Cheese Babka - #BreadBakers

Most delicious bread ever.

I know that's a bold statement but trust me on this one. This bread is amazing. My only complaint is that I did not make 2 loaves. I certainly did not want to share this one and my mother felt the same. When my sister-in-law asked if I'd made bread, my mother handed her a loaf of supermarket bread. You can't hide anything from my brother so he found the babka stashed in a curio cabinet and quietly enjoyed his slice. He didn't share with my sister-in-law either.

We're evil. One of these days I'll make her some bread just for her. She won't need to share with us.

If you're a cheese lover, this month's Bread Bakers is just for you. Our host Sue chose cheese as the theme and lots of deliciousness awaits you - just scroll down to see the list.

Cheese Babka

Yield: 1 loaf 

Dough adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients 
Dough
300-360 grams flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
7 tablespoons butter

Filling 
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup finely sliced escallion
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
6 oz cheese, grated (I used aged cheddar and mozzarella)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes


Directions

Whisk together flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the eggs and milk and mix together until the dough just starts to come together. Knead in butter one tablespoon at a time until  the dough is smooth, elastic and very tacky - about ten minutes. I found that with only 300 grams of flour per the original recipe, my dough was very wet and definitely needed more flour. Sprinkle in a little a time. You don't want a dry dough.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and allow to rise until doubled. You can also refrigerate overnight.

When the dough is ready, line a loaf pan with parchment paper leaving about a 2 inch overhang to help you lift the bread out when it's baked.

Mix garlic and butter.

Roll out the dough to a 16" x 10" rectangle. Brush the garlic mixture over the dough. Top with escallion, thyme, cheese and red pepper flakes. Starting along a long side, roll the dough up tightly.

Use a serrated knife to slice down the length of the roll. All the layers will now be exposed. With the halves cut side up, place one half over the other to form an X. Next twist the ends on either side twice.  See here for pictures.

Place the dough into the prepared pan. Lightly cover and let rise until doubled.

When the dough is almost doubled, preheat the oven to 375F.

Bake until the top is golden brown - 25-35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy your hard work!

Notes 

• Escallion = scallion. Sometimes. All this time I thought that escallion was just the way we spelt scallion. But a little googling made me realise they might be different plants that look and taste the same.
• Don't despair if it seems like the dough is falling apart when you try to do the twists. Just smoosh it into the pan, it will still taste AMAZING.
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes is not even slightly spicy. Feel free to use more.

• Brazilian Cheese Bread by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Buttermilk Cheddar Quick Bread by Food Above Gold
• Caramelized Onion and Cheese Bread by Ambrosia
• Cheddar Beer Bread Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheese Babka by Passion Kneaded
• Easy Cheesy Pull Apart Rolls by I Camp In My Kitchen
• Irish Cheddar Scone with Scallions by Baking Sense
• Mexican Cornbread Waffles by Food Lust People Love
• Mozzarella Stuffed Breadsticks by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mini Chilli Cheese Parathas by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Pancakes Huancaina by The Schizo Chef
• Spicy Cheese Bread by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Stuffed Mini Cheese Chicken Burger Buns by Sneha's Recipe
• Wholemeal Cheese Bombs by Cook with Renu
• Vanilla-Mascarpone Popovers by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.