Ingredients
- For the Sponge:
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps sugar
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 3 packages active dry yeast
- Gor the Dough
- 10 large room-temperature egg yolks
- 2 large room-temperature eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 ounces melted butter
- 2 tsps vanilla
- 6 cups flour
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup raisins
- For the wash
- 1 large room-temperature egg 2 tbsp milk or water at room-temperature
Preparation
Step 1
Make the Sponge
Scald the milk and cool it to 110F.
Place 1/3 cup flour in a medium bowl and pour the milk over, beating until smooth.
Dissolve 2 tsp sugar in lukewarm water,and stir in yeast.
Combine with the milk-flour paste, beating well.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until light and bubbly.
Make the Dough
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and whole eggs, and salt.
Add the 1 cup sugar and continue beating until light. Beat in the butter,
vanilla and lemon zest. Add the sponge to this mixture and mix well.
Add the flour and knead 7 minutes by machine or 10 minutes by hand. Add the raisins if using. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
Punch down dough, knead a few times and let it rise again.
Grease 3 Babka cylinders or coffee tins. Fill the pans 1/3 full. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until tripled.Brush tops with 1 large egg beaten with milk or water.
Bake Babkas
Heat oven to 375 F.
Bake Babkas for 10 minutes then turn temperature down to 325F and bake 30 minutes.
Turn temperature down to 275F and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer. Cover tops with tin foil if they are browning to fast.
Remove from oven and let stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out of pan, running a knife around them, if necessary, and cool completly on a wire rack.
If desired, the cooled loaves may be iced with a confectioners' sugar glaze.