Turning wine into bread is easy and delicious with a Cranberry Cinnamon Babka. Made with wine-soaked cranberries, a cranberry wine reduction, and a crunchy brown sugar cinnamon topping, it's sweet-tart goodness!
Why this recipe works
- Using cranberry wine two ways, soaking dried cranberries and reducing to a syrup, imparts double the sweet, tart cranberry flavor
- Cinnamon brown sugar adds a nice crunch and spice to counter the cranberries
- The bread dough is an updated tried-and-true challah dough
When you get wine as a gift, do you drink it?
I suspect that the vast majority do just that. However, if you’re a baker, maybe, just maybe, you think like I do and start dreaming up ways to bake with it, especially if it’s a semi-sweet fruit wine. After all, there’s concentrated flavor there…
What would I bake? How about a Cranberry Cinnamon Babka Bread!
Jump to:
Musings on babka bread
Babka is in essence an egg-enriched bread (similar to brioche) that’s spread with a filling and rolled up like a cinnamon roll (or cinnamon roll cookies, perhaps?). It’s then split, twisted, and shoved into a loaf pan to bake into dreamy dessert-bread.
Babka is also versatile, and with different filling options (Apricot! Chocolate! Apples & Honey!), it can be served at almost any meal.
When I received a bottle of Cranberry Bay Wine, I started wondering what I could bake with it. Here's how my thinking went: what if I reduced the cranberry wine to a syrup and spread it on babka dough for the filling?
Wait, what if I soaked dried cranberries in the wine first, and sprinkled them on the filling as well? And also add brown sugar and cinnamon to the mix?! Yummm...
Ok, now you have a glimpse into my thought processes. Sorry about the mess.
What you need
I have an excellent recipe for challah that I’ve been making for years, and it's easy to adapt it for a babka dough. It contains all-purpose flour, water, yeast, salt, eggs, and canola oil.
For this babka recipe, just substitute milk for water (for a softer dough) and add vanilla (for flavor).
In addition to the soaked dried cranberries and the wine reduction, I love the idea of cinnamon-spiked brown sugar to sprinkle on the wine syrup. It adds a bit of crunch and spicy notes to the babka.
[Side note: I initially used orange zest instead of raspberry jam in the recipe (that’s why orange is here instead of the jam in the ingredient photo below). I made the substitution on my second attempt to help counter the cranberry wine's tartness. Experimentation is good, people.]
How to make babka
Step 1: Make the babka dough
Combine the dough ingredients, then knead to form a soft dough (photo 1).
Gather the dough into a ball, stretching it so the top of the ball is smooth. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size (photo 2). The inside of a cool oven with the light on works well.
Step 2: Soak the cranberries
While the dough is resting, heat the wine in the microwave for 1 minute on High. Soak the dried cranberries in the warmed wine for at least an hour (photo 3). Strain the wine into a small saucepan, and set the cranberries aside.
Step 3: Reduce the wine
Bring the wine to boil over medium-high heat and reduce to ½ cup, about 15 minutes (photo 4). Keep an eye on it so the wine doesn’t reduce too fast and burn.
It will have a slightly thickened texture and will coat the back of a spoon (it will firm up upon chilling). Pour into a small bowl and chill until ready to use.
Step 4: Assemble the babka
Roll the dough out to a rectangle, then spread raspberry jam, the cooled wine syrup, some of the brown sugar mixture, and the reserved cranberries on top.
Roll the dough up to make a long rope. Slice the rope in half lengthwise, then twist each long piece individually so the cranberries are trapped inside the dough. Finally, twist and wrap the two ropes of dough together.
Squish the twisted dough together and transfer it to a standard loaf pan lined with overhanging parchment paper. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture over the top of the dough. Cover it with a piece of plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.
You can see pictures how a babka is shaped at my posts for Apples & Honey Babka and Chocolate Fudge Babka.
Step 5: Bake the babka
While the babka loaf is resting, preheat the oven to 350°F. When it's ready, place the loaf pan on a quarter sheet baking pan and bake for 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to bake until the top of the babka is deep brown, about 15 minutes more (photo 5).
Let the babka cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper to lift it out of the pan and transfer it to a wire cooling rack. Let it cool to room temperature.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
You might say it's a bit of both. Babka is a lot like brioche, meaning it's an egg-enriched yeasted bread with a soft crumb that's almost cake-like.
Since the fillings can be sweet or savory, babka works for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Babka can be store for 24 hours in an airtight container at room temperature. It can also be frozen, well wrapped in plastic wrap in a ziplock bag, for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Like most breads, don't store the babka in the refrigerator or it will dry out.
Pro Tip #1: Check the temperature of where you let your dough rise
I made this recipe three times. I thought my yeast had failed me.
My first batch of dough didn’t rise, just sat there like a sad lump of wanna-be-bread, and I thought it was because I killed the yeast when I heated the milk too hot. Rookie mistake.
I tried again…and...uhm…my second batch also didn’t rise. Maybe the yeast I was using was dead? I called the King Arthur Hotline (1-855-371-2253...a wonderful resource, to be sure). They suggested I try again with fresh, new yeast.
I opened a new bag of yeast and measured the milk temperature with a digital thermometer. And...then I noticed that the machine I was using to proof my dough wasn’t getting warm. Really?? That was the problem?!?
I returned to my method of letting the dough rise in the oven with just the light turned on. It's a simple solution to a simple problem, and it did the trick. The third time was the charm.
It's during the rising time that the yeast begins to not only create the carbon dioxide to make dough expand, but also develop the bread's underlying flavor. The longer the rise, the more flavor is created. Too long, and there's too much gas to maintain the bread's structure as it bakes, called "over-proofing" the dough.
You want the temperature of the space where you allow the dough to rise to be between between 70 to 80°F. That's so it's warm enough for the yeast to rise, but not rise too fast (and develop less flavor). Which leads me to...
Pro Tip #2: Check that the yeast is active
In my story above, I thought the problem was the yeast. Remember, yeast is a living organism that's dormant while in its packaging (there's a reason there's a freshness date on the packaging). If you are at all unsure, you'll want to make sure that your yeast is alive and well (called "proofing" or "proving" the yeast).
To do this, heat the recipe's liquid (milk, in this case) until it’s warm to the touch, about 100 to 110°F. The temperature is important: too low, and the yeast won't be roused from their suspended state. Too hot, and you'll kill the yeast before they have a chance to make the dough rise.
Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sugar (aka yeast food), then sprinkle the yeast over the milk and set the bowl aside to proof for about 5 minutes. If you get foam and/or bubbles on the liquid's surface, you're good to go. If nothing happens, then your yeast is dead and it's time to get a new batch.
I normally go through a lot of yeast, so I'm reasonably sure that my yeast is ok and don't usually proof my yeast. That's why I was so surprised when it didn't work...twice. When in doubt, take the extra time and proof your yeast.
A really tasty idea
My Cranberry Cinnamon Babka has a sweet and eggy bread base, just like challah. The cinnamon brown sugar adds crunch and spice, but it's the sweet tartness from the cranberries with a hint of wine that steals the show. The wine reduction adds a deep flavor of tart cranberries and dark cherries, sticky and rich.
Also, having a drizzle of wine syrup on top of the slice adds another burst of sweet cranberry tartness. Wonderful!
While I used cranberry wine, dried cranberries, and raspberry jam in this babka recipe, feel free to substitute your favorite semi-sweet fruit wine with a complementary dried fruit and jam instead.
This is a fun way to serve wine as bread, a fun exercise in creativity, and a learning experience into the ways of bread dough. Oh, and yummy, too!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
I love to bake shaped bread, especially using sourdough starter discard. Here are some shaped bread recipes to try...
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Recipe
Cranberry Cinnamon Babka Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
For the dough
- ¾ cup milk, warmed between 100°F to 110°F
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast, or rapid rise, see Recipe Notes
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the filling
- 1½ cups cranberry wine, or another semi-sweet fruit wine, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup dried cranberries, sweetened, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup raspberry jam, see Recipe Notes
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: Heat the milk until it’s warm to the touch, about 100 °F to 110 °F as read on a digital thermometer. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the sugar, then sprinkle the yeast over the milk and set aside to proof for about 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface of the milk (see Recipe Notes).
- Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to incorporate. Add the flour, the remaining sugar, and the salt and mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated into the liquid and a sticky dough forms.
- Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed until a smooth and slightly sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes. Add more flour in 1 tablespoon increments as needed to make the dough the right consistency.
- Gather the dough into a ball, stretching it so the top of the ball is smooth. Spray a large bowl with canola oil spray and place the dough ball in smooth side down to wipe it with oil. Turn the dough with the gathered rough part of the dough down and the smooth surface of the ball facing up. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. The inside of a cool oven with the light on works well.
- Make the filling: While the dough is resting, heat the wine in the microwave for 1 minute on High. Soak the dried cranberries in the warmed wine for at least an hour. Strain the wine into a small saucepan, and set the cranberries aside.
- Bring the wine to boil over medium-high heat and reduce to ½ cup (about 15 minutes). Keep an eye on it so the wine doesn’t reduce too fast and burn. It will have a slightly thickened texture and will coat the back of a spoon (it will firm up upon chilling). Pour into a small bowl and chill until ready to use.
- Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
- Assemble the babka: Spray a standard loaf pan with baking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, with an inch or two of the paper overhanging the edges of the pan.
- Once the dough has doubled, lightly dust a clean surface with flour and roll the dough out to a rectangle roughly 15- x 17-inches, with a long side facing you. Spread the jam over the surface of the dough using a small offset spatula, then drizzle some the cooled wine syrup and spread it over the jam (reserving the rest of the wine syrup for later). Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture to lightly cover the spread (you’ll have some left over). Finally, sprinkle reserved cranberries evenly over everything.
- Tightly roll the dough up from the bottom, making a 17-inch rope. Slice the dough in half lengthwise with a bench scraper, making two 17-inch long pieces. The dough might start to fall apart because of the cranberries. Twist each long piece individually so the cranberries are trapped inside the dough, tucking in any that have fallen out. Finally, twist and wrap the two ropes of dough together.
- Squish the twisted dough together and transfer it to the prepared loaf pan, tucking in any stray cranberries and dough. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top of the dough (again, you may not use it all). Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.
- While the babka loaf is resting, preheat the oven to 350 °F. When it's ready, place the loaf pan on a quarter sheet baking pan and bake for 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 °F and continue to bake until the top of the babka is deep brown, about 15 minutes more.
- Let the babka cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper to lift it out of the pan and transfer it to a wire cooling rack. Let it cool to room temperature.
- When ready to serve, warm the babka or serve at room temperature. Slice thickly and drizzle the reserved wine syrup. Enjoy!
- Babka can be store for 24 hours in an airtight container at room temperature. It can also be frozen, well wrapped in plastic wrap in a ziplock bag, for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
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