 Chocolate babka | |
| Alternative names | Ugat Shmarim |
|---|---|
| Type | Viennoiserie |
| Place of origin | Jewish communities ofPoland and westernUkraine[1][2][3] |
| Variations | Chocolate babka, cinnamon babka, sweet cheese babka |
Babka is a sweet braided cake orViennoiserie that originated in theJewish communities of Poland andWestern Ukraine.[4][5] It is prepared with ayeast-leavened dough that is rolled out and spread with a filling, then rolled up and braided before baking. Traditionally fillings included jam or nuts, though now include chocolate,cinnamon, fruit, or cheese. It can be made with butter, or to remainpareve it can be made with olive oil.
It is popular inIsrael and theJewish diaspora where it is also known asyeast cake orUgat Shmarim (עוגת שמרים),[6] and has recently gained more popularity with non-Jewish communities.
Babka developed in Poland and next in the Jewish communities ofCentral and Eastern Europe in the early 19th century.[7] Extrachallah dough was rolled up with fruit jam orcinnamon and baked as a loaf alongside the challah.[2]Chocolate was not originally used, as it was not generally available;[8] the chocolate babka was likely a mid-20th century American development.[3] To bepareve, traditional recipes usedolive oil instead of butter.[9]
Its name (though not necessarily the dish itself) may be related to a type ofEaster cake popular in Poland and Ukraine known asbaba or the diminutivebabka, which means "grandmother", related to the Yiddishbubbe.[2]
Although the Polish and Ukrainian babka are mutually synonymous with their Jewish counterparts, the appearance and preparation of each babka is drastically different. The Eastern European babka is known for its tall, stout, fluted sides formed in a traditional pan, and reminiscent of a grandma's skirt. In comparison, the variant introduced by émigrés to New York consists of strands of rich yeasted dough interwoven and baked in a loaf tin.[4][3]
The Jewish babka was mostly unheard of outside the Polish Jewish community until the latter part of the 20th century. European-style bakeries started to offer it in the late 1950s in Israel and the United States. In addition to chocolate, various fillings including poppy seeds,almond paste, cheese, and others became popular, and some bakers began to top it withstreusel.[2] In the 21st century it has found more popularity with non-Jewish communities.[10][11][12]
It consists of either an enriched dough, similar tochallah, or a laminated dough, similar tocroissants.[5] The dough is then rolled out and spread with a variety of sweet fillings such as chocolate, cinnamon sugar, apples, sweet cheese,mohn, or raisins, which is then braided either as an open or closed plait and topped with asugar syrup to preserve freshness and make the bread more moist.[13] It is sometimes topped with astreusel topping.[8]
Israeli style babka (עוגת שמרים) is made with a wider array of fillings. The most popular fillings are chocolate, which is commonly paired withHashachar Ha'ole,mohn, and sweet cheese typically made withgvina levana. It is typically sweet; however, savory versions are also popular, often containinglabneh andza'atar.[14] It is also often baked into individual pastries shaped to resemble roses.[15]
TheSeinfeld episode "The Dinner Party" references both chocolate and cinnamon babka extensively, with the characterElaine Benes expressing dismay over cinnamon's status as "the lesser babka," to whichJerry Seinfeld exclaims "cinnamon takes a backseat to no babka!".[16][17] The scene is often referred to by food critics when talking about babka, especially quoting Elaine's "you can't beat a babka".[18][19]
Baker Shimi Aaron was called "the future babka king" by Bill Addison of TheLos Angeles Times in 2020.[20][21] Aaron's innovations included adding orange peel and rose petals, and bringing his Egyptian, Iraqi and Yemeni heritage to his recipes for savory babkas.[21]
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Ring and knot-shaped breads | ||
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