Pumpkin Spice Babka

Pumpkin Spice Babka: What Every Fall Gathering Needs

Enriched Dough, Sweet Stiff Starter, Festive Goals!

This babka is based on the dough formula in our NEW sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls recipe (not the OG) using Ian Lowe’s sweet stiff starter. The proportions are similar but slight adjustments have been made to those and final dough yield. It’s baked in a pullman loaf tin without a lid, which is what gives it that tall, deeply ribboned shape once it’s sliced.

The filling is a simple cooked-down canned pumpkin mixed with dark brown sugar, melted butter, and a good spoonful of pumpkin pie spice, rolled through the dough before baking. A warm-spiced simple syrup gets brushed over the babka the moment it comes out of the oven, so the crust stays glossy and just sweet enough.

Baking and Enjoying This Recipe

What Makes This Babka Worth The Effort?

• Show Stopper Table Topper: Who doesn't want an impressive home-baked dessert loaf on their Fall feast table to humble-brag on? Not only does this smell and taste amazing, it looks fantastic too.
• Thick and Smooth Real Pumpkin Filling: The puree of pumpkin with brown sugar, butter, and pumpkin spice throughout the bread provides a wonderful contrast of flavor and texture in every slice.
• Involved, But Not Hard: If you've done our cinnamon roll course, or have experience with sweet stiff starter, you can do this! If you have no idea what a sweet stiff starter is, this may be a good time to join our Bakers Club where there are several resources on the topic. (Along with everything else you get as a member, that cinnamon roll course is included, plus a Sweet Stiff Starter recipe and video replays from our King Cake Babka Bakealong.)  

Tips for Success

• Your Continuation Starter Needs To Be Healthy, Strong & Active: If you keep your starter in the fridge, pull it out and start preparing it a week before you build your Sweet Stiff Starter for this recipe.
• Watch The Dough Temperature, Not The Clock: This recipe is built around a final dough temperature of 78°F (26°C). All times are based on dough temperature as listed, and will require longer for cooler dough temperature.
• Before Braiding: If the dough gets too soft, popping the rolled-up log in the freezer for 15 minutes will make it easier to cut and braid.
• Bake It Through: The babka should reach 200°F (93°C) in the center before it comes out. If the crust is coloring too quickly, drop the oven temperature and cover the top in foil, rather than pulling it early. 
• Don’t Over-Rest In The Pan: After glazing, let the babka rest for just 2-3 minutes before lifting it out using the parchment paper handles - much longer and it can be hard to remove cleanly.

Pairing Ideas

This bread pairs wonderfully with:

• Morning Coffee or Chai: The warm spice in the filling and glaze plays well alongside either.
• Cream Cheese: A thick slice, toasted, with a smear of cream cheese.
• Ice-Cream: Dessertify it! Instead of pie, serve warm slices topped with a scoop of ice-cream. So good!

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