Quick Blueberry Babka Recipe
Who wants to make this delicious, out-of-this-world Blueberry Babka? I put together a quick recipe for you to try. It doesn’t take a whole day to make, and it’s perfect for breakfast or dessert alike.
JUMP TO VIDEO | PIN IT for later
HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY BABKA
If you love soft, enriched breads with a beautiful swirl of filling, this blueberry babka is such a treat. It’s made with my express sweet bread dough. It’s great for those times when you’re short on time. Traditional chocolate babka recipes take hours to make. What would you say if we cut that time to 2 hours? Are you in?
THINGS YOU NEED
- Loaf Pan
- Parchment
- Dough EZ Rolling System
- Cooling Rack – I have 3 sets, love them!
- Aluminum Foil – to make a foil dome
This post contains Amazon affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love. Learn more about my affiliate policy here.
INGREDIENTS
- Quick Sweet Bread Dough Recipe – to make a richer dough, I used 4 egg yolks in place of 2, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and I added 1-2 tablespoons of additional flour
- Blueberry Filling
- Fresh or frozen blueberries
- Sugar
- Corn Starch
- Streusel
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter
BLUEBERRY FILLING
Pulse blueberries with sugar and cornstarch for a few seconds until roughly chopped. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened, then simmer for 30–60 seconds. Remove from heat and cool, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming. For faster cooling, use an ice bath.
QUICK SWEET BREAD DOUGH
For the babka version, I made a small adjustment to the quick sweet bread dough by adding an extra 2 egg yolks (a total of 4), resulting in a richer, more tender crumb that pairs perfectly with the sweet, fruity blueberry filling.
One of the things I love most about this recipe is how flexible it is. If you’re short on time, you can make the babka from start to finish in just a few hours. Or, if you prefer to spread out the process, you can let the shaped dough, well covered, proof in the fridge overnight. Let it come to room temperature and let it rise on the counter. Bake it off as directed in the recipe.
This dough makes two beautiful loaves, perfect for sharing, or you can halve the recipe for a single babka. Either way, you’ll end up with a soft, buttery bread filled with vibrant blueberry swirls-perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet afternoon treat.
FILL AND SHAPE THE BREAD
Divide the prepared dough in half and shape each portion into a ball. Cover the dough balls and let them rest for 15 minutes. Resting helps gluten relax, making it easier to roll out.
- Roll the first portion of rested sweet bread dough into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick, roughly 12 inches wide and 14-16 inches long.
- Spread half of the cooled blueberry filling evenly over the dough, then roll it into a log, or use the folding method shown below.
- Slice the log in half lengthwise, then twist or braid the two strands together.
- Pinch the ends to seal, then transfer the shaped loaf to a parchment-lined, greased pan.
- Cover loosely and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- If you’re proofing in the fridge, cover the loaf pan with greased food wrap and let it rise overnight. Bring to room temperature and let it rise before baking if off the next day.
STREUSEL
While streusel can be skipped, I highly recommend you include it. Buttery topping creates a delicious contrast with the soft, tender bread underneath. It takes only a minute or two to make. In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Add the butter and use your fingertips to work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes coarse and crumbly.
Once the blueberry babka has risen, brush it with room-temperature milk. Then generously sprinkle streusel topping on the top.
BAKE BLUEBERRY BABKA
Bake in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes. Then loosely cover the top with foil to prevent over-browning and continue baking for another 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean (it may be purple from the filling, which is fine). Let the loaf cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
FAQ AND SUCCESS TIPS
Of course. You can get creative and make a variety of fruit fillings. If using peach or apricot filling, I’d suggest you add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the streusel topping.
Use flour, arrowroot, potato starch, and tapioca starch.
I freeze it sliced. Sliced babka freezes well for 2-3 months.
Cinnamon Sugar
Espresso Cinnamon Sugar
Cocoa Sugar
Chocolate Pudding
Dry fruits, nuts mixed with sugar or honey, and/or spices like cardamom, cinnamon
Shape and fill the 1st half of the dough, and place it into the loaf pan to rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Let the 2nd half of the dough rise in a bowl for about 50 minutes. Fill it with the filling, transfer it to the 2nd loaf pan, and let it rise.
Once the first loaf is baked 2nd one will be ready to bake.
Alternatively, you can use the 2nd half of the dough to prepare filled buns right after the initial 10-15-minute rest.
MORE DELICIOUS BREAD RECIPES
- Peach Slab Bread
- Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Best Hot Dog Buns
- White Breakfast Bread via King Arthur Flour
Blueberry Babka
Ingredients
Bread/Yeast Dough
- 1 batch Sweet Bread Dough Recipe For a richer dough, use 4 egg yolks in place of 2 in the recipe, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and add an additonal 1-2 tbsp of flour
Blueberry Filling per 1 Babka
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 1/4 cup corn starch
Streusel
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp room temperature milk – to brush the top of risen babka before adding streusel
Instructions
Prepare Loaf pan
- Spray the pan with a non stick spray. Line the pan with a small piece of parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch overhanging on each long side. Set aside.
Sweet Bread Dough
- Prepare Sweet Bread Dough – link to the recipe is listed in the notes and at the top of the post.
- Prepare the dough according to the recipe. Cut the dough in half, shape dough into 2 balls. Cover and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Resting allows dough to become more relaxed and easier to roll out.
- This recipe yields 2 bread loafs baked in 9×4.5 inch loaf pan.
Blueberry Filling
- Process blueberries in a food processor until chunky (2 cups), granulated sugar (1/2 cups) and corn starch (1/4 cup). Pour mixture into a pot and cook the mixture on a medium heat. Stirring, until it thickens. It will resemble a consistency of a pudding. Bring it to boil and simmer for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Cover with a plastic wrap to prevent crusting.
- TIP: How to cool blueberry filling : use water bath to quickly cool the filling, stirring frequently. Or cover filling with a plastic wrap to prevent the skin from forming and refrigerate overnight. Bring the filling to room temperature before using.
Streusel
- In a bowl combine flour (1/2 cup) and sugar (2/3 cup). Add cut up piece of butte(2 tbsp) and with your fingers press the butter into the flour/sugar mixture until you have a coarse texture.
Shaping the Blueberry Babka
- Roll out 1 ball of yeast dough. Traditionally filling is spread over the top of the dough. And roll it into a log. I used a folding technique (as seen in the video and picture tutorial). Use what you prefer.
- Cut the log lengthwise and shape a 2-strand braid. Pinch the ends and transfer the loaf into a prepared loaf pan. Let it rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Repeat with a second ball of dough. Or use the dough to make kolache, rolls or a small slab bread.
Bake Blueberry Babka
- Once the bread is risen brush it with a room temperature milk or alternatively spray with some water. And generously sprinkle streusel on the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350F for 30 minutes. Then loosely cover loaf with a foil dome and bake for additional 15 minutes. Test if the skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. It is normal to have a skewer come out discolored. As long as dough is not clinging to it it's okay.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
PIN IT for later
This post contains Amazon affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love. Learn more about my affiliate policy here.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Hi
What do you mean by “Quickly process blueberries”? In food processor? Can you elaborate? Thx, Michal
Hi Michal, yes, in the food processor, but don’t puree them, the mixture should be chunky.
Thank you.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! However, I’m wondering if I should proof the sweet dough as instructed in the sweet dough recipe and the follow the babka recipe (total of two proofing) or should I only proof the dough once when the blueberry is in it?
Thanks a lot
Hi Megane,
If you are short on time you can proof once but for more flavorful delicate dough I’d recommend second proof, too. Happy Baking.
Regarding the richer dough option. In the bread/yeast dough ingredient list of this recipe, you recommend using 6 egg yolks instead of 2 and adding 3 tablespoons of flour. But, in the directions’ yeast dough section of this recipe, you recommend using 5 egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of flour. Which is correct?
Thanks.
This recipe looks like it could be a real winner. I am anxious to try it.
HI Donald, how did it go? Did you try it out? Sorry for typo, it’s 6 egg yolks in place of 2 in the recipe, and add additional 3 tbsp of flour.
The blueberry babka turned out great. I made two small deviations from the recipe. #1 For the streusel topping, I used 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter. The extra tablespoon was needed to absorb the flour and sugar. Next time, I will probably use less sugar and flour in the streusel and used the recommended 3 tablespoons of butter. I lavished the babka with as much streusel as each loaf could hold and still had more than a half cup extra. #2 I used two cups of blueberries, but before cooking them, I used my immersion blender on 1/2 cup. Then, i cooked the entire 2 cups of blueberries according to instructions. The result was a nice combination of blueberries and “blueberry paste” which spread wonderfully on the dough.
The recipe was everything I hoped it would be. Thanks for providing it!
Hi Donald,
that’s wonderful. I wish I had a slice right now. Stay Safer.
The possibilities!!! Yum!!!!
Omg yes. I can’t wait to try other fillings!