Cranberry Orange Babka

This easy Cranberry Orange Babka is a flavorful sweet bread perfect for the cranberry and holiday seasons. The babka is beautifully braided and has an impressive look. With its soft crumb and flavorful cranberry orange filling this bread makes a great treat for breakfast or as a snack during the day. 

How to make Cranberry Orange Babka. 

For this easy recipe of babka, first, you have to prepare the dough. Knead all the ingredients together, and let it rise at room temperature or in a warm place for about one hour until doubles in size. 

Meanwhile, prepare the cranberry orange filling. This is easy and quick and takes no more than 10 minutes. I like to sieve the cranberry sauce to create a smooth filling but you can also consider blending it or leaving it as it is.  

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle. Evenly spread the cranberry orange filling, leaving about 1-inch (2.5cm) border around the edges. Roll the dough and cut the log in half lengthwise using a sharp knife.

Carefully, braid the two pieces, and transfer the braided bread into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan. Cover with a kitchen towel, let it rest, and rise at room temperature for 20-30 minutes more. During this time, preheat the oven. 

Bake for about 45 minutes until cooked through. I recommend covering the babka with aluminum foil after the first 15-20 minutes of baking.

Let it cool completely before slicing. Hope you will try this amazing Cranberry Orange Babka, tag me on Instagram if you do and enjoy as much as we did.

More bread recipes you may also like

If you like sweet bread recipes you may also like this Orange Nutella Walnut Babka. Even though it requires more time to prepare, this babka has an amazing crumb that is irresistible. For easier and quick bread recipes you may want to try this Cinnamon Braided Bread or this Chocolate Swirl Milk Bread. This Nutella Pull Apart Bread is also a great choice perfect for any day of the year. For a savory braided bread this Christmas Braided Bread is a great choice for Christmas dinner table.

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Cranberry Orange Babka

4.50 from 4 votes

This easy Cranberry Orange Babka is a flavorful sweet bread perfect for the cranberry and holiday seasons. The babka is beautifully braided and has an impressive look. With its soft crumb and flavorful cranberry orange filling this bread makes a great treat for breakfast or as a snack during the day. 

Servings 10

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Resting Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

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Makes about 10 servings

Babka Dough

• 2 ⅔ cups (330g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
• 1/2 tsp (2g) salt
• 1¼ tsp (4g) active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup (160ml) lukewarm milk
• 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp (40g) melted butter
• Zest of an orange
• 1 egg , beaten

Cranberry Sauce

• 10 oz (300g) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 2 tbsp (30ml) orange juice
• zest of an orange

For Brushing

• 1 egg , beaten

Instructions

 

Prepare the dough.

• In a medium bowl add yeast, 1 tsp (5g) sugar and ⅓ cup (80ml) lukewarm milk. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the remaining milk, activated yeast, egg, vanilla extract, orange zest and melted butter. Start kneading it until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You can knead the dough by hand or use a hand mixer or stand mixer.
• Give the dough the shape of a ball. Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rest for about 1 hour at room temperature (warm space) until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, prepare the cranberry sauce.

• Place cranberries, sugar and orange juice into a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until thickens.
• Remove from heat and sieve. Add orange zest, stir to combine and set aside to cool until ready to use.

Assemble the babka.

• On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll the dough to a rectangle of about 18×10 inches (45x25cm).
• Spread cranberry sauce evenly, leaving about a 1/2-inch (1cm) border around the edges. Roll up the dough and cut the log in half lengthwise using a sharp knife.
• Start braiding the two pieces, trying to keep the open layers exposed so the cut ends remain on top.
• Transfer the cranberry orange babka to a 9×5-inch (23x13cm) loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
• Let it rest for 20-30 minutes to room temperature.

How to bake the babka.

• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
• Brush the bread with beaten egg.
• Reduce oven temperature to 320F (160C).
• Bake for about 45-50 minutes.
• Cover with aluminum foil after about 15-20 minutes if browns too fast.
• Let the cranberry orange babka cool completely before cutting it into slices.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving out of 10Calories: 240kcalCarbohydrates: 44.3gProtein: 4.7gFat: 4.4gSaturated Fat: 2.4gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 115mgPotassium: 118mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 17.3gCalcium: 33mgIron: 2mg

Calories: 240kcal

Course: Bread, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: babka, Christmas, cranberry, orange, sweet bread