Soft and fluffy, high altitude cinnamon babka made from pillowy brioche dough, filled with ribbons of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, twisted into loaves and baked until golden brown. This sweet bread tastes like cinnamon rolls that are baked into a gorgeous loaf that you can slice and enjoy warm, or toasted and slathered with butter.
You might also love these high altitude tested recipes for whole wheat cinnamon sugar baked donuts, soft and fluffy milk bread, and pecan caramel sticky buns.
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What is Babka?
Originating in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine, babka is a sweet, braided bread, although some consider it to be a yeasted cake. It’s usually filled with chocolate or cinnamon, twisted or braided, then baked in a loaf pan. The twists and braids give the bread a marbled appearance when it’s sliced.
You could even fill it with poppy seed paste, almond paste, jam, lemon curd or fruit. My kids agreed that today’s cinnamon babka tastes exactly like cinnamon rolls, and in fact, I based the recipe on my favorite cinnamon rolls.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft for Days. The brioche dough is enriched with eggs, whole milk and butter, as well as a tangzhong starter, all of which keeps it tender, soft and fluffy for days after baking.
Make into Any Shape. You can use this dough recipe and then shape your bread any way you like. Think spirals, twists and pretty braids.
Two Loaves. Today’s recipe makes a lot of dough, so don’t even think about trying to cram it all into one loaf pan. And since you get two beautiful loaves of cinnamon babka, you can enjoy one fresh, and freeze the other loaf for later. The leftover bread works wonderfully for bread pudding and French toast.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. That said, most of my yeast dough recipes for rolls, buns and bread can be made at any altitude without adjusting the ingredients. The main difference will simply be on how long it takes your dough to rise, since dough tends to rise faster at higher elevations.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Tangzhong
The tangzhong starter is a simple mixture of water, milk and flour. Added to the dough, it keeps the buns soft and pillowy, and helps them rise higher and fluffier. The tangzhong also keeps the buns soft for days, so that they don’t go stale after just a day.
Dough
- Butter. Unsalted butter adds moisture, richness and flavor to this cinnamon bread.
- Whole Milk. Adds flavor, fat and moisture to the dough.
- Yeast. The yeast is the leavening agent which makes the buns rise. You can use either active dry yeast or rapid rise/instant yeast. I absolutely love this Red Star Platinum Premium Yeast with dough enhancers. It truly makes exceptional yeast bread.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness and helps to activate the yeast.
- Bread Flour. Bread flour has a higher percentage of protein than all-purpose flour, giving yeast breads a chewier texture. For today’s high altitude cinnamon babka, I used High Altitude Hungarian Flour, which is a high protein bread flour. You can find it on the baking aisle at King Soopers throughout Colorado and a few other mid-western states.
- Salt. Flavor.
- Eggs. Gives the dough structure, moisture and a richer flavor.
- Spices. Vanilla extract, nutmeg and cardamom add flavor and warmth.
Filling
- Butter. Adds moisture and more flavor.
- Brown Sugar + Cinnamon. For a sweet and spicy swirl throughout the bread.
Instructions
Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, milk and flour. Cook over medium heat for several minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a paste.
- Remove from the heat, scrape the tangzhong into a small bowl, and set aside until needed.
Dough
- In the same saucepan you used to make the tangzhong (no need to wash the pan first), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the milk, and warm the mixture just until it reaches between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If it gets too hot, let it sit for a few minutes until it cools down to the correct temperature. It’s important that you check the temperature – if it’s too cold, it won’t activate the yeast, and if it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until it begins to foam and bubble; this will let you know that the yeast is active.
- Baker’s Note: If using instant/rapid rise yeast, you can choose to skip this step of proofing the yeast in the warm liquid first, and simply add the warm liquid and the yeast to the rest of the dough ingredients. However, I like to proof the yeast every time, simply to ensure the yeast is active and not expired, before adding it to the dough.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the flour with the warm milk mixture, tangzhong, the rest of the sugar, salt, nutmeg, cardamom, eggs and vanilla into a rough shaggy dough.
- With the dough hook, knead on medium/low speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be soft, sticky and loose, but don’t add more flour.
- Lightly spray a large bowl with nonstick spray – the bowl should be at least 3 times as big as the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 40-45 minutes. If your oven has a bread-proofing setting, you can use that to proof your dough. If not, let your oven preheat to the lowest setting, turn the oven off, and then set your dough inside to rise.
- Set the bowl of dough, still covered, in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. This dough is very active, and will continue to rise in the refrigerator, which is why you need a very large bowl to hold the dough, or it will spill over. The chill time allows the gluten to rest and the dough to develop flavor. It’s also much easier to work with the dough when it’s cold, since this is a soft dough.
- Get two bread loaf pans ready by brushing the bottom and sides with butter, then dusting them with flour.
Filling
- Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour, and gently press the air out of the dough. Roll your dough out into a rectangle measuring approximately 15×20 inches.
- Melt your butter and use a pastry brush to spread it evenly over the dough, all the way to the edges.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle that evenly over the butter.
- Roll up the dough (starting on one of the long sides) into a log, keeping it as tight as you can. Cut the log in half, so that you have two logs, each measuring about 10 inches long.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the logs of dough lengthwise, right down the center. Twist the halves together, as shown in the photos. Gently place the twisted loaves in the prepared pans, tucking the ends down.
- Let the dough rest for about 30-45 minutes, or until the dough is starting to puff and fills the pans (but isn’t puffing over the top of the pans).
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes, until a digital instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaves reads 195 degrees Fahrenheit. The bread will be a deep golden brown on top.
- Let the bread cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool for at least an hour, then slice with a sharp, serrated bread knife.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the bread?
Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
Can babka be frozen?
To freeze the bread for later, wrap the cooled loaves in several layers of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3-6 months.
What loaf pans did you use?
I experimented with two different loaf pans, the USA Small Pullman Loaf Pan (9 x 4 x 4 inches) and the USA 1 lb Standard Bread Loaf Pan (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches). For today’s recipe, I preferred the pullman pan, with its higher sides making a tall, nicely shaped loaf of cinnamon babka.
You Might Also Like
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High Altitude Cinnamon Babka
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
- 2 Bread Loaf Pans
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tbsp bread flour
Dough
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ tsp (1 packet) instant/rapid rise yeast or active dry yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 ½ cups bread flour, spooned and leveled,
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, milk and flour. Cook over medium heat for several minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a paste.
- Remove from the heat, scrape the tangzhong into a small bowl, and set aside until needed.
Dough
- In the same saucepan you used to make the tangzhong (no need to wash the pan first), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the milk, and warm the mixture just until it reaches between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit.If it gets too hot, let it sit for a few minutes until it cools down to the correct temperature. It's important that you check the temperature – if it's too cold, it won't activate the yeast, and if it's too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until it begins to foam and bubble; this will let you know that the yeast is active.Baker's Note: If using instant/rapid rise yeast, you can choose to skip this step of proofing the yeast in the warm liquid first, and simply add the warm liquid and the yeast to the rest of the dough ingredients. However, I like to proof the yeast every time, simply to ensure the yeast is active and not expired, before adding it to the dough.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the flour with the warm milk mixture, tangzhong, the rest of the sugar, salt, nutmeg, cardamom, eggs and vanilla into a rough shaggy dough. With the dough hook, knead on medium/low speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be soft, sticky and loose, but don't add more flour.
- Lightly spray a large bowl with nonstick spray – the bowl should be at least 3 times as big as the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 40-45 minutes.If your oven has a bread-proofing setting, you can use that to proof your dough. If not, let your oven preheat to the lowest setting, turn the oven off, and then set your dough inside to rise.
- Set the bowl of dough, still covered, in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. This dough is very active, and will continue to rise in the refrigerator, which is why you need a very large bowl to hold the dough, or it will spill over.The chill time allows the gluten to rest and the dough to develop flavor. It's also much easier to work with the dough when it's cold, since this is a soft dough.
- Get two bread loaf pans ready by brushing the bottom and sides with butter, then dusting them with flour.
Filling
- Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour, and gently press the air out of the dough. Roll your dough out into a rectangle measuring approximately 15×20 inches.
- Melt your butter and use a pastry brush to spread it evenly over the dough, all the way to the edges.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle that evenly over the butter.
- Roll up the dough (starting on one of the long sides) into a log, keeping it as tight as you can. Cut the log in half, so that you have two logs, each measuring about 10 inches long.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the logs of dough lengthwise, right down the center. Twist the halves together, as shown in the photos. Gently place the twisted loaves in the prepared pans, tucking the ends down.
- Let the dough rest for about 30-45 minutes, or until the dough is starting to puff and fills the pans (but isn't puffing over the top of the pans).
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the bread for about 35-40 minutes, until a digital instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaves reads 195 degrees Fahrenheit. The bread will be a deep golden brown on top.
- Let the bread cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool for at least an hour, then slice with a sharp, serrated bread knife.
- Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
- To freeze the bread for later, wrap the cooled loaves in several layers of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3-6 months.
Notes
- Yeast: This recipe calls for instant or rapid-rise yeast, which does not require any proofing first, so you can just mix it right into the dough. If you only have regular active dry yeast, you should proof it first, before adding to the dough. To do this, heat your butter and buttermilk as instructed, then sprinkle the yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar, over the liquid. Stir in and let sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Add to your dough and mix as instructed.
- Eggs: Your eggs will be too cold if you use them straight from the fridge, and the chill could prevent your dough from rising. Let them sit out for about an hour (or place the eggs in a glass of hot water) to warm up to room temperature before adding to your dough.
- 110-115 Degrees: It’s very important that you check the temperature of your melted butter and warmed milk. The amount noted here is not a suggestion; it’s essential to correctly activating your yeast. Too cold, and the yeast won’t be activated. Too hot, and it will kill the yeast.
Another outstanding Curly Girl recipe! I was anticipating the first bite of this babka, to be dry as has been my experience with store bought babkas, but NOT this one!
This recipe produces a fluffy, moist, tender bread that is extremely flavorful.
Heather’s instructions and images help along the way so the recipe is easy to make.
Thank you for yet another beautiful recipe.
This recipe is WONDERFUL! When a recipe takes time to make, you want it to be beautiful and delicious! This recipe checks all the boxes! My husband and son will return home to the smell of yeast and cinnamon. Thanks for taking the time to post all the photos! They help make my loaves as beautiful as yours, Heather.
The list of ingredients says to use whole milk, but in your notes under yeast, it refers to buttermilk. I’m just wondering which I should use.
You can use either one in this recipe.