Pumpkin Spice Babka: This rich sweet brioche/pastry dough is layered with pumpkin spice and cream cheese filling. Heat it and watch it disappear any time of day. For a couple of similar recipes, try my Chocolate Poppyseed Babka, Apple Cinnamon Pastry Twist, Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, or Pumpkin Spice Muffins.
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Fall is nearly gone, and winter is knocking on the door. Halloween has come and gone, and Thanksgiving is nearly here. Does that mean it’s time to put away the pumpkin puree and bring out all things peppermint? I think we have time for one last pumpkin recipe before I close this fall with a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.
Make the Babka Dough
What do I Need to Make This Pumpkin Spice Babka Dough?
YEAST – SAF Gold and Patience: You need patience because the dough requires several long rest periods and then a long rise period. When the dough has sugar, butter, and eggs, it takes longer to rise fully. The Gold yeast is formulated specifically for this type of dough. You can use the red, but it may require longer resting and rise periods.
Butter, Sugar, Eggs, and Milk. These are the soul of the dough and give it that rich pastry taste that we love.
Flour and Water: Bread flour gives a little more structure to this rich sweet dough, helping it rise and stay soft and airy.
How To Make The Dough:
Add the salt and yeast to the flour. Then add everything else into the bowl of a Stand Mixer. Add the flour mixture on top and mix. Once the mixture is mixed together, turn the mixer to medium, and with the dough hook attachment, mix for 10 minutes until you have a soft, smooth dough. The dough shouldn’t be sticky. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
What you Will Need to Make the Pumpkin Spice Filling
- Pumpkin Puree: I grow sugar pumpkins and use them to make my pumpkin puree. If you roast fresh pumpkins for puree or purchase pumpkin puree, you will need to remove most of the water from the puree. Place about 2 cups of puree in a nut milk bag and squeeze out the extra water until you have a half cup of very thick pumpkin (mashed potatoes consistency). Visit my blog for step-by-step instructions on How to Roast a Pumpkin for Puree.
- The rest of the ingredients: for the pumpkin spice filling are cream cheese, egg yolk, brown sugar, flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. I sometimes also add some maple syrup.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 10 X 12 inches. Spread the filling on the dough and roll up like a cinnamon roll into a cylinder or cigar shape.
- Cut the cylinder down the middle with a sharp knife by pressing the blade down to the cutting board.
- Separate the two halves and lay one half on top of the other half. Cut sides up. (see picture or video) Twist the two halves into a simple braid. Tuck in the ends and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover, and let rise for two hours. During the last 30 minutes of rising, preheat the oven. Bake for 55 minutes or until the temperature in the center of the loaf is 190 – 195 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Store at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. The Pumpkin Spice Babka also freezes well in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
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Pumpkin Spice Babka
Equipment
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Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 3 tbsp. butter (50g)
- ¼ cup whole milk (50g)
- ¼ cup water (50g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg
- 2¼ cups bread flour (270g)
- 2 tsp SAF Gold Yeast
- 1 tsp salt
Pumpkin Spice Filling
- 4 oz. Cream Cheese(113g)
- ½ cup concentrated Pumpkin Puree
- 1 egg yolk (use the white for the egg wash)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar(71g)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar(113g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Roast the Pumpkin and make the concentrated pumpkin puree before starting this recipe. If you don't have a pumpkin to roast us the solid pack pumpkin. One 15-ounce can yields a half cup of pumpkin concentrate. Don't use the pumpkin pie mix for this recipe. For how to make the concentrate (click here)
Make the Pastry Dough
- Mix the yeast, salt, and flour together.
- Put all of the rest of the pastry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl.
- Add the flour on top and mix for 2 minutes on low.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix on medium for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Then refrigerate the dough for 2-3 hours or as long as overnight.
Make the Pumpkin Spice Filling
- Cream together the cream cheese and concentrated pumpkin puree. With a hand-held mixer.
- Add the egg yolk, brown sugar, spices, salt, and flour.
- Mix with a hand-held mixer until blended. Chill for one hour.
Roll out the Dough and Assemble the Babka
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 10 X 12 inches.
- Spread the Pumpkin Spice filling on the dough.
- Roll up like it is a cinnamon roll (shape of a cigar or cylinder).
- Cut the cylinder in half, lengthwise pressing all the way to the table with a sharp blade.
- Separate the two halves and place one half over the center of the other half. Cut side up. The two halves form an X.
- Twist the strands to form a simple braid. (see the video)
- Tuck in the ends and place the braid on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Cover with a piece of plastic wrap that was lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Let the twist rise for two hours. During the last 30 minutes of rising preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 170 degrees C.
- Bake for 25 - 35 minutes. Check the internal temperature at 25 minutes with an instant-read thermometer continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 190-degrees F.
- Remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Let the Babka Cool before glazing.
Glaze
- Mix all of the glaze ingredients together and glaze the Babka once it is completely cooled.
Storing
- Storing:The Babka Loaf can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days. Freeze unglazed in an airtight container for 1-2 months. Defrost overnight, glaze, and serve
