Babka Ukrainian

Medium·40 min

A tall, golden, cylindrical sweet bread made from a rich egg-and-butter dough, often studded with raisins and scented with vanilla and citrus zest. Baked for Easter, it is taller and lighter than the round, glazed paska.

Ukrainian babka rises from the same Easter baking tradition as paska, the festive enriched breads carried to church in spring to be blessed alongside eggs, salo and sausage. Where paska is a broad round loaf crowned with white glaze, babka is baked tall in a cylindrical tin, its cake-like crumb sweeter and richer, a centerpiece of the Easter basket in homes across Ukraine and the diaspora.

The crumb is feathery and faintly cake-like, sweet with butter and warm with vanilla and orange. Plump raisins burst in soft pockets, and the tall golden crust gives just a little chew against the tender interior.

The high proportion of egg yolk, butter and sugar enriches and tenderizes the gluten, yielding a soft, cake-like crumb that still holds a tall structure. A tall narrow tin forces the dough upward, and a slow double rise builds the airy, dome-topped loaf.

Variations

Plain (raisin-free) babka, saffron-tinted dough, rum-soaked raisin version, almond or poppy-seed studded, glazed and sprinkled top

On the Palate

Where Babka Ukrainian sits in the Ukrainian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 10

How it's made

8 steps · 40 min

1
10 min
Warm milk and dissolve yeast with a pinch of sugar, then let it foam to prove it is active.
Watch out
The yeast must foam up within a few minutes — no froth means it's dead, and the babka won't rise; start over with fresh yeast.
2
10 min
Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale, then combine with the yeast, melted butter, vanilla and citrus zest.
3
10 min
Work in the flour and salt to a soft dough, then knead until smooth and elastic.
4
60 min
Mix in raisins, cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until doubled.
Watch out
Let it rise until fully doubled and springy — this rich yolk-and-butter dough is slow, so give it time or the crumb turns dense.
5
10 min
Knock back, shape into a ball and drop into a tall, well-buttered cylindrical tin, filling it about a third.
6
60 min
Let the dough prove again until it climbs near the rim of the tin.
Watch out
Prove again until the dough climbs near the rim before baking — under-proofed and it'll never reach that tall domed top.
7
50 min
Bake in a moderate oven until tall, deep golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Watch out
Test with a skewer to the center — it comes out clean and dry when done; this tall loaf can look baked outside while the middle's still wet.
8
20 min
Cool, then dust with icing sugar or brush with a thin glaze before slicing.