Cinnamon Babka

Amethyst · December 22, 2025, 9:47pm

Cinnamon Babka

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Waiting Time: 14 hours
Total Time: 15 hours
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Babka dough:

120 g (½ cups) Whole milk lukewarm
30 g (2 tablespoons) Granulated sugar
12.5 g Fresh Yeast, check my yeast guide to convert it to dry yeast
1 Egg at room temperature
1 Egg yolk at room temperature
250 g (2 cups) Bread flour, high protein content flour
¼ teaspoon Salt
80 g (⅓ cups) Unsalted butter, room temperature, 82% fat content

Cinnamon sugar filling:

55 g (¼ cups) Unsalted butter at room temperature
50 g (¼ cups) Brown sugar can be 50% granulated sugar and 50% brown sugar, or granulated sugar only
1½ teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Sugar syrup – optional:

70 g (⅓ cups) Granulated sugar
15 g (1 tablespoon) Lemon juice
60 g (¼ cups) Water

US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (grams). Baking is an art but also a science, which requires precision and accuracy.

Directions:

First day - first proofing of the dough:

Start by mixing half of the sugar with the lukewarm milk, then sprinkle yeast on top. Make sure that the kitchen is nice and warm, and in 10 minutes, the yeast should start to foam.

Place the yeast mixture into your stand mixer with the kneading hook on, then mix it together with the room-temperature eggs.

Pour in dry ingredients: bread flour, the rest of the sugar, and salt, and start kneading it until the dough comes together. This will take about a minute or two.

Then, slowly add the room-temperature (soft) butter chunks by piece to the dough. Once all the butter is in, knead the dough for another 10 minutes on medium-high speed until it becomes elastic and shiny and not too sticky.

Move the dough into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest and rise in the fridge overnight for 12 hours.

Alternatively, rise the dough for 1-2 hours at room temperature in a warm but not hot (avoid direct heat) spot in your kitchen. However, I do not recommend skipping the overnight rise, as the dough is much easier to handle while cold.

Second day

Make the cinnamon sugar filling:

Cream the room temperature butter, sugar, and cinnamon for a few minutes until slightly increased in volume, then add a pinch of salt. Set it aside.

Second proofing:

Try to work quickly, and have everything you need - rolling pin, measuring tape, cinnamon sugar filling, a loaf pan with parchment paper prepared upfront. If the dough is warming up, pop it in and out of the freezer for a few minutes to chill between the steps, making sure the dough is always cold enough to work with and does not tear or stick. Refrain from using an excessive amount of flour, as that would make the cinnamon babka hard.

So, after the dough has risen overnight, take it out from the fridge and punch the air out of it. Then, on a lightly floured surface or on a silicone baking mat, roll it into a rectangle of 30x42 cm / 12x16 inches.

Spread the cinnamon sugar filling on top and roll the dough up evenly and tightly from the shorter end, and then press to seal the end onto the roll. So you will end up with a 30cm / 12-inch-long roll.

If the dough is still nice and cold, continue with shaping. Otherwise, chill it first for about 5 minutes in the freezer. Cut the babka in half lengthwise, then place the logs over each other with the filling facing up and twist the logs with your hands on both sides.

Gently squeeze together the ends and then carefully lift the cinnamon babka into your prepared loaf pan.

Cover the loaf pan with a kitchen towel and proof the cinnamon babka now the second time, now at room temperature. Proofing might take 1-2 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature. Wait until the dough doubles in size.

Baking:

Pre-heat your oven to 180 °C / 355°F (no fan) towards the end of the proofing time. Then, once the babka is doubled in size, bake it at 180 °C / 355°F for about 40 minutes. Bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean, and the babka is golden brown. If it was browning too much, place aluminum foil on top towards the end of the baking time.

Syrupy glaze – optional:

For extra shine, towards the end of the baking time, make the syrup: boil water, sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice together until the mixture reaches a syrup consistency. Apply the syrup with a pastry brush on top of the hot babka. Let the babka slightly cool before removing it from the tin to a cooling rack - with the help of the parchment paper.

Serve the cinnamon babka fresh. Any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Notes:

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Always use unsalted butter in baking. In this recipe, the butter needs to be at room temperature so soft enough to be able to knead into the dough.
Fresh or dried yeast can be used. My instant dried yeast pack says that 25g fresh yeast equals 7 g dried. Please check your local brand and calculate your yeast needs accordingly.
Use the milk and egg at room temperature for the ingredients to properly emulsify.
Since cinnamon babka is a sweet bread, use high-protein-content bread flour to make it.
Experiment with different spices, e.g., you could make delicious cardamom babka or pumpkin spice babka with the same recipe by replacing the cinnamon.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

For activating the yeast (whether it is dried or fresh), make sure that the milk is lukewarm and your kitchen is nice and warm.
You will knead the dough for about 10 minutes in a stand mixer. The dough is ready when it is shiny, elastic, and does not stick to your fingers any longer. Do not add more flour to the dough. If it sticks too much, continue kneading. Having said that, each flour is different, and I cannot guarantee the quality of your flour, so if the dough is still very sticky after 10-15 minutes of kneading, you might need to add a tiny bit more flour.
The kneading process is most convenient with a stand mixer. I do not recommend using a handheld mixer, as you can easily burn that machine down with this quantity. I must say that my Mom has been making yeasted dough with her hands for decades, so if you are strong enough like my Mom, it is not impossible. However, you will need strong hands and a proper hand-kneading technique, and it will take a minimum of 30 minutes.
Overnight proofing is recommended for the best results. It is much easier to handle (roll, shape) a dough that is risen in a chilled environment. However, if you want babka the same day, you can try to make the first rise at room temperature and continue from there as per my recipe.
To make the filling, it is best if you whip up the butter a bit with the sugar and cinnamon, it will be easier to spread. Also, make sure that the filling stays at room temperature. If the filling is too warm (melted butter), you won´t be able to properly roll it up, and it can also melt the dough. If the filling is too cold, you won’t be able to spread it properly on top of the dough.
During the rolling, filling, and shaping process, try to work with a chilled dough that does not stick or tear. Any moment if the dough gets too warm and uncomfortable to deal with, pop it into the freezer for a few minutes, then continue.
Second proofing is necessary for the perfect rise = fluffy texture, do not skip it.

Storing and freezing:

Cinnamon babka is best served fresh. However, if you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

You can also freeze it in an airtight container until you are ready to enjoy it. Thaw it at room temperature and reheat it in the oven for a few minutes.

Flavor variations:

Different spices: To enhance the flavor of the filling, add other spices, such as cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice.

Different filling: Make a cinnamon apple filling as I do in my apple cinnamon babka, or use Nutella as I do in my Nutella babka.

Flavored dough: Flavor the dough with cocoa powder, matcha, or grated orange or lemon zest.

Add-ins: You can also add chocolate chips, similar to my chocolate chip brioche bread recipe, or crushed nuts for added texture and a nutty flavor.
Ingredient substitutions:

Babka recipes using yeasted dough are pretty exact, so substituting ingredients can be tricky. However, there are a few options:

You can substitute the butter with vegan butter to make this brioche dairy-free. Some egg substitutes might work to make a vegan cinnamon babka, though they could affect taste or texture.

As mentioned earlier, high-protein flour is ideal, but you can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour.

Fresh yeast is preferred, but instant yeast or active dry yeast can also work.

Expert tips to make Cinnamon babka:

For the best flavor and texture, choose high-fat, quality ingredients. I recommend whole milk with at least 3% fat and European-style butter with 82% fat. Always use unsalted butter to control the salt levels in your recipe.
If the babka dough becomes too sticky to work with or tears when shaping, chill it briefly in the refrigerator or freezer. Lightly spraying your hands with non-stick cooking spray can also help prevent sticking.
If making a syrup topping, let it fully absorb and allow the babka to cool slightly before removing it from the tin. Move it to a cooling rack while lukewarm to prevent breaking.
To check if the dough has been proofed enough, gently press it with a finger. If an indent remains or partially bounces back, it’s ready. If it springs back fully, it needs more time. If it deflates, it has over-proofed.
Never attempt to speed up the process by skipping the second proofing, which is essential to its fluffy texture. Also, do not attempt to speed up the rising process in the oven, as it would cause the dough to over-rise and the butter to melt everywhere.

Nutritional Facts:

Recipe courtesy of Spatula Desserts.com