Happy Monday from our sleepy, milky corner of Alabama. I promise I am planning on giving the real-deal scoop on our new little Charlie guy ASAP, but because I’m not sure if anything I’m typing is even coherent (Is it? Am I still sane? Do you guys still love me?), I’ll skip the mumbo jumbo and go head-first into today’s baked good of choice: blueberry babka.

There’s a number of reasons I love this blueberry babka. First, have you ever made bread? Like, a real yeast-risen bread loaded with butter and swirled with fruit filling? It’s a good choice. This blueberry babka is tender, mildly flavored, and makes some of the best dang buttered toasts your breakfasts will have ever experienced. My kids are huge on the toast bandwagon these days and I love being able to offer something new and homemade that feels special. This blueberry babka is just the ticket.

No lie, making a homemade babka can be super intimidating. I get a little nervy about it every time I saddle up to the counter, but if you follow instructions the bread can be very forgiving and is worth taking a stab at. Here’s the lowdown on how to make it. First, we dissolve yeast in a bowl of warm milk and allow it to bubble and froth. An egg and egg yolk comes next and is combined with the milk before we add the dry ingredients. As the flour, sugar, and salt get stirred in, the dough becomes a lot more tough, and you’ll be glad to have a stand mixer on hand to do the grunt work for you. Finally, highly quality butter (and loads of it) are added to the mix to create a stringy, soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl easily.

Undoubtedly, you already know that I rely on Kerrygold butter for this job. Anytime butter plays a leading role in a recipe, it’s important to call upon a quality product that is well-flavored and loaded with the best kind of fat. Kerrygold is always my choice for babka, and their large blocks are the perfect amount for this recipe.

The only semi-annoying thing about making this blueberry babka is that the dough has to rest overnight. This allows the dough to chill and the flavors to amp up. After a few hours in the fridge, we’re ready to roll out our dough. Use a floured rolling pin and a floured workspace to roll the dough into a large rectangle. Work quickly to keep your dough chilly! Next, we spread a blueberry jam/lemon zest mixture all over the dough. I prefer to use quality store bought jam here to save time, but if you’d prefer something different, go for it! The added lemon zest gives dimension to the filling flavor and prevents it from being way too sweet. Roll the dough tightly, slice it down the middle and roll the two strands of dough together to keep the exposed innards facing upwards. Simple!

After a final rise, each loaf of blueberry babka bakes in a preheated oven for 40 minutes. If you’d like an extra-sweet, extra-moist loaf, you can opt to douse the baked loaves with a syrup after baking. I skip this set sometimes to keep the bread a little more guilt-free, but if you want to go all in, GO FOR IT. I’m here for you.

Many thanks to my friends at Kerrygold for sponsoring this and a million other butter-laden posts. I love working with a brand I love and trust so much, and I hope you’ll come to adore them as well. Give their products a try, especially if you decide to make this blueberry babka! Happy baking, happy Monday, and have a great week!

If you like this blueberry babka you should try:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Babka

Baklava Brioche

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Orange Swirl Bread

Peppermint Bark Bread

 

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