% a rectangle.

Cover your rolled-out dough with the cloth used previously.

In a blender bowl, pour 150gr of pistachio paste, 1 tsp of orange blossom water and 20gr of pistachios.

Blend everything together to obtain a smooth paste.

Once the paste is easy to work with, spread it over your brioche dough.

Use an offset spatula to cover the entire surface of the dough.

Then roll the dough up on itself to get a nice log.

This is where the magic happens. ;o)

Cut your log in half lengthways.

Then braid your two half logs, always keeping the pistachio grooves facing upwards.

Once the entire length is braided, bring the two ends together to form a beautiful crown.

Place your crown on a perforated baking tray lined with a perforated mat.

To keep the crown nice and round during baking, I placed a 7.5 cm diameter coffee cup in the middle of my Babka.

Cover your Babka with a dry cloth (the same one used previously) and let your Babka rise for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 160°C, fan-assisted.

Then in a blender bowl, pour 15gr of pistachios and crush them into small pieces.

Once the 20 minutes are up, brush your Babka with a beaten egg and sprinkle it with the crushed pistachios.

Then bake it for 25-30 minutes in your oven preheated to 160°C, fan-assisted.

And here is the result!

A brioche that's even more indulgent with a taste that keeps you coming back for more.

Enjoy it warm, lukewarm and/or cold! The brioche keeps well for 1-2 days without any problem.

Have a lovely Sunday, foodies.

Karin

PS: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.