This loaf is best eaten on the day you make it, smothered with salty butter.
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Yields:
8
Prep Time:
1 hr
Cook Time:
55 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 55 mins
Ingredients
175 g butter, softened, plus extra to grease
100 g rose harissa
250 ml milk
4 Tbsp. honey
450 g strong white flour, plus extra to dust
7 g sachet fast-action dried yeast
Directions
Step 1Melt together the butter and harissa in a pan over low heat. Carefully pour 75g into a jug and transfer the rest into a bowl. Mix the milk and 2tbsp honey into the jug. Leave the mixture in the bowl to cool, then chill until a spreadable consistency.
Step 2For the dough, in a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook, or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, mix the flour, yeast and ½tsp fine salt. Pour in the milk/butter mixture and mix to form a dough. If making by hand, tip on to a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand or on medium speed for 5-10min, until smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, if needed, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1hr 30min, or until doubled in size. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment.
Step 3Tip the dough on to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a rough 30 x 40cm rectangle. Spread the filling over the top of the dough. Roll up tightly from a long edge, then slice in ½ lengthways to make 2 long pieces with the filling exposed. Chop each long piece into smaller roughly 3cm pieces. Arrange the pieces in the prepared tin, pressing gently to stick together. Cover and leave to rise for 45min, or until noticeably puffed up.
Step 4Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Bake the babka for 45-50min, or until deep golden (loosely cover with foil if browning too quickly).
Step 5As soon as the babka comes out of the oven, brush the remaining 2tbsp honey over the top of the babka to glaze. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
GH TIP
If your loaf has bulged over the sides during baking, gently squeeze it back together while still warm, using the palms of your hands.
TO STORE
Best eaten on the day it’s made, but it will keep for up to 1 day stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat in a low oven to serve.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
