One of the things I want to do on this site is to share with you the (many) mistakes that I make as a home baker. Not all breads are beautiful, not all loaves are perfect. For one reason or another, I often mess up and want to use this space to share with you pitfalls you will likely face when baking in your own kitchen.
When I started baking about 10 years ago, I really didn’t know what I was doing nor what I was trying to do. I was so excited about making bread at home that whatever happened to come out of the oven was a tasty surprise. One day, my neighbor Dave introduced me to what is now one of my favorite bread books of all time, Bernard Clayton’s “Complete Book of Breads“. It was also exciting that we were living in Bloomington, Indiana, where Clayton also lived. We always talked about hunting him down to get his autograph and maybe a get a little first hand wisdom but we never worked up the courage to do it.
When I was first introduced to semolina bread, I was in awe. I usually thought of semolina in terms of pasta but after trying it in bread form, I was hooked. The bread had a light golden color and a soft, fine crumb that craved to be toasted and buttered. Whenever I get my hands on semolina flour I always look forward to making a loaf that stands up to that vision.
This past week I went to a local grain store and purchased a few bags of different flours. Some bread flour, some wheat flour, and gladly some semolina flour. I was a little dismayed when the vendor wasn’t sure where the flours came from (I was hoping for some local flour milled in Pennsylvania) but nevertheless, home I went.
I fed my sourdough starter and adjusted a recipe from Jeffrey Hamelman’s “Bread” book for a semolina sourdough loaf. The recipe yields two loaves and is quite easy to make. If this is your first time using semolina, you’ll be surprised by how it transforms from granular flour to soft dough.
Since this is the year of the babka, I have taken it upon myself to discover new ways of enjoying this wonderful treat. Last time, the cinnamon bun babka was so good it didn’t last more than a day. This one didn’t last too much longer before it was all gone! This recipe makes 2 babkas, one for you and another one for you one to share.
Most of the time for me, it’s all about the process. The babka making process is fairly therapeutic. The dough is easy to work, it’s easy to shape, it’s just a stress-free pleasure trip. This babka is the epitome of a comfort food. It has the PB&J flavor while not being overly sweet. If, for some reason, the babka ends up at room temp put it in the toaster for a reheat and enjoy!
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This recipe yields two 9 inch Babka’s and is best done in a two step process. The first step is to make the dough, then it goes in the fridge for a few hours so that it is easier to roll and cut once it’s filled.
Dough
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Filling
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Glaze
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Process
In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add all the dry ingredients. Heat milk to 100˚F and add to the mixer and stir gently. Add the yeast and stir until it’s incorporated as much as possible. Add the melted butter and the two eggs and mix gently until it’s a nice smooth ball, maybe 5 minutes tops.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic and let it proof, undisturbed, for about an hour to 90 minutes.
Quickly turn the dough in to a ball and cover with plastic wrap that’s been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Place in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
When you are ready to cook, get your baking pans ready and spray with non-stick cooking spray and pre-heat oven to 400˚F.
Make your glaze:
Put jelly and water in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Mix the water and the jelly and add the sugar. Boil until sugar is fully dissolved. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to another container where it can cool for about 20 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface divide your dough in two. Roll our the dough in to a large rectangle that’s just slightly longer than your baking pan. Spread the peanut butter all over the dough, leaving a small margin. Tightly roll your dough and cut the babka down the middle. Twist and braid the babka and transfer to your baking pan. See the video to see how I do it.
Once both babkas are ready to bake, use a pastry brush and generously spread the jelly glaze all over the tops of your babkas.
Place in the oven in the middle rack and cook for 40-50 minutes, rotating the babkas every 15 minutes to promote even cooking.
Everyone bakes for a reason. For some people it’s to literally put bread on the table. For some it’s a fun way to spend a few hours. For me, however, it’s about expressing my creativity in a form that is hopefully enjoyable and sometimes unexpected. Take this week’s bake, for example. I started out with just a few spare hours and ended up with something I had never baked or seen before.
Most of the time, before baking, I like to research a loaf and learn what others have done to achieve a successful bake. Be it extended fermentation in the refrigerator or spritzing the loaf with water before baking, there’s always something to be learned from others. That’s why I surprised even myself when I decided to just “wing it” with this bake.
Since my starter hadn’t been refreshed yet, I decided to make a nice loaf with a tad of black pepper for a little extra ‘oomph’. After baking and tasting it, I thought “wow, that’s not too bad! I bet others have tried this too.” After going online and looking it up, I did see a few variations (which look amazing, and even better!) of a sourdough loaf with thyme and black pepper. I might have to try those next time but for now, this is how this loaf came together.
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This is a loaf that can be put together and ready to serve in less than 4 hours – I call this a ‘relatively quick’ bread and will file it under ‘easy’.
Ingredients:
Procedure:
