The best blueberry cream cheese babka/ Easy babka bread

The best blueberry cream cheese Babka is, prepared with a yeast-leavened dough. It is rolled out, filled with fillings, braided, and baked to perfection.

Babka is a sweet braided bread or cake filled with sweet spreads. It is a basic bread or brioche recipe used. So it is a lot like bread with a much sweeter filling.

You can follow any bread or brioche recipe as per your wish. For this babka recipe, I chose my favourite Sweet Milk Bread recipe. Also, the two fillings are Easy Blueberry jam and cream cheese filling. Trust, the combination of the two spreads was delicious and finger-licking good. 

Why is Babka easy to make?

Baking babka is simple and easy as it needs a handful of ingredients in the pantry. The filling is purely one’s optional and endless. As this is my first Babka recipe in my blog, you can expect more variations of babkas in the future. I’ve chalked down my list of variations, which I will share in the variation section.

What is The blueberry cream cheese babka made of?

• all-purpose flour
• yeast
• milk
• butter
• sugar
• salt
• Easy Blueberry jam
• cream cheese

How is Best blueberry cream cheese babka made?

The making of Babka is the same as making a regular bread recipe. Bloom the yeast in lukewarm milk. Add all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt and combine well in a stand mixer. Then add the bloomed yeast milk mixture and run the mixer until it forms a dough. Then add the milk and let it mix until it forms a smooth, shiny dough. Transfer the dough into a bowl and cover well for the first proof. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to rise. Wait until the dough has well risen. Now punch the dough to deflate the gas.

Rolling the dough

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle according to your pan size. Use a spoon or an offset spatula spread cream cheese over the rolled rectangle dough. Now spread blueberry jam above the cream cheese. Using both hands roll up the rectangle as shown and seal well.

Shaping the dough

Using a knife, gently cut the log leaving the top edge shown. Divide the halves, with the cut layers facing up. Now plait the dough as shown and seal well. Gently lift the dough into the loaf pan. Squeeze the end of the dough and place it. Cover the pan for a second rise until it rises doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 180 * C and bake the babka dough for 30 to 35 minutes until the top turns golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for only eight to ten minutes. Transfer the babka from the pan onto a cooling rack. Smear some butter on the babka and cover the bread with a kitchen towel. Do not slice immediately. Wait at least six to eight hours to cut a perfect slice.

Filling variations for babka

Filling for babka is purely optional. Traditionally the filling will be melted chocolate and cinnamon. As I was going through social media, I could see repeated chocolate filling and very few blueberry compotes babkas. I chose to fill the babka with blueberry jam and cream cheese filling. You can also fill butter and jam. It is a good combo, and my next try would be that. Also, apple and cinnamon and all berries compote or jam are perfect for the babka filling. Chocolate with nuts and dried fruits with cream cheese or butter would also be a yummy filling.

Some savoury fillings for babka.

Some savory fillings are Pesto sauce with ricotta cheese, onion with mozzarella, mint chutney with butter, etc. You can try grated vegetables with any spicy chutneys. Potatoes with cheese are also my choice.

Let’s see step-by step preparation of the best blueberry cream cheese babka.

In a stand mixer add all-purpose flour, salt and sugar as shown. Gently mix the flour mixture on low speed for few seconds. Now add bloomed yeast mixture ( add 1 1/2 tsp yeast in 1/4 cup of lukewarm milk ) to the flour mixture and run the stand mixer for a minute.

Then add 1 cup whole milk to the flour mixture and run the stand mixer for five to six minutes. Now switch off the power. Scrape the dough from all the sides until all the dough mixture combines well. Add a teaspoon of unsalted room temperature butter and start kneading on high speed for four to five minutes.

You can see that the smooth, soft, shiny dough is ready. Check the dough by Window Pane Test. Just stretch the dough and see if the dough doesn’t break. If so the dough is perfect.

Grease a bowl and transfer the dough and smear oil on top of the dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or cling wrap.

Allow the dough to rise for 11/2 to 2 hours or until it doubles in size. Punch down the dough to deflate the air.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle according to your pan size.

Use a spoon or an offset spatula spread cream cheese over the rolled rectangle dough.

Now spread blueberry jam above the cream cheese.

Using both hands roll up the rectangle as shown and seal well.

Using a knife, gently cut the log leaving the top edge shown.

Divide the halves, with the cut layers facing up.

Now twist the dough as shown and seal well.

Gently lift the dough into the loaf pan. Squeeze the end of the dough and place it. Cover the pan for a second rise until it rises doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 180 * C and bake the babka dough for 30 to 35 minutes until the top turns golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for only eight to ten minutes.

Serving suggestion

Transfer the babka from the pan onto a cooling rack. Smear some butter on the babka and cover the bread with a kitchen towel. Do not slice immediately. Wait at least six to eight hours to cut a perfect slice. Serve as it with a cuppa coffee or milk or toast the slice.

How to store The best blueberry cream cheese babka?

If you make big batches ahead of the holidays and want to spend quality time with family and friends, this Babka is the perfect recipe to make ahead and store. Before wrapping with the cling film, let it cool completely. Freeze it, and it will stay fresh for up to three months. Before serving, thaw to room temperature and microwave for a few minutes, or toast on a gas top.

More bread recipes you may like to try

Sweet Buttermilk Bread /Eggless Bread

Sandwich Bread (APF/WWF) Eggless Bread

Whole Wheat Bread/ Eggless Bread

Homemade Scones Recipe

Eggless Dried Fruit Bread Recipe

Eggless Butterless Banana Bread

Sweet Milk Bread

How to make Star bread

If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/ or comment below, which means a lot to me. Happy Baking!