Summer is here! All of my friends know that my favorite way to spend time together is to gather in a backyard, light a fire in a fire pit, and roast marshmallows!
Some of my fondest memories were made chatting until all hours of the night around a warm glowing fire with my friends, drinking some good midwestern beer (shoutout Oberon!) and eating S'mores! The taste of the roasted marshmallows always brings me back to those pleasant midwestern nights, making this babka the ultimate taste of nostalgia!
Dough
½ Cup milk, warmed
2 ½ Teaspoons instant yeast
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk
½ Cup sugar
½ Teaspoon kosher salt
2 Cups flour
7 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
Filling
2 Cups mini marshmallows
1/3 Cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 Cup crushed graham crackers
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 egg white
Whisk egg, egg yolk, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until smooth and slightly pale in color. Whisk in warmed milk and yeast until combined.
Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix in the flour until almost fully mixed. Add butter (make sure it’s at room temperature!) and mix until incorporated. The dough should be smooth and slightly sticky.
Turn out the dough and knead for just a few minutes until very smooth. Transfer to a greased bowl and let rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours until doubled.
Prepare the filling by combining all of the ingredients, except for the marshmallows, in a bowl. Mix until combined.
Once the dough is done proving, place on a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. The dough should be as thin as you can get it. This ensures the most swirls inside the bread.
Using an offset spatula spread the filling over the dough in a thin layer. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the filling.
Starting on the edge closest to you begin to tightly roll the dough away from you until you run out of dough and are left with a log of dough. Pinch the ends together to ensure no filling leaks out while baking.
Using a serated knife, slice the babka down the middle to create two strands. Twist the strands together and pinch at the ends.
Now comes the tricky part! Bend the twisted babka in the middle so that it is even on both sides. Twist the sides together just as you did with the two strands after you sliced the babka down the middle.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the twisted babka in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Allow to rise for another half an hour.
Bake for 50-55 minutes.
Comments