Caramel Cashew Babka. A nutty, sweet, and fluffy bread.
Course Bread
Cuisine jewish
Keyword babka, bread, caramel, cashew
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Resting time 12 hourshours
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 2loaves
Calories 250kcal
Ingredients
Babka Dough
3/4cupmilk170 grams, 6 oz
1/2cupgranulated sugar100 grams, 3.5 oz
3teaspoonsinstant yeast
4 1/4cupsall-purpose flour538 grams, 19 oz
3eggs
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonsvanilla extract
1/2cupunsalted butterat room temperature (113 grams, 4 oz)
Cashew Caramel Filling
2cupscashew nuts300 grams, 10.6 oz
1/2cupunsalted butterat room temperature (113 grams, 4 oz)
1cupbrown sugar200 grams, 7 oz
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground nutmeg
Syrup
1/4cupwater56 grams, 2 oz
6tablespoonssugar75 grams, 2.6 oz
Instructions
Day 1
Babka Dough
Start by making the Babka dough the night before you are going to bake your bread.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk, sugar, yeast, flour, eggs, salt, and vanilla. Mix with a spoon or with the paddle attachment until incorporated.
Switch to the dough hook.
Knead dough for about 30 seconds on medium speed. Start adding butter, one tablespoon at a time with the mixer running.
It is going to look very messy, but don’t fret! Just keep kneading on medium speed for about 10 minutes.
You may add one or two tablespoons of flour if dough seems extremely wet.
Move dough to a bowl coated lightly with neutral oil. Place dough in the fridge overnight.
Day 2
Cashew Caramel Filling
Chop cashew nuts very finely. Mix with butter, sugar and nutmeg. Alternatively, I found a lot of success placing all of the ingredients in a food processor and just processing the nuts with the butter, sugar and nutmeg. You don’t want the cashews to turn into a paste, but you do want them to be very finely chopped.
Be sure to use roasted cashews, so if your cashews are raw, simply place them in a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350F oven. Let them cool down before mixing with the butter and sugar.
Shape Dough
Line two loaf pans with parchment paper. I have used two 9x5” loaf pans.
Remove dough from the fridge.
Divide into two pieces.
Roll each piece out into a 10x12” rectangle.
Divide filling between the two rectangles. Use a spatula to spread filling evenly on the entire surface of each rectangle.
Roll each piece into a log.
Split each log in half lengthwise. Refer to pictures above in the post for reference.
Each strand of dough should have the open side facing up. Also be careful not to let the filling spill out.
Braid both strands together. Pinch ends together, and tuck them under.
Place loaves in prepared loaf pans.
Let dough rise for 1-2 hours. Depending on how hot your kitchen is, it might rise faster.
The babkas will be ready to be baked when they have almost doubled in size, and when you touch the surface of the dough with your finger, the dimple springs right back up.
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Before baking I like to brush my loaves with a very light egg wash. I mix 1 yolk with one teaspoon of water and gently brush over my babkas. I don’t like a very thick egg wash for this kind of bread, but a little bit will make it golden and pretty.
Bake babkas for about 30 minutes. Start checking at 15 minute mark, cover loaves if they are browning too fast on top.
To check, insert a toothpick and it should come out clean.
While babkas bake, make the syrup.
Bring water and sugar to a boil. Set aside.
Take babkas out of the oven. Immediately brush with the syrup, dividing it evenly between the two loaves.
Let loaves cool down before cutting. Though I love them when they are still a bit warm and all. Irresistible!
Storage
The babkas will be the most delicious the fresher they are, which means the first day, and a few hours after baking specifically.
However, they will keep well for a few days. I would put them in the fridge, in a sealed zip loc bag after the first day. Just take them out of the fridge a little bit before consuming so they can soften up and come to room temperature. I won’t lie that I’ve been guilty of toasting one in my non-stick pan, in the morning. No regrets.