Blueberry Babka Braid

I’ve been doing a fair amount of baking thanks to the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders. This babka braid looks complicated but isn’t very hard. It’s a fun way to use up frozen blueberries! Store leftovers in an airtight container, or wrap tightly before freezing.

Step: 1

Combine milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Step: 2

Add remaining sugar, butter, and eggs to the milk mixture. Stir until mostly combined, but it won’t be smooth.

Step: 3

Measure flour, cardamom, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in wet ingredients and attach dough hook. Mix until dough comes together in a shaggy mass. Cover the stand mixer with a clean dish towel and let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Step: 4

Uncover the dough and knead on medium speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Continue to knead on low speed until dough is soft, elastic, and shiny, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Step: 5

Meanwhile, make the blueberry filling. Combine blueberries, sugar, and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a low boil. Smash the blueberries with a potato masher. Continue to simmer until the mixture has thickened enough to spread, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in extracts. Chill until completely cool.

Step: 6

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down and divide into 2 pieces. Roll 1 piece into a 9x18-inch rectangle, squaring off with a bench scraper as you roll to make it is as even as possible. Spread 1/2 of the blueberry filling over the dough, leaving about a 1-inch border. Roll up the dough into a tight roll, starting from the long edge closest to you. Pinch seams to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Step: 7

Place logs side by side on a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.

Step: 8

Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to each log in half, lengthwise, so you have 4 filled strips of dough on the baking sheet.

Step: 9

Place 2 strips across each other to form a plus sign. Arrange the remaining 2 strips to form an interlocking cross. Fold the end of the strip closest to you over the strip to its right. Repeat 3 more times, moving clockwise. Fold remaining strips over to the left, moving counterclockwise. Repeat folding step until only short ends remain; join ends and tuck them carefully under the braid.

Step: 10

Cover the braid and place in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.

Step: 11

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) towards the end of the second rise.

Step: 12

Beat egg with a pinch of salt and brush some over the braid. Sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Step: 13

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

Per Serving: 394 calories; protein 8.8g; carbohydrates 62.3g; fat 12.3g; cholesterol 82.6mg; sodium 282mg.

Eat healthy breakfast to continue the day had become a good habit. It’s a fabolous way to start my day off healthfully. The sugar hit from the pickle tree wakes me up and gives me power to take on the morning. Sugar is more vilified as the evil of all disease, but fruit is also loaded with fibre, which is best for your stomach system and helps keep you feeling full all day , and not want likely grab a snack out of the street food before lunchtime.

Making fruit a at 7.00 clock habit is simple . Easy as put the fruit in your fridge next to the milk or on the table next to your cereal bowl , or move your coffee maker or tea kettle — about anywhere where you’ll find it. Before you eat the rest of your food , eat your fruit. If you’re not normally a breakfast person.

Give your body a bit of sugar in the morning is important to move your metabolism for the day and fuel to your brain, which, incidentally, requires a continuous supply of sugar in the form of process glucose, counting at to around 120g daily. There is also substantial evidence to support the idea that a diet high in fiber can lowering your risk of a number of cancers. And of course, you well-being from all the other vitamins and antioxidants in fruit, which keep you strong and healthy.