Cheese Babka

Cheese Babka

Luclare Cuisine

If you have been following our Blogs or Youtube channel over the past few years you may have encountered our prior use of the traditional Polish cheese Twarog. This versatile product is a somewhat softer cheese very similar to what is known as Farmers Cheese in the US, or Quark in many Western European countries. We have previously used Twarog in one of our Pierogi dishes and in a classic Polish dessert known as Sernik.

Well we have another variation for you - this time it’s a Cheese Babka using Twarog as a defining ingredient. This delicious Babka is not quite a bread and not quite a pastry. Similar to Brioche in texture - you can enjoy it as a breakfast treat or a dessert. Or, you can just enjoy it whenever you get the urge for something special.

Our Cheese Babka tweaks the traditional Polish approach - instead of exclusively using Twarog we use a combination of Twarog and Cream cheese. The marriage of the two slightly different cheeses elevates the taste and texture to a completely different level.

While this Babka is easy to make, it can be a little time consuming - because the dough is yeast-based it needs to rise a couple of times. If you give it a try we’re sure you’ll conclude the effort is worth it.

So let’s get on with the baking…

Ingredients:

Filling:
1 lb (453 g) Farmer Cheese, unsalted
8 oz (227 g) Cream Cheese
3/4 cup (165 g) sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

Babka Dough:
4 cups (612g) cake flour or all purpose flour
1 cup (120g) confectioners sugar
1 tsp sea salt
16 Tbsp (226g) unsalted butter
6 eggs
2 packets instant dry yeast (make sure your yeast is fresh, check the expiration date)
1 cup milk, whole, warm 110-115 F (for proofing the yeast)
1 tsp sugar, granulated (for proofing the yeast)

Preheat the oven to 350F - Pastry can be baked in 2 cake pans or 2 bread pans (5in. X 11in., inside measurements). Bake for around 45 minutes until golden/brown in color.

Butter the pans, set aside.

Step 1: Prepare the cheese filling, in a large bowl combine farmers cheese, cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla.

Using either a wooden spoon or a hand mixer, mix the ingredients until well blended, set aside.

Step 2: Proof the yeast, warm the milk either on top of the stove or micro-wave oven, pour into a medium bowl, add sugar, stir, add yeast, lightly stir and set aside.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl combine and beat the butter and sugar until lemon in color,

add, few eggs at a time, mix.

Step 4: lower the speed of the mixer to low, add the salt, and gradually add half of the flour,

add the proofed yeast, mix,

and then the rest of the flour.

Dough should be soft and sticky, cover with either plastic wrap or towel, set aside in warm, draft-free place to double in size, about an hour to two hours.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough to deflate,

Place 1/2 of the the dough on the floured work area, using a wooden spoon dipped in flour, spread the dough into a about a 12inch square,

place 1/2 of the filling onto the dough and spread evenly,

starting at the top, start to roll the dough,

place the roll into a buttered pan,

cover with a cloth, let it rise for about an hour,

once the dough has risen, base the top with white wash (egg white and water), place it in the preheated oven and bake until golden in color, about 45 minutes,