Ukrainian Country-Style Babka

Name: Ukrainian Country-Style Babka
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Jewish, Polish, Russian
Ingredients: 0.5 oz Active Dry Yeast; 1 cup All-Purpose Flour; 5.5 cups Bread Flour; 1 cup Butter; 6 whole Eggs; 2 tbsp Lemon; 1 cup Raisin; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tsp Sugar; 0.5 cup Water; 1 cup Whole Milk

Breakfast 🍳Dessert 🍰Snack 🍿 Jewish 🇮🇱Polish 🇵🇱Russian 🇷🇺 Low-Sodium Vegetarian 🥦Halal 🕌Comfort-Food Pescatarian 🐟

Ukrainian Country-Style Babka is a rich, egg-forward bread with a tender, airy crumb, bright lemon aroma, and bursts of plump raisins throughout. Slightly sweet and buttery, it’s perfect for holiday breakfasts, spring celebrations, or an afternoon coffee break when you want something comforting yet special.

Prep30 mins
Cook55 mins
Serves12
DifficultyMedium

1

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, milk, lukewarm water, yeast, and 2 teaspoons sugar; mix until well blended. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the sponge is light and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
2

In another large bowl, beat eggs, 1 cup sugar, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in melted butter and lemon zest until incorporated. Stir in the sponge, then gradually mix in 5 1/2 cups bread flour. Knead in the bowl for about 10 minutes, then knead in the raisins. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.
3

Punch down the dough and knead it a couple of turns, then cover and let it rise again.
4

Grease 4 small coffee cans with soft butter. Fill the prepared cans about 1/3 full with dough and let rise until the dough is even with the rim.
5

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
6

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 40 minutes more. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil. Remove the baked loaves from the cans and cool completely on a wire rack.