Pareve Babka - Cinnamon or Chocolate Loaves

<< Jewish Babka or Cinnamon and Chocolate loaves are made with yeast and rely on a mere half cup of oil instead of the copious amounts of butter often associated with this recipe. Babka features either a cinnamon raisin or cocoa filling and makes three loaves, all cinnamon, all chocolate or mix it up. Each loaf is filled and rolled separately.

Read over all of the instructions before you proceed.

You will need three 9 x 5" loaf pans, well-greased.

Dough:

• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 oz. fresh cake/compressed yeast -or- 3 envelopes* of active dry yeast (0.25 oz. each, not rapid rise)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs, at room temperature, well beaten
• 7 cups flour (more or less)
• *you can manage by using only 2 - 2.5 envelopes of yeast because there are only 7 cups of flour in the recipe

• 1/2 cup oil or 1/4 cup softened pareve margarine
• 3/4 cup honey
• Cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup oil or 1/4 cup softened pareve margarine
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa

• 1 tbsp. pareve margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 tbsp. sugar

Pour oil into a large bowl, stir in eggs and then, add yeast mixture from saucepan. Slowly stir in the flour until a batter forms and it does not stick to sides of bowl. Turn out dough onto a well-floured board. With floured hands, knead for about 5 minutes.

Place dough in a large oiled bowl. Turn dough around so that oiled top is exposed. Cover with tea towel or cloth. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, for about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Divide into three equal pieces.

Proceed with first loaf: roll a third of dough into a 10 x 8 inch rectangle. (you will repeat this process with remaining two pieces of dough)

To fill with Cinnamon:

Spread a light coating of oil or margarine over dough. Drizzle 1/4 cup only of honey over oil. Sprinkle cinnamon and raisins over honey, distributing evenly over dough surface. Roll up dough on the long 10" side as you would for a jelly roll.

To fill with Chocolate:

Spread a light coating of oil or margarine over dough. Combine brown sugar with cocoa and sprinkle all over dough, distributing evenly. Roll up dough on the long 10" side as you would for a jelly roll.

Topping:

Combine topping ingredients until they have consistency of coarse crumbs. If too wet, add a bit more flour.

Shape the dough by twisting the rolled up loaf lightly, from one end to the other. Place in well greased loaf pan. Sprinkle top with one third of crumb topping.

Once you have filled, rolled, twisted and placed each of the three loaves into well-greased pans, cover the loaves. Let them stand in a warm place for 30 minutes for final rise.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover loaves and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Cooled loaves can be wrapped up and frozen.

Source: Spice and Spirit - The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, Lubovitch Women's Cookbook Publication.

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