Flavors of Summer + Shabbat = Blueberry Babka. Bursting with sunshine, this babka is going to become a family summer favorite. Luckily for you, you can use fresh or frozen berries and make it all year long.
Blueberry babka can be frozen, for up to 2 months, once the dough has been shaped (as if you weren’t going to eat it all). Allow frozen dough to come to room temperature and rise before baking.
Short on time? No blueberries? No problem. You can enjoy this summer specialty with 2 cups blueberry pie filling or blueberry preserves.
Use one of our favorite challah dough recipes to make this easy babka or get our Babka dough here.
Blueberry Challah Babka
Servings
2 Loaves
Ingredients
- 1 full 2 pound recipe Jamie Geller’s favorite challah dough
- 2 pints blueberries fresh or frozen, stems removed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Zest of 1 lemon optional
- Egg wash
- 1 whole egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Grease 2 (9-inch) loaf pans
- Cook 2 cups of berries with ¼ cup water, granulated sugar and brown sugar until a thick puree. Cool slightly and fold in remaining berries, add cinnamon and zest if using. Cool completely.
- Divide challah dough in half. Roll out 2 pieces into ¼ thick 10-inch circle.
- Schmear each circle with 1/2 of the filling.
- Roll circles, jelly roll style into long cigars.
- Split each cigar, down the center, while keeping the top (about 2-inches attached).
- Twist cigars together and fold ends under.
- Place into greased pan.
- Cover with a towel and let rise for 1-1 ½ hours until doubled. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Brush babkas with egg wash and sprinkle each with tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pans and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until a wooden skewer can be easily inserted.
Are the instructions correct that only 1/4 of the filling is used in each roll? Only half of the filling you made is used in the recipe? Or, should it read 1/2 of the filling in each roll?