Polish Babka Drozdzowa (Yeast
Coffeecake)
The following is a traditional Polish recipe. The
name babka, or grandmother, may have been given to it because the
brioche mold it is baked in resembles a woman's wide skirts.
4 cups All purpose white flour or Unbleached white flour
1 package active dry yeast
10 Tbsp. butter soft
6 Tbsp. sugar
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup seedless white raisins, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
and drained
2/3 cup tepid milk
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Confectioners' sugar (icing)
Cream the butter until it is soft and then work in the sugar.
Continue stirring and add the egg yolks, one by one. Add the drained
raisins.
In a separate bowl -- Mix the yeast with half of the tepid milk and
stir the yeast mixture until it is smooth. Let yeast mixture stand
in a warm place for 10 minutes until it gets puffy.
Add a pinch of salt to the butter and egg mixture and stir in the
yeast mixture, flour and the rest of the milk. Beat very well with a
wooden spoon until the dough develops bubbles and looks smooth and
glossy, about 15 minutes (or just use your hand and beat dough.
scraping sides and beating dough well in the bowl). This is more
like a batter dough it does not need kneading on wooden board.
Butter and flour a 10-inch brioche mold and stick slivered almonds
against the fluted sides for decoration. Put in the dough and let it
rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 425 F. oven for 10 minutes. REDUCE the heat to
375. F. and bake for 40 to 50 minutes longer. Let the cake cool and
sprinkle it with confectioners' sugar.
To make one 10-inch coffeecake. |