Polish Babka

By Addie

“The adults were so delighted to have coffee and babka that we kids wished we were old enough to drink coffee.”

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons dried lemon zest
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups golden raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds

Preparation

Step 1

Scald milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shortening, sugar and salt and cook, stirring continually, until sugar is dissolved. Let stand to cool.

Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and mix well. Add the eggs and lemon zest to the yeast mixture. Add the flour and mix until smooth.


Let stand, covered, for 6 hours. Punch down dough. Add the raisins and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Grease a fluted tube pan. Sprinkle the almonds into the pan. Spoon dough into the prepared pan.


Let rise, uncovered, for 1 hour.


Preheat the oven to 375ºF.


Bake until bread is golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Grandma's Secret Trick:

Grandma knew that if the milk was too hot, it might kill the yeast. If the milk was too cool, the yeast might not raise the dough enough to make a puffy, tender babka. But Grandma was clever, and she had an ingenious way to determine whether the milk mixture in this recipe was just the right temperature. She dipped her finger into the mixture, and if she could hold it there comfortably for 10 seconds, she knew the mixture was cool enough to add the yeast.