Pumpkin Pecan Babka

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: Eastern European

Keyword: babka, bread, pecans, pumpkin

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 15

Proofing: 2 30

Total Time: 4

Servings: slices

Calories: 625kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

Pumpkin Pecan Babka is a rich, cake-bread hybrid with pumpkin puree and crunchy pecans swirled throughout its buttery interior. The fermented dough gives the cake/bread more depth of flavor.

An optional glaze is included in the notes section.

Print Recipe

Equipment

1- 1 1/2 pound bread loaf pan (10 x 5 x 3 inches) link in post
stand mixer

Ingredients

For the Sponge

1 cup (135 grams) bread flour
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) whole milk warmed to 110°F (43°C)
1 tablespoon (12 grams) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey

For the Babka Dough

sponge
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
3-3 1/2 cups (405-475 grams) bread flour
1 teaspoons (6 grams) kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter sliced and softened

Pumpkin Pecan Schmear

1 cup (250 grams) pumpkin puree
1 cups (125 grams) pecans toasted and crushed (finely chopped)
1/3 cup, packed (75 grams) brown sugar
1 teaspoon (2 grams) pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Egg Wash

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) cold water

Instructions

Prepare the Sponge

In a 2-quart bowl, use a rubber spatula to stir the bread flour, warmed milk, active dry yeast, and honey until a thick paste forms.
Cover the bowl and place it in a warm, draft-free area of the kitchen.
Allow the sponge to begin fermenting and rising for 30 minutes.

Make the Babka Dough

After 30 minutes, add the sponge, eggs, sugar, and one cup (135 grams) of bread flour to the bowl of your stand mixer.
Use the paddle attachment to blend the ingredients together at 2nd speed until they form a thick paste.
Add another cup (135 grams) of bread flour to the bowl.
Once the mixer starts to sound like it's lagging, stop the mixer, scrape down the paddle attachment and switch it out for the dough hook. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Blend in the remaining cup of bread flour along with the kosher salt. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of flour to add later in case the dough is sticky.
Gradually add the butter, two tablespoons at a time, while the mixer runs at low speed.
After you add the last of the butter, start a timer for 10 minutes. Knead the babka dough for a full 10 minutes to develop the gluten in the dough. If the dough pools at the bottom of the bowl, add the remaining flour.

Allow the Babka Dough to Rise for 1 Hour

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand after kneading the dough for 10 minutes.
Pull off the dough that's climbed onto the hook. At this point, the sides and bottom of the bowl should be clean, and the dough will have gathered into a ball. If not, add 1/2 cup more bread flour to the bowl and knead it for 5 more minutes.
Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and lightly grease the bowl with softened butter, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
Use your hands to mold the babka dough into a ball, then put it into the greased bowl and turn it over.
Next, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Set the covered bowl into a warm, draft-free area (80°F/26°C is optimal) and allow the dough to rise for one hour or until doubled in bulk.

Make the Pumpkin Pecan Schmear

Add the pumpkin puree, crushed pecans, brown sugar, pumpkin spice blend, and kosher salt to a 2-quart mixing bowl, preferably one with a lid.
Use a rubber spatula to stir the contents of the bowl together until combined. Once the schmear is made, cover the bowl and refrigerate it until you're ready to use it.

Punch Down, the Retard the Babka Dough (Optional)

Once the babka dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down to dispel and redistribute the gasses built up in the dough.
You can continue with the make-up of the pumpkin pecan babka now (skip to Form the Babka Dough) or give it more flavor by retarding the dough.
Return the dough to the bowl and flatten it slightly.
Place a layer of plastic film directly onto the dough's surface.
Cover the bowl with another layer of plastic film. Retard the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

Form the Babka Dough

*Remove the dough from the fridge if you've retarded it.*
Lightly grease a 1 1/2 pound bread loaf pan with baking spray and line it with a 5-inch strip of parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
Lay it onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 24 x 12 inches (60 x 30 centimeters).
Use an offset spatula to spread the pumpkin pecan schmear over the surface of the dough, smoothing it over the dough lightly but evenly.
Use both hands to roll the dough into a cylinder, rolling it snugly by pulling back on the tube as you roll it up.
Once you have your tube, use a very long, very sharp carving knife to cut the tube in half down the middle.
To form the babka, twist the two halves together, making sure the cut layers are facing up and exposed.
Pinch the two loose ends together and fold them under to keep the twist from unraveling.
Transfer the formed babka to the prepared pan, making sure the layers showing in the pan.

Proof the Pumpkin Pecan Babka

Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to proof in a warm environment for 1 hour and 15 minutes if the dough was retarded.
If not, you only need to proof the dough for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Allow the dough to proof until it looks swollen and puffy.

Prepare the Egg Wash

While the dough proofs, whisk together the egg yolk and water in a small mixing bowl until it is smooth and free of clumps.
Set this aside while the babka continues to proof.
Lower the middle rack of your oven to the position beneath it. Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).

Bake the Pumpkin Pecan Babka

Brush a generous layer of the egg wash over the proofed dough before you bake it.
Bake the pumpkin pecan babka for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning the pan 180 degrees after 45 minutes to ensure it bakes evenly.
If you notice the bread becoming too dark, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and continue baking it.

Cool, then Enjoy the Pumpkin Pecan Babka

Remove the babka from the oven after an hour and allow it to cool inside the pan for 10 minutes.
Remove the loaf from the pan by pulling up on the parchment paper.
Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and cool the babka for 1 hour.
Slice the pumpkin pecan babka once it's completely cool and serve it as is. We enjoy our babka with hot cocoa or coffee.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

Use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. The babka won't be as chewy if you make this swap.
Swap the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree.
Replace the pumpkin spice blend with chai spice blend instead.
Use crushed walnuts instead of crushed pecans.

Optional Maple-Spiced Glaze:

1/2 cup (65 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) maple syrup
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) pumpkin spice blend
whole milk as needed, to thin
1. Use a whisk to combine all of the ingredients, except the whole milk, in a bowl until smooth.
2. Add the milk, a few drops at a time, if needed, to thin to your preferred pouring consistency.
3. Store leftover glaze in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Tips and Techniques:

Use your microwave or oven (turned off) as a proofing box for your sponge and dough.
You have to add the salt last because salt kills yeast. Adding it before this stage can cause your yeast to die, which means your babka dough won't rise properly or at all.
Retarding the dough is not a must, but it adds exceptional flavor to your babka.
Egg washes give a shiny exterior to baked goods and add to their color.
The babka must bake for the entire baking time, or the inside will not bake completely and will end up doughy.
Babka is traditionally served as a dessert. You can serve it for breakfast, brunch, or as a snack, though.

Make-Ahead Instructions:

You can make the pumpkin pecan schmear for your babka 2 days ahead and store it, covered, in the fridge.

Storage Instructions:

Store leftover pumpkin pecan babka in an air-tight container, like a bread box, at room temperature for 3 days.
You can also refrigerate babka for up to 5 days, but it may quickly become stale.
To give pumpkin pecan babka a freshly baked taste, you can heat it in your toaster for 1 minute.

Freezer Instructions:

Allow the Pumpkin Pecan Babka to cool completely before slicing it.
Wrap each slice individually so you can eat it without having to thaw out the whole loaf.
Freeze the babka for up to 3 months.
Thaw it at room temperature and toast it slightly to heat it up.

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