I love sourdough bread, not only is it delicious but it is easier to digest so it is better for you. The longer process involved in making it allows the gluten to start breaking down in the proofing process and it makes you feel less stuffed when eating it.

The sourdough process and journey is a story in itself for another post but having a starter and keeping it alive is almost like having a pet. It also means you have to keep feeding it and using it so it’s important to find different recipes and ways to utilize it.

Babka caught my interest from watching the sitcom Seinfeld where it was a focus of one episode. Originally we had the chocolate babka but we quickly took more of a liking to a cinnamon version, especially with the raisins.
When it comes out of the oven on a Sunday morning it usually quickly disappears even with people who claim to avoid bread and baked goods. It just smells heavenly and tastes as good.

It does take a little planning as I usually take the starter out and feed it for a day to get it really active. The next day I make an active starter in the morning and start mixing the dough in the afternoon and into the fridge in the evening. The next morning – day 3 – it comes out in the morning. The babka gets made and gets about 1 hour to proof and another hour to bake. While it seems like a long process, the actual work is minimal so a good thing to do while you have other things going on around the house. You can always make 2 or more and freeze some.
When baking it I often start it with a foil tent over the top to avoid browning it too much and remove it the last 15-20 minutes.