Raspberry Jam Babka (Vegan)

A light and fluffy yeasted dough braided into a babka pattern and baked until golden – filled with lots of sweet raspberry jam. This vegan babka is easy to make in a few steps and tastes amazing warm from the oven.

I finally got around to making a babka – it’s been a long time coming. Way before great British Bake Off made these bakes popular a few weeks ago here in the UK, they’ve been on my radar for a long time. There are two main reasons I hadn’t made one before this; time and fear. While there are just a few steps to this recipe, it does require a fair amount of time given all the time needed for proofing, kneading, rolling, plaiting and finally baking. That said, if you’ve ever made one before, you’ll know that they taste even better after all of that time just waiting!  

The second reason I hadn’t made this Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka sooner was fear of yeast! Although I love baking with yeast and have made a lot of pizza dough and pitta breads recently, sweet rolls are something I hadn’t made for ages. So, the fear creeps in and I kept putting it off!  But one grey Saturday afternoon in late October, I finally started working on this Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka! And I was so glad I did.

So how to make a Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka? The recipe will be quite similar to other yeasted vegan bakes, although the babka typically requires extra attention to slice and shape the braid into the classic shape.

There are a few separate stages to this Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka:

• Make the milky yeast mixture: the babka dough starts with a warm mixture of vegan butter or margarine, plant-based milk and sugar. Warm until fully melted although you don’t want it too warm – you may need to let the milky mix cool back down until lukewarm before adding in the yeast and salt. Let the mix sit for 10 minutes – you will see the yeast bubble and rise to the surface and you’ll be able to smell it too.
• Make and knead the dough: add the milky mix to the flour and cinnamon and bring to a dough. Transfer to a floured surface and knead with your hands for 10-12 minutes until soft and spongey. Keep going! Add to a greased bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm to rise for at least an hour.
• Roll out the dough: transfer the risen dough to a floured surface and roll out to an oblong. Spread over a thin layer of raspberry jam.
• Cut the dough: roll up the dough like you would do for a cinnamon roll, leaving the edge underneath. Use a sharp knife to slice the roll lengthways to form two braids.
• Braid the babka: press the two bits of plait together and then take one over the other and then pass the second one over the first – like a plait with only 2 braids. Continue and press the bottom ends together.
• Proof a second time: gently compress the babka to make it slighter shorter and nestle into a greased and lined loaf tin, tucking the ends underneath. Cover and allow to proof somewhere warm for about 30-40 minutes.
• Time to bake the babka: now transfer to a warm oven and bake for about 35 minutes! Now brush with some maple syrup for the classic shine and sticky top. 

My best advice for baking this Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka is to concentrate on each step and enjoy the process! It is really fun if you let yourself settle into it. I really enjoyed it in the end and cannot wait to make more flavoured yeasted bakes! I have so many things I want to make next especially this side of Christmas!

I love this Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka warm from the oven with a cup of tea or with some coffee. It is best eaten with 24 hours, but if it is a little drier, it is so good toasted under the grill, spread with more jam or vegan butter!

I hope you will love this Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka as much as we all did at home. If you are looking for more baking ideas, how about my:

• Cinnamon Raisin No-Yeast Swirl Buns
• Vegan Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
• Hazelnut Chocolate Swirl Buns
• Mince Pie Cinnamon Rolls
• Vegan Hot Cross Buns

Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka

• Servings: 10
• Time: 1 hour 20 minutes plus 1 hour 40 minutes proofing
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A light and fluffy yeasted dough braided into a babka pattern and baked until golden – filled with lots of sweet raspberry jam. This vegan babka is easy to make in a few steps and tastes amazing warm from the oven.

Ingredients

Babka dough:
• 110g vegan butter or margarine
• 120ml plant-based milk
• 30g coconut or caster sugar
• 10g instant dried yeast
• Pinch of salt
• 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting (approx. 20g)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
Filling:
• 100g jam
Glaze:
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions

1. Add the vegan butter/margarine, plant-based milk and sugar to a small saucepan and gently warm until just starting to melt the butter. Continue to stir until it’s all fully melted. Make sure the mixture is lukewarm (test with your finger) as you may need to let the mix cool down.
2. Add the salt and yeast to the mixture and quickly stir. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Stir the flour and cinnamon in a large bowl and pour over the yeast mixture. Bring together with a spoon and then tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes until soft and spongey.
4. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a tea towel or wrap and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled in size (you maybe need 1.5-2 hours if your house is colder). Meanwhile, grease and line a 20cm x 10cm loaf tin.
5. Lightly flour the surface again and tip out the dough. Roll out to an oblong about 40cm x 30xm.
6. Spread the jam mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-cm gap around the edge. Carefully roll up using the longest edge to form a tube.
7. Carefully slice the log into half lengthways down the middle two form two strips.
8. Press the tops of the strips together and fold one over the other to form an even plait. Gently transfer the long plait to the lined loaf tin, slightly pushing the plait inwards and tucking the ends underneath itself. Cover the babka and place somewhere warm again for 30-40 minutes to fill up the loaf tin.
9. Preheat the oven to 170Fan/180*C and place the risen babka into the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and crisp on top.
10. Place the tin on a wire rack and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before brushing over the maple syrup. Enjoy warm or cold. Best eaten on the same day or the day after.

Let me know what you think of this Vegan Raspberry Jam Babka I hope you will enjoy it. Leave a comment below or tag me in your bakes, too, I love seeing them! I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With babka love x