A delicious recipe for summer that every sourdough baker will appreciate! Whilst a lot of Babka recipes use cinnamon or chocolate, today we are sharing a fresh summer twist - Sourdough Strawberry Babka with Cream Cheese Swirl! It's a nice and soft brioche dough rippled with creamy strawberry mixture. It is a lot less sweet than babkas made with fruit jam, but extremely decadent and delicious!
Jump to:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost for you! Thank you!
This sourdough strawberry babka took me a few times to perfect. First, I made it with strawberry preserve, and it was such a huge sticky mess that I also found it too sweet (definitely not suitable for a summer bake!).
I then tried it with fresh strawberries, but they released too much moisture into the brioche dough. And finally, this freeze-dried cream cheese-filled babka was born! I hope you like it as much as I do.
Summer Strawberry Babka For Sourdough Bakers
If you love our Sourdough Cinnamon Babka, you are in for a treat with this summer season babka! This rich bread uses our sourodugh brioche dough recipe, and is then filled with sweet strawberry cream cheese! No need for shop-bought or homemade strawberry jam that makes it all overly sweet and sticky!
The great thing is that our strawberry lemon babka is made with freeze-dried strawberries! That means concentrated flavour and less sugar!
Looking for a savoury summer babka? Try our Pesto & Sundried Tomato Sourdough Babka!
Babka is a sweet yeast bread originating from Eastern Europe, often filled with chocolate (like our Sourdough Chocolate Babka) or cinnamon (like our Sourdough Cinnamon Babka) and characterized by its swirled marbled appearance. It is a popular treat in countries like Poland and Ukraine, where it is traditionally enjoyed during holidays and special occasions.
Ingredient Notes
- active sourdough starter: 100% hydration. Make sure your starter is ripe and bubbly as we need a lot of oomph to rise this enriched dough.
- strong white flour: also known as bread flour. Whilst all-purpose flour may be used, you will have a dough that's flimsier to work with.
- milk: we used whole milk (a.k.a. full-fat milk).
- eggs: medium eggs in the UK, or large eggs in the US.
- unsalted butter: softened.
- caster sugar: or white granulated sugar.
- salt.
For Strawberry Cream Cheese Swirl
- cream cheese: full-fat, like Philadelphia.
- caster sugar: can be replaced with powdered sugar.
- freeze-dried strawberries: you may use powdered strawberries or dried small pieces.
- flour.
- salt
- zest of a lemon.
You will also need an egg yolk and a dash of milk for the egg wash, and some sugar for the simple syrup, if you choose to make a shiny top for your Strawberry Babka.
Equipment Used
- Stand mixer with a dough hook attachment (we use Kenwood)
- Bench scraper
- Mixing bowl (ideally quite shallow - it's easier to coil fold your sourodugh if the bowl doesn't have high rims)
- Rolling pin (stainless steel rolling pin is highly recommended)
- Sharp knife, ideally long and thin-bladed.
- Handheld electric mixer
- Offset spatula
- 2 lb loaf pan for a muffin top, 3-4 lb loaf tin for a loaf that doesn't overspill over the top.
- Parchment paper (we love Bacofoil Baking Paper).
- Cooling rack.
Step-By-Step Method
Step 1: Mixing The Babka Dough
In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the milk, eggs and active sourdough starter. Start mixing the dough with a bread hook attachment on low speed until you have a shaggy dough (about 5-7 minutes). Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
Return the bowl to your stand mixer, and running it on medium heat, start adding room temperature butter one bit at a time. Note, that butter will tend to stick to the sides of the bowl, so you may need to scrape the sides once or twice.
Run the mixer for 10-15 minutes until you have a relatively wet, but soft and elastic sourdough that passes the windowpane test.
Step 2: Bulk Fermentation and Coil Folds
Scoop the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot (20-24°C) for 4 hours.
Over the first two hours, every 30 minutes, perform 3 series of coil folds. You will have a much less sticky dough by the end of the fourth coil fold. Then leave it to finish its first rise for 2 hours. Your dough is unlikely to double in size but should increase by about a quarter.
Step 3: Cold Proof
Place the sourdough babka dough in the fridge to finish proofing overnight. The dough ferments slower at cold temperatures, so it can safely stay in the fridge for 8-24 hours.
Step 4: Filling and Shaping
The next day, start by preparing the strawberry cream cheese filling. Using an electric handheld mixer, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and caster sugar on medium speed until well combined. Mix in the freeze-dried strawberries, flour, salt, and lemon zest. Set the filling aside.
Line a 2 lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
The next step is the trickiest one, but dust the surface with flour generously, and you'll be just fine. Work quickly, as it's a wet dough, but you have the benefit of it being cold and stiff from a night in the fridge.
Place dough onto a well-floured surface. Roll it out into a large rectangle measuring about 20x40cm (8×16 in).
Spread the strawberry filling on the surface, then roll it into a very tight log starting from the long side (like a long log).
Cut the roll in half lengthways using a sharp knife, but leave it intact at one end (so you have two legs attached at the top).
Twist the two legs together. Then place it into a prepared loaf tin (make sure to fit it in snuggly and don't worry if you have to serpentine the braid on top for a second layer).
Step 5: Second Proof
Brush a piece of plastic wrap (cling film) with neutral oil. Cover the top of the sourdough babka loosely and leave it in a warm place (21-27°C) to proof again for 2.5-3 hours. The loaf should puff up by about 20-25% in that time.
Step 6: Baking
Preheat the oven to 170°C Fan (340℉).
Make an egg wash by mixing an egg yolk with a tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, gently eggwash the surface of the babka.
Bake Strawberry Babka in the oven for 55-60 minutes. It should puff up heaps and turn golden brown! If it is browning too much, cover the top with a sheet of aluminium foil towards the end of baking.
Step 7: Simple Syrup (Optional)
Whilst the babka bakes, make a sugar syrup. In a small saucepan mix 30 g caster sugar and 30ml water together. Heat it over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, then let the syrup bubble, and take it off heat. Once your baba is cooked, using a pastry brush, brush the syrup all over the top of the babka.
Let the cinnamon babka firm up in the loaf tin for 15-20 minutes, then take it out of the tin, and transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving Suggestions
Our favourite way to serve Sourodugh Strawberry Babka is whilst it is still a little bit warm (but not hot). It needs nothing else, just tear or slice and eat it - if you close your eyes you may think you're eating strawberries and cream!
Sourdough Babka is great used in trifles, Bread and Butter Puddings or for making ice cream sandwiches too!
Storage and Leftovers
Once your sourdough babka cools down to room temperature, place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. The best way to enjoy it though is at room temperature - so make sure to take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before slicing.
This sourdough babka version does not freeze very well due to the cream cheese filling.
If you have leftovers that are going a little stale, make French Toast! It is rich and even more delicious than your ordinary brioche toast!
Other Enriched Sourdough Recipes To Try Next
Here are a bunch more sweet treats for you to try:
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Cardamom Buns (Swedish Kardemummabullar)
- Sourdough Pain Au Chocolat
- Sourdough Panettone
Sourdough Strawberry Babka
Equipment
- Mixing bowl, ideally quite shallow
- Rolling pin, ideally stainless steel
- 2 lb loaf pan
Ingredients
- 160 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 320 g strong white flour
- 100 ml milk
- 2 eggs medium
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 30 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Strawberry Cream Cheese Swirl
- 200 g cream cheese full fat
- 80 g caster sugar
- 15 g freeze dried strawberries
- 8 g flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 lemon
For Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the milk, eggs and active sourdough starter. Start mixing the dough with a bread hook attachment on low speed until you have a shaggy dough (about 5-7 minutes). Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Return the bowl to your stand mixer, and running it on medium heat, start adding room temperature butter one bit at a time. Note, that butter will tend to stick to the sides of the bowl, so you may need to scrape the sides once or twice. Run the mixer for 10-15 minutes until you have a relatively wet, but soft and elastic dough that passes the windowpane test.
Bulk Fermentation and Coil Folds:
- Scoop the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm spot (20-24°C) for 4 hours.
- Over the first two hours, every 30 minutes, perform 3 series of coil folds. You will have a much less sticky dough by the end of the fourth coil fold. Then leave it to finish its first rise for 2 hours. Your dough is unlikely to double in size, but should increase by about a quarter.
Cold Proof:
- Place the sourdough babka dough in the fridge to finish proofing overnight. The dough ferments slower at cold temperatures, so it can safely stay in the fridge for 8-24 hours.
Filling and Shaping:
- The next day, start by preparing the strawberry cream cheese filling. Using an electric handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and caster sugar until well combined. Mix in the freeze-dried strawberries, flour, salt, and zest of a lemon. Set the filling aside.
- Line a 2 lbs loaf tin with baking parchment.
- The next step is the trickiest one, but dust the surface with flour generously, and you'll be just fine. Work quickly, as it's a wet dough, but you have a benefit of it being cold and stiff from a night in the fridge.
- Scoop the dough onto a floured work surface. Roll it out into a large rectangle measuring about 20x40cm (8×16 in).
- Spread the strawberry filling on the surface, then roll it into a very tight roll starting from the long side.
- Cut the roll in half lengthways using a sharp knife, but leave it intact at one end (so you have two legs attached at the top).
- Twist the two legs together. Then place it into a prepared loaf tin (make sure to fit it in snuggly and don't worry if you have to serpentine the braid on top for a second layer).
Second Proof:
- Brush a piece of plastic wrap (cling film) with neutral oil. Cover the top of the sourodugh babka loosely and leave it at a warm temperature (21-27°C) to proof again for 2.5-3 hours. The loaf should puff up by about 20-25% in that time.
Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C Fan (340℉).
- Make an egg wash by mixing an egg yolk with a tablespoon of milk. Brush it on the surface of the babka gently.
- Bake Strawberry Babka in the oven for 55-60 minutes. It should puff up heaps and turn golden brown! If it is browning too much, cover the top with the foil towards the end of baking.
Simple Syrup (Optional)
- Whilst the babka bakes, make a sugar syrup. In a small saucepan mix 30 g caster sugar and 30ml water together. Heat it over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, then let the syrup bubble, and take it off heat. Once your baba is cooked, using a pastry brush, brush the syrup all over the top of the babka.
- Let the cinnamon babka firm up in the loaf tin for 15-20 minutes, then take it out of the tin, and transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Leave a Reply