I am a magician . . .

I can honestly say that I have joined the ranks of Harry Houdini, but more on that in a moment. First I want to put out an important warning about bakeables. Sharing bakeables that is. Yes, all you would-be bakers out there must beware this important caveat, if you share the fruits of your labor, they will come calling when not regularly supplied with something from your kitchen. Case in point my Mom drifted through the living room the other morning dropping, “Hmmm, I’m in the mood for something . . . cake, pie, or canelés? What are you going to bake for me?” So there it is, the inescapable fact that if you bake and share, you will do so for the rest of your days and on a consistent basis or jeopardize every relationship in your life. This is the sad truth of when you weep in the kitchen if a cake falls it’s not because of all that work for naught, but because you most likely will be shunned from your family in response.

Here’s where I flex my magical skills.   I ended up baking a babka. Baking babka or any yeasted type dough is magic I tell you! If you don’t believe me, just try it. You will surely exclaim that some supernatural force is at work when you uncover a dough that has doubled in size like magic. Normally I only bake a babka for holidays, Easter really. The thing is that a couple of weeks ago I ended up baking one for my Grandfather who had been diagnosed with back cancer. I wanted to let the guy enjoy some of his favorite baked goods before he couldn’t enjoy them any more and I knew that he always liked babka. Thank God (!!!) I baked it correctly and it came out great! Or at least that’s what I heard from my family because I didn’t get a piece. Not that I mind. I mean, I baked it for him. But, after all that work I kinda wish I had at least tasted a little corner of the thing. And we arrive at another inescapable baking fact . . . if you fill your house with the aroma of something, you sure as heck better get a bite of it otherwise expect to bake a second one for yourself a week later. There you have it, my second babka in less than a month when I normally only bake one (maximum two) a year.

There are lots of different kinds of babka out there. Two years ago (before the baking bug bit me) when we moved to this area we ordered a babka for Easter from a local European bakery. We ended up getting a cake-like object which it turns out is what babka is to some people. For my family, babka is more of a bread than a cake. If you do a search you’ll find a ton of different recipes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Holy yeast cakes! I have got to try this one out!

I think I’ve made around a total of four recipes of babka in my lifetime. I can’t remember the first recipe I used, but it certainly wasn’t a winner. The two loaves I rendered had a rock like heft to them, and were about as dense. After this experience I decided to go to the authorities . . . the Kijowskis. My Polish relatives on my Grandmother’s side are a fount of Polish heritage and recipes. Here is the recipe from my Great Aunt Janet and Great Uncle Bob (my comments are in italics):

Babka:
1 1/4 cup scalded milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 packages of yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

In a bowl, combine milk, sugar and butter. In another bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water. This step of dissolving the yeast in water is known as proofing. I add about a teaspoon of granulated sugar to the yeast/water mixture. You’ll know the yeast is proofed (good and ready) when it gets foamy. If it doesn’t reach this stage after ten minutes, it’s a sign of bad yeast and you’ll need to get two new packages and start the proofing process again.

Proofed Yeast

Add (proofed) yeast mixture to milk mixture and stir in 1/2 the flour, beat well.

In another bowl, beat eggs with salt. Add to flour-milk mixture; mix well. Stir in remaining flour and raisins. Knead mixture for 10 minutes, dough will be soft and sticky. Cover; set in a warm spot and wait until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour. I do the kneading all by hand because (sob) I don’t have a standing mixer. Those with standing mixers may want to cut down on the kneading time because I’m sure that the mixer has more constant movement than my arm. The consistency you’re looking for is where the dough will turn slightly more elastic than mushy and will pull away from the bowl more easily. Don’t get me wrong, it will still stick to your hands like glue. Trust me, you’ll notice after some time a change in the consistency. I cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a towel. Most of the time I ended up letting it rise for maybe an extra half hour. Sometimes if the dough didn’t rise fast enough I would preheat my oven for five minutes then shut it off and just place the bowl on top (NOT in) of the oven. The heat radiating from the oven should be enough to spur the yeast to grow. Here are pictures of kneading the dough and the dough ready for the first rise.

Yes, It’s That Sticky

Ready For First Rise

Punch down dough; knead for a few minutes. Punching is really a misnomer. You’re not in a boxing match here. All that you really need to do is gently pull the dough down on itself from the sides of the bowl. I have to admit I don’t do the “knead for a few minutes” part. I probably should try it once, but I’m always just too nervous about the thing. I have to say that it turns out fine regardless.

First Rise – It’s Magic!

Divide dough in half and place in a warm spot again until it doubles in bulk, about 1/2 hour. Key thing to remember here is that this is where you will shape the dough. I actually ended up forgetting this step and had to let the dough rise a third time. It still ended up coming out OK, but I think it was a little dense this time. I’m not sure if this is due to the extra rise or not, but I just want to let you know all is not lost if you end up forgetting to shape the dough like I did. I end up just throwing the whole thing in a big pan for the second (or third if you forgot to shape it after the first) rise. One other thing that I do is after you have your dough shaped and it rises this second time, brush the top of the loaf(s) with a beaten egg. This will create a beautiful sheen to your finished bread. If you like more of a matte look then just pop it in the oven without the brushed egg.

Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or when top of bread is browned.

Tagged as: Breads, Inescapable Baking Fact, Polish, Recipe!