Granny Jeanette's Babka

Ingredients & Directions:

• 3 packets yeast (6 tsp instant or 3 cubes fresh)
  
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water 
• 2 cups flour

Make a well in the flour and let sit for 30 mins.

• 3 yolks
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup yoghurt

Mix with spoon and then knead. Add 3 cups flour (watch closely bc sometimes 3 cups is too much) slowly and leave in the dish for about 4 hours to rise and then knead again.

Roll out and spread butter cinnamon and sugar. Roll it up and slice into 6 pieces and place in a greased break away round tin and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Boil 3 Tablespoons milk and 3 Tablespoons sugar and pour into the holes.

Bake in 300 degree oven for 1 hour.

 

Notes: This is not the sweetest babka. You can really taste the sour notes from the yogurt. Personally I like it sweeter and want to try it with double the filling and do spiral rolls instead of cinnamon roll styled in a round breakaway pan. One day.......

When my mom used to bake this when I was little I remember her piling pillows all around it as it would rise. She said it kept the dough warm to rise. I can clearly see the the floral patterned pillows in a pile around the bowl.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

3 cups (390 grams) all-purpose flour

1.5 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for muffin tops

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup (80 ml) neutral-flavored oil; canola, vegetable and grape seed are great

2 large egg (150 g)

1 cup (80 ml – 120 ml) yogurt; dairy and non-dairy both work, milk to thin batter as needed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

Less than 1.5 cups frozen blueberries

Directions

• Prepare Oven and Muffin Cups

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. For big-topped muffins, line 24 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners. Fill the cups with 1 dessert spoon of batter.

• Make Batter

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.


In the mixer add the eggs, approx 150grams. Add yogurt. Add oil. Add vanilla and whisk to combine. Beat until it comes together all creamy.


Add in the dry ingredients and beat until it comes together. Scrape down sides and mix again. Remove bowl from the mixer and fold in the blueberries by hand. Make sure blueberries have been rolled in about 1/4 cup sugar.


• Bake Muffins 20 mins but check at 15 mins.
  

Divide the batter between muffin cups. (If making big-topped muffins, the batter will come to the tops of the paper liners). Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each muffin.

Bake muffins 15- 20 minutes  but usually closer to 20 or until tops are no longer wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out cleanish. Freeze for up to 3 months.




Note to self: These were so moist I can not express how much I enjoyed them.