Easter Babka

Lorac's Note:

A cake-like fruit and nut bread that is a tradition of a Polish Easter. The rest of the year, my grandmother would make a similar bread with just raisins and no frosting. Note the the prep time includes rising times. Recipe by request

• Total Time: 4 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 4 hrs
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups flour
• ¼ cup lukewarm milk
• 2 compressed yeast cakes (or 2 pkgs. dried)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 15 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1⁄3; cup chopped citron
• 1⁄3; cup chopped orange rind
• 1⁄3; cup chopped lemon rind
• ½ cup melted butter
• breadcrumbs

Lucre

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Scald 1 cup milk and slowly add 3/4 cup flour and beat thoroughly.
2. Cool.
3. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk, mix in 1 tbsp sugar.
4. Add to the cooled flour mixture and beat well.
5. Let rise until double in bulk (30 minutes).
6. Add salt to eggs yolks and beat until thick and lemon colored.
7. Add sugar, vanilla and almond extract and continue to beat.
8. Add to sponge (flour-yeast mixture), add remaining flower.
9. Knead for ten minutes.
10. Add butter and knead 10 minutes or until dough no longer sticks to your fingers.
11. Add fruit and nuts mix into dough, cover and let rise until double in bulk (60 minutes).
12. Punch down and let rise again (60 minutes).
13. Punch down.
14. Butter a fluted tube pan and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
15. Fill with dough to cover 1/3 of the pan.
16. Let rise 1 hour* and bake at 350°F for 50 minutes.
17. Cool and decorate with lucre.
18. Lucre: Mix ingredients and spread over top of cake, letting it drip down the sides.
19. Note- rising times are approximate.
20. Keep dough covered in a warm place free from drafts.