This delicious Cheese Babka recipe is perfect for any meal. Made with a soft and buttery dough and filled with a creamy savory cheese and garlic herb mixture, this babka is the perfect blend of comforting and delicious. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a delightful snack, this Cheese Babka is a crowd-pleaser.
The trick with the cheese filling is milk and fresh minced garlic that means it remains creamy even after baking and thanks to all the herbs is full of savory flavors. Impress your guests with this show-stopping bread that's easy to make with our step-by-step instructions.
Table of contents
Why you'll love this
Fluffy and Moist Bread
The dough used in our Cheese Babka recipe yields a light and airy bread that is pillowy soft. Each slice is beautifully swirled with cheese, making it visually appealing and utterly satisfying to sink your teeth into.
Delightful Cheesy Filling
This Cheese Babka is generously filled with a combination of creamy herb cheese, topped with a salty parmesan. The creamy and cheesy flavors is ideal to impress with loved ones.
Ingredients and substitutions for Cheese Babka
- Yeast: Yeast doesn’t just help give our babka that fluffy bread texture, it also help it rise to create a nice crumb.
- Milk: This helps give our loaf a soft crumb and the golden crust. You could substitute with water in equal measure if you prefer. The milk helps add extra moisture to the filling so that it doesn’t clump or become too dry during baking.
- Bread flour: Bread flour has a higher protein which helps to produce the gluten content which we need to give our babka that firm dough that is easier to shape.
- Egg: Adding moisture and binding the dough together, the egg helps act as a leavening agent as well as giving our rolls that nice light crumb thanks to the fat from the yolks.
- Butter: We add room temperature butter to our dough once the gluten has begun to form to help create a smooth and luscious dough. You could substitute with non dairy butter in equal measure, however, I have not tried this so cannot confirm the outcome.
- Boursin cheese: Creamy and herby this cheese is perfect thanks to the extra moisture meaning it will still be creamy once baked.
- Garlic and parsley: The savory elements in our filling gives the layers of savory that both compliment the cheese and give fresh depth.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Cheese Babka:
Get the yeast going: Place the yeast and milk in a bowl and allow to dissolve.
Shaggy mixture: Once bubbling, add the flour and sugar and beat on low with a dough hook, until the mixture resembles a shaggy mixture.
1
Add eggs: Add one egg and combine until fully combined and repeat until your dough is formed.
2
Toss the butter in slowly: On a low mixer setting add in 1-2 cubes of butter and incorporate until well combined. Repeat until all the butter is mixed through your dough.
3
Mix and mix: Beat until the dough looks slightly glossy and is pulling away at your bowl.
Rise: Place the dough into the fridge to rise until doubled in size.
4
Filling: Combine the cheese filling until smooth.
5
Roll: Roll your dough out to an equal rectangle, approximately 1 ½ inches longer then your loaf tin on either side.
6
Smear: Smear the filling over the dough.
Roll and shape: Roll into a tight scroll and slice into 2 equal pieces. Press two ends together and fold together as tightly as possible.
Rise: Place the loaf into your tin and allow to rise for 1 hour.
Cheesy top: Finish with grated parmesan and bake until golden.
7
Slice and serve: Allow to cool before digging in!
Variations
You can definitely change up the dish by changing the following:
Pesto - you could smear with roasted tomato pesto or basil and some goat’s cheese alongside butter in the filling for a different savory take.
Cinnamon - you could place butter, sugar and cinnamon into the filling in place of your savory filling.
Spices - instead of simply placing ground cinnamon into your filling you could add pumpkin spice or a dash of ground cardamom or allspice.
Storage
The Cheese Babka is best consumed within 24 hours of baking and should be kept covered in a container to keep the dough nice and fluffy and soft. It will stay great for up to 3 days, any longer and it is recommended to warm slightly to freshen up.
You could also freeze the baked bread covered for 1 month. It’s not best to freeze the babka pre baking.
Equipment needed to make this
Mixing bowl: You’ll need a large mixing bowl to prepare the dough and a small or medium bowl to combine the cheesy filling ingredients together.
Stand or hand mixer: A stand mixer is best due to the length of kneading time. Though a hand mixer will do the job if you use the lowest setting and work slowly so as not to overwork it. You can also make the dough by hand.
Rolling pin: A rolling pin will help you achieve a nice consistent dough, however, you could substitute a wine bottle for similar results.
Bench scraper: This isn’t necessary, however, will make shaping the nice even edges of your dough to give you a perfect rectangle shape.
Loaf tin: The loaf tin used here fits 1 kilo or 2 pounds.
Grater: To grate your fine cheese topping.
FAQ’s for the best Cheese Babka
Yes, the eggs and butter need to be room temperature so that they mix better with the dough and room temp butter will incorporate better into your dough to create that smooth texture. The cheese and butter will also incorporate best at room temperature to create a smooth filling.
Yes you can, however, you will have to knead the dough for approximately 20 minutes to achieve the same results as a mixer. You can knead in the mixing bowl directly or if kneading on a work surface, you’ll have to make sure it is best done without any additional flour to ensure the butter is properly mixed throughout without drying out your dough.
Definitely. This is best the day it’s made, however, if kept covered in a container in a cool dark place (but not the fridge, as that will dry it out and firm it up), the bread will remain nice and fluffy even the following day.
Absolutely! Our Cheese Babka recipe provides a general cheese filling, but you can get creative and customize it to your liking. Consider using a combination of your favorite cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, or even adding some herbs for extra flavor.
More cheesy recipes
Cheese Babka
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 grams / 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 100 milliliters / ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon whole milk lukewarm
- 280 grams / 2 cups bread flour
- 14 grams / 1 tablespoon superfine/caster sugar
- 55 grams / 1 large egg room temperature
- 45 grams / 3 tablespoons butter cubed and room temperature
Herb Filling
- 150 grams / 5.3 ounces Boursin garlic and herbs cheese
- 35 grams / 2 ½ tablespoons butter room temperature
- 44 milliliters / 3 tablespoons milk
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- Handful fresh parsley finely chopped
- 25 grams / 4 ½ tablesoons parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
Dough
- Place the yeast and milk in a bowl and allow to dissolve for 3 minutes.
- Once bubbling, add the flour and sugar and beat on low until the mixture resembles a shaggy mixture.
- Add in the egg and combine on low until fully combined.
- On a low setting with your mixer, add in 1 cube of butter or 2 (if your cubes are small, no more than 5 grams or ⅓ tablespoon of butter at a time) and incorporate until you cannot see any butter remnants in your dough.
- Continue by adding another piece of butter and mixing until it is fully incorporated into your dough.
- Beat for a further 5 minutes until the dough it looks slightly glossy and is pulling away at the sides of your bowl.
- Lightly butter a bowl and place the dough therein, placing in the fridge to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
- Remove from the fridge, lift and allow the dough to fully deflate.
Herb filling
- Combine the Boursin cheese, butter, milk, garlic and parsley. Set aside.
- Roll your dough out to an equal rectangle and ¼ inch thickness, approximately 1 ½ inches longer then your loaf tin on either side.
- Smear the cheese mixture over the dough leaving the ¼ inch edge without any filling.
Assembly
- Slowly and carefully roll your dough from the base of your wide rectangle into a tight scroll with the edge of the dough facing the work surface.
- With a sharp knife, cut into the center of the scroll, dividing equally.
- Lay the two pieces of dough right next to each other and fold one side of the dough over the other in the top third section.
- Fold the other piece under and over the piece of dough, slowly twirling the two pieces firmly together and pressing the ends together and folding ½ inch underneath itself to really firmly hold the dough in place.
- Lightly butter a loaf tin and carefully place the dough into the tin.
- Allow to proof at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375F.
- Top with grated parmesan and bake for 35 minutes or until golden on top.
- Remove and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting and place onto a cooling tray until it is cooled to room temperature.
- Slice it up and serve.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients: The eggs and butter need to be room temperature so that they mix better with the dough and room temp butter will incorporate better into your dough to create that smooth texture. The cream cheese and butter will also incorporate best at room temperature ensuring your frosting is nice and smooth.
- Milk: This helps give our loaf a soft crumb and the golden crust. You could substitute with water in equal measure if you prefer. The milk helps add extra moisture to the filling so that it doesn’t clump or become too dry during baking.
- Boursin cheese: Creamy and herby this cheese is perfect thanks to the extra moisture meaning it will still be creamy once baked.
- Garlic and parsley: The savory elements in our filling gives the layers of savory that both compliment the cheese and give fresh depth.
- Bench scraper: This isn’t an essential piece of equipment, however, will make shaping the nice even edges of your dough to give you a perfect rectangle shape.
- Loaf tin: The loaf tin used here fits 1 kilo or 2 pounds.
- You can make the dough by hand: You will have to knead the dough to achieve the same results as a mixer for approximately 20 minutes and is best done without any additional flour on your work surface.
- Can prepare ahead of time: Simply prepare the babka as instructed, but instead of baking immediately, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let them come to room temperature, then bake as directed.
Nutrition
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