Sour Cream Babka Food

POLISH BABKA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sift all-purpose flour and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in potato starch.
• Beat 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar; beat until just combined. Add egg yolks and sour cream; mix well. Whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract into the batter.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl using clean beaters until stiff peaks form.
• Beat flour mixture into the batter until no dry spots remain. Gently fold in raisins and egg whites until evenly incorporated.
• Liberally grease an 8-inch, 6-cup Bundt® cake pan with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Spoon batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly before inverting cake onto a serving plate.

PIEROGI DOUGH WITH SOUR CREAM (2-INGREDIENT)

Steps:

• Tip four cups of flour onto your work surface, make a shallow well.
• Add sour cream in. Mix until combined - with your hands or with an electric mixer.
• If the dough feels too sticky to handle, add more flour.
• Dust both hands with flour and start kneading to form the dough.
• Cover the dough with a cloth or a large bowl. Set aside for 20-30 minutes. You can let the dough rest longer, even up to a few hours.
• Dust the worktop with some extra flour and transfer the dough onto it. Knead the dough for a minute or two. Cut a smaller piece of the dough off and roll it out - the thinner, the better.
• Cut out the circles - I use a rim of a glass, but a round cookie cutter works too. The size is up to you, but roughly 3 inches (8 cm) seems optimal.
• Scoop 1 tablespoon of pierogi filling of your choice and place it in the center of each circle.
• Press the edges and seal each dumpling.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Drop in pierogi in small batches, a few at the time. Wait for them to float, once they do - continue cooking for another minute. Remove them with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
• Continue until you're out of pierogi.
• Serve with melted butter or another topping of your choice.
• If you prefer a crispier skin, melt some butter on a frying pan. Fry dumplings on both sides until golden.

SOUR CREAM BABKA

Steps:

• To prepare dough, combine cranberries and amaretto in a small bowl; set aside. Heat milk over medium-high heat in a small, heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Cool to room temperature.
• Dissolve yeast in warm water, and let stand 5 minutes. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar, eggs, and egg yolks in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until thick and pale (about 2 minutes). Add milk mixture, yeast mixture, 1 teaspoon almond extract, and salt; beat until well blended.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 5 1/2 cups flour to egg mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
• Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 10 minutes.
• Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Knead cranberry mixture, raisins, and almonds into dough. With floured hands, pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Form a 2-inch hole in center of dough; place dough in prepared pan, allowing center of Bundt pan to emerge through hole in dough. Gently press the dough into pan. Lightly coat top of dough with cooking spray; cover and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Uncover dough. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack.
• To prepare icing, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, stirring with a whisk. Remove babka from pan, and place on a serving platter. Drizzle with icing; cool completely.