Babka
II
Orange
zest and raisins make this Polish Easter bread a special treat. Makes 2 loaves ( 24
servings).
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| 1
(.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 8 cups all-purpose flour 3 eggs |
4
eggs, separated 1 cup white sugar 2 cups milk 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 1 cup butter, melted 1 cup raisins |
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Directions
1 In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in
the warm
water. Let stand until creamy, about
10 minutes.
2 In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, 2
cups of
the flour, the whole eggs, egg yolks,
sugar, milk and
orange zest; mix well. Add the
remaining flour, 1 cup at a
time, until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough onto a
lightly floured surface and knead
until smooth and supple,
about 5 minutes.
3 Flatten the dough out with your hands and smear
1/3 cup
of the butter on the dough. Fold up
the dough and knead
gently to incorporate the butter into
the dough. Repeat this
twice until all of the butter is
incorporated. Use the same
method to incorporate the raisins.
4 Lightly oil a large mixing bowl. Place the
dough in the
bowl and turn the dough to coat with
oil. Cover with a damp
cloth and let stand in a warm place
until doubled in volume;
about 1 hour.
5 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C).
6 Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface
and
divide into two equal size pieces.
Form each piece into a
loaf and place them in two lightly
greased 9x5 inch loaf
pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let
rise until doubled,
about 40 minutes.
7 Brush the tops of the loaves with egg whites
and bake at 350
degrees F(175 degrees C) until
the top of the loaves
are golden
and the bottom of
the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about
30 to 40 minutes.