Last summer I made chocolate babka, and I didn’t love it. I mean, bread and chocolate should have been a no-brainer. But, sadly for me, it was too sweet. But I wanted to try making babka one more time. And I thought, why not go the savory route. This is how I landed on the other no-brainer combination of bread and cheese. Get a soft mild goat cheese, add some caramelized onion, and you too can bake a babka you’ll want to eat all by yourself.
For the Dough
- 80 ml (1/3 c) milk
- 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- pinch of sugar
- 310 g (2 ½ c) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs (room temp) – lightly beaten
- 4 tbs (¼ c) unsalted butter (room temp)
For the Filling
- 2 large yellow onions (about 1 pound) thinly sliced
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- balsamic vinegar (for pan, optional)
- 4 oz goat cheese
- few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Method
for the dough
Warm the milk until lukewarm, but not hot, about 110 degrees. Add yeast, a pinch of sugar, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly foamy.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour and salt. Beat in the yeast mixture and the lightly beaten eggs until the dough comes together in a soft mass. It’s OK if a little flour remains on the bottom of the bowl.
Add half the butter and beat until the dough is smooth and elastic about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Beat in the rest of the butter and continue to beat until the dough is stretchy about 5 to 7 minutes. If the dough is still shaggy or does not stretch, add about a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is the right consistency.
Butter a clean bowl. Roll the dough into a ball. Roll it around in the bowl so that all sides are buttered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place like the inside of a turned-off oven. Allow the dough to rise for 1.5 to 3 hours.
Press the dough down with your hands to expel the air, cover the bowl again and refrigerate for four hours or overnight.
for the filling
Use a wide-based large saucepan to heat two tablespoons of butter over medium until melted and sizzling.
Add the thinly sliced onions, stir, and cook until soft and translucent. Season with a pinch of salt.
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook onions, stirring every few minutes to prevent them from sticking and coloring too much in any one place. Keep cooking, stirring on the regular, until onions are golden brown. This will take time and require attention.
At this point, you can add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar to add flavor and help lift any cooked-on/burned bits. Reduce the liquid and then take the caramelized onion off heat to cool.
Assembling the Caramelized Onion + Goat Cheese Babka
You can make the babka in a traditional 9-inch loaf pan or a wreath shape. For a wreath-shaped loaf, a 9-inch tube pan with a removable bottom is best*. Whichever pan you choose, be sure to butter and line with parchment paper.
Put the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a 9-by-17-inch rectangle. Spread the caramelized onions evenly onto the dough, going all the way to the edge. Then break up the goat cheese with your fingers and layer on top of the onions. As an optional bit of freshness, you can layer torn flat leaf parsley now as well.
Then starting with a long side, roll into a tightly coiled log. Place log seam side down. Slice the log in half lengthwise to expose the filling. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them.
Place the braided dough into the prepared pan. If you are using a loaf pan, let the shaped dough curl around itself if it’s a little too long for the pan. Then cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a turned-off oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The dough will puff up, but not quite double.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of the babka with oil. Bake until the top is deeply golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center will read 185 degrees. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Babka is best served still a little warm.
Carmelized Onion + Goat Cheese Babka
Equipment
- stand mixer
- 9-inch loaf pan or 9-inch tube pan with removable bottom
INGREDIENTS
For the Dough
- 80 ml (1/3 c) milk
- 1½ tsp active dry yeast
- pinch granulated sugar
- 310 g (2 ½ c) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs - room temp, lightly beaten
- 4 tbsp (¼ c) unsalted butter - room temp
For the Filling
- 2 large yellow onions (about 1 pound) - thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- pinch salt
- balsamic vinegar for pan - optional
- 4 oz goat cheese
- few springs flat leaf parsely - optional
METHOD
For the Dough
- Warm the milk until lukewarm, but not hot, about 110 degrees. Add yeast, a pinch of sugar, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly foamy.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour and salt. Beat in the yeast mixture and the lightly beaten eggs until the dough comes together in a soft mass. It’s OK if a little flour remains on the bottom of the bowl.
- Add half the butter and beat until the dough is smooth and elastic about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Beat in the rest of the butter and continue to beat until the dough is stretchy about 5 to 7 minutes. If the dough is still shaggy or does not stretch, add about a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is the right consistency.
- Butter a clean bowl. Roll the dough into a ball. Roll it around in the bowl so that all sides are buttered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place like the inside of a turned-off oven. Allow the dough to rise for 1.5 to 3 hours.
- Press the dough down with your hands to expel the air, cover the bowl again and refrigerate for four hours or overnight.
For the Filling
- Use a wide-based large saucepan to heat two tablespoons of butter over medium until melted and sizzling.
- Add the thinly sliced onions, stir, and cook until soft and translucent. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook onions, stirring every few minutes to prevent them from sticking and coloring too much in any one place. Keep cooking, stirring on the regular, until onions are golden brown. This will take time and require attention.
- At this point you can add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar to add flavor and help lift any cooked-on/burned bits. Reduce the liquid and then take off heat to cool.
Assembly
- You can make the babka in a traditional 9-inch loaf pan or a wreath shape. For a wreath-shaped loaf, a 9-inch tube pan with a removable bottom is best. Whichever pan you choose, be sure to butter and line with parchment paper.
- Put the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a 9-by-17-inch rectangle. Spread the caramelized onions evenly onto the dough, going all the way to the edge. Then break up the goat cheese with your fingers and layer it on top of the onions. As an optional bit of freshness, you can layer torn flat-leaf parsley now as well.
- Then starting with a long side, roll into a tightly coiled log. Place log seam side down. Slice the log in half lengthwise to expose the filling. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them.
- Place the braided dough into the prepared pan. If you are using a loaf pan, let the shaped dough curl around itself if it’s a little too long for the pan. Then cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a turned-off oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The dough will puff up, but not quite double.
- Heat oven to 375° F. Brush the top of the babka with oil. Bake until the top is deeply golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center will read 185 degrees. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. The babka is best served still a little warm.
