Description
A soft and sweet Lemon Blueberry Babka filled with homemade blueberry jam and topped with a buttery crumble and optional lemon icing. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Ingredients
DOUGH:
2/3 cup (160g/ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant yeast
6 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar, divided
5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 3/4 cups (358g) bread or all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
BLUEBERRY FILLING:
1 and 1/4 cups (170–180g) fresh blueberries
6 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
CRUMBLE TOPPING:
3 Tablespoons (24g) flour
3 Tablespoons (38g) light or dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
BRUSH:
1 egg white, beaten
OPTIONAL LEMON ICING:
1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon whole milk or cream
Instructions
1. Whisk warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Let sit 5 mins until foamy.
2. Add remaining sugar, butter, zest, egg, vanilla, salt, and 1 cup flour. Mix.
3. Add another 1 cup flour, mix, then 1/2 cup more. Add 2–4 Tbsp extra if needed.
4. Knead dough for 6–8 minutes until soft and slightly tacky.
5. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 3–4 hours until doubled.
6. Make the filling: Cook blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat, smashing berries. Boil until thickened (~10 min). Let cool completely.
7. Punch down risen dough. Roll into a 9×15-inch rectangle on floured surface.
8. Spread blueberry filling evenly, leaving 1/2 inch border.
9. Roll into a 15-inch log, seam-side down. Fold and twist into a figure-8. Place in greased 9×5-inch pan.
10. Cover loosely and let rise for 1–1.5 hours until puffy.
11. Make crumble topping by cutting cold butter into flour and sugar. Chill until needed.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Brush loaf with egg white and poke 10–12 holes with a toothpick. Sprinkle crumble on top.
13. Bake for 50 minutes. Tent with foil after 30 mins. Bread is done at 195°F internal temp.
14. Let cool in pan for 30 mins. Remove and cool completely before icing.
15. Make icing and drizzle over cooled babka.
16. Slice and serve.
Notes
Do not overfill with blueberry mixture, or it may leak.
Let filling cool completely before spreading to avoid melting the dough.
Use a serrated knife for clean slices.
Store at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 1 week.
Freeze baked (uniced) loaf for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly.
Reheat slices gently before serving for best texture.
- Prep Time: 5 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American