Cheesecake Babka Food

CHEESECAKE BABKA

Steps:

• Dough: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook, beat together milk, yeast, flours, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and butter on low speed until well combined. Transfer dough to work surface and form into a 10-by-8-inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Wrap in parchment; refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Butter Package: Place butter between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, gently beat until butter is slightly softened, then roll into a 9-by-7-inch rectangle. Loosely wrap in plastic; refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 18-by-9-inch rectangle with a short side parallel to edge of work surface. Place chilled butter package on top half of dough. Fold bottom half of dough over butter to cover completely and firmly press to adhere butter and dough to one another. Pinch edges to seal. Roll out dough once more to a 24-by-7-inch rectangle. Fold top and bottom of dough toward center until they meet. Fold bottom half up to cover top half, rotate dough package 90 degrees, and roll out dough to a 28-by-7 1/2-inch rectangle. Repeat folding process. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate 1 hour or freeze for later use.
• Filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on low speed until softened. Beat in ricotta until just combined (do not overbeat). Add half the egg (reserve remaining half for egg wash), vanilla seeds, lemon zest, confectioners' sugar, and cornstarch; beat until combined. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Streusel: In a medium bowl, stir together butter and sugar. Mix in flour until large clumps form. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour.
• Spray three 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Roll out dough to a 27-by-9-inch rectangle. Divide into six 13 1/2-by-3-inch rectangles. Transfer filling to a pastry bag and pipe one-sixth of filling in a line down the center of each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Pull edges of dough up and pinch to enclose filling. Place two filled portions of dough, seam-side down, on work surface to form an X. Working from center of the X, twist ends. Transfer to prepared pan, seam-side down. Repeat process with remaining dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly cover pans with a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (Dough should just reach edge of pan.) Gently brush dough with egg wash. Break streusel into pebble-sized pieces and gently sprinkle over loaves, dividing equally. Bake until crust is firm and golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer pans to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes. Invert loaves onto racks; let cool completely. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar.

BASIC BABKA

Steps:

• Stir white sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and salt into hot milk in a small bowl until butter is melted and mixture is lukewarm. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, sprinkle yeast over warm water; stir to dissolve.
• Stir milk mixture into yeast mixture. Add 2 eggs and 2 1/2 cups of the flour; beat on high until combined. With mixer on low, add remaining 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time.
• Switch to the dough hook; mix until dough leaves sides of bowl, about 5 minutes. Set dough in a large, lightly greased bowl, turning dough to coat top. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Prepare walnut filling while dough rises. Lightly beat 3 eggs in a large bowl. Stir in brown sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Fold in walnuts.
• Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a large, lightly floured surface, cover with the bowl, and let rest 10 minutes. Line three 9x5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides.
• Divide dough into thirds; roll each third out to a 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Spoon 1/3 of the walnut filling onto each dough square and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Roll up each square tightly as for a jelly roll. Pinch ends and seams closed to seal. With your palms, roll logs back and forth until uniformly round.
• With a sharp knife or dough scraper, cut 1 log in half lengthwise to form 2 striped strands. Working quickly, twist strands loosely together with cut sides facing out, making 2 or 3 wide, horizontal twists. Fit into one of the prepared pans, patting back any loose filling and tucking ends under, if needed. It might look like a mess now, but it comes out beautifully!
• Repeat with remaining logs and pans. Cover pans with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Loaves should not rise above top edges of pans.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush loaf tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter.
• Bake loaves until puffed, well browned, and a thermometer inserted in centers registers 200 degrees F (93 degrees C), 35 to 45 minutes. Tent with foil if tops brown before loaves are done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then use parchment to lift from pans and transfer to a wire rack.
• Cool completely, about 1 hour. Glaze if desired, then slice crosswise to serve.

BABKA

Steps:

• Heat the milk; stir in the butter until melted; cool to lukewarm. Proof the yeast in the warm water.
• Beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until thick. Add the salt, grated rinds, vanilla, and Grand Marnier. Add the milk-butter mixture to the egg mixture. Stir in the yeast.
• Add the flour, a cupful at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon. The dough should not be dry, but it should not be sticky. Too much flour will make a dry, crumbly cake. Add the almonds and raisins.
• Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, until dough comes away from your hand. Butter a very large bowl and put dough in bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and let rise a second time until almost doubled.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the pans generously. (You can sprinkle pans with a tablespoon of sugar if you wish.) Divide the dough into 3 portions. Arrange evenly on the pans and cover loosely. Let rise to top of pans.
• Bake cakes in oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until golden brown. There should be a hollow sound when you tap the top with your knuckles. Cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto racks to cool.

CHEESE BABKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the warm water; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Combine the 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, milk, and 3 eggs in a bowl with 1 cup of flour and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and beat for 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Shape the dough into a round, and place it in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Beat together the farmers' cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, sour cream, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and dried lemon peel in a bowl until smooth. Set the filling aside. Lightly oil a 10-inch fluted tube pan (such as a Bundt®).
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 10-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Spread the cheese filling evenly over the dough. Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, starting from the long end; twist the dough 6 to 8 times to form a rope. Pinch the seams and ends closed and arrange the rope of dough in the greased pan. Cover loosely and let rise 1 hour.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake the babka until deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes; invert the babka onto a wire rack and remove the pan. Allow the babka to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BABKA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the granulated sugar and water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and stir gently. Let stand until the yeast begins to soften and turn foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
• Stir the yeast mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Mix in the flour in three or four batches on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until fully combined. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the dough is smooth but still sticky, 4 to 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough, cover again and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Make the cream cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese, egg yolks, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until combined. Set aside.
• Make the pecan filling: Stir together the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and pecans in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until the pecans are coated and the sugar looks like wet sand. Transfer 1/2 cup of the pecan filling to a small bowl and combine with the flour (this is the topping). Set both bowls aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Lightly butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Line each pan with parchment paper, leaving at least a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Butter the paper and place the pans on a large rimmed baking sheet.
• Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out each piece into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread each rectangle with half of the cream cheese filling and sprinkle each with half of the pecan filling. Starting at a long side, roll up the dough into a tight log. Pinch the ends to seal in the filling. (If the dough becomes too soft, refrigerate the logs on a baking sheet until firm.) Fold the dough in half into a horseshoe shape, then cross the right half over the left, twisting into a figure-eight shape. Twist once or twice more, then fit into the prepared pans. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap. Set aside until slightly risen, about 20 minutes.
• Brush the tops of the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the pecan topping. Bake the babkas, rotating the pans halfway through, until dark golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. (If the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with foil and reduce the oven temperature to 325˚ F.) Transfer to a rack and let the babkas cool completely in the pans.

BIRTHDAY CAKE BABKA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine warm milk, yeast and sugar and whisk to dissolve. Let sit for about 5 minutes until mixture becomes foamy (if it doesn't become foamy, your yeast may have expired or the milk was too hot, so start over with fresh yeast).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine yeast mixture, flour, salt, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix slowly to combine. Once combined, add in butter, one tablespoon at a time. When butter is incorporated, scrape down sides of the mixing bowl, and knead dough for about 5 minutes on medium speed, adding sprinkles in during the last half of kneading.
• Remove the dough to a greased mixing bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about two hours.
• Grease two loaf pans and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together all filling ingredients.
• After two hours, punch down dough and divide into two even portions. Roll out one half of dough into a tall rectangle. Spread evenly with filling mixture to the edges.
• Roll up dough using the long side of the rectangle. Once rolled, cut the entire roll down the middle with a sharp knife, lengthwise. You should have two long pieces of dough with the layers of filling exposed. Braid the two pieces over one another, with the filling facing up.
• Twist the braid into a shape that will fit in the loaf plan and place it inches Repeat process with second half of dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover both loaves with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 20 minutes while the oven is preheating.
• Bake loaves for about 50 - 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.