This apple cinnamon babka features sweet apples and a thick cinnamon filling twisted inside a rich and buttery yeasted dough. Finish the indulgent loaf with a buttery brown sugar cinnamon crumble topping and bake until golden brown. This is a must-try recipe and it’s impossible not to love!
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
What Is Babka?
Babka has a rich history. When I read more about the treat as I worked on today’s recipe, I learned that it originated in the early 1800s with the Polish Jewish community. Leftover challah dough was filled with jam or cinnamon, rolled up, and baked. The babka we see all over the place today, I read, is much richer and sweeter than its ancestor. You can find it filled with chocolate or almond paste—this is my favorite chocolate version—or the newer babka variations with pizza fillings, Nutella, pesto, and more. Food52 has an in-depth article all about babka if you want to read more about its history and popularity today.
I first tried my hand at homemade babka a couple years ago. Who’s made the Nutella babka recipe before? If you loved it, you’re in for a treat today. If you’re not a fan of Nutella, you’re also in for a treat today. I revamped the dough so it’s (1) even richer (2) even flakier and (3) only yields 1 loaf instead of 2. In terms of taste and texture, it’s more like a brioche loaf than croissant bread. We’re filling it with a thick layer of sweet cinnamon and you can use your favorite variety of apples. If I’m being honest, this apple cinnamon babka has to be one of the best things I’ve ever made with apples. Between all the recipe testing, today’s photos, the video, and making it for a few friends, I’ve baked about 12 loaves by now. And there’s NEVER a crumb leftover.
Update: I now have a lemon blueberry babka recipe, too!
In case you’re wondering, our self control is stuck inside one of those apple cinnamon swirls. I’m positive you’re going to obsess over it too.
One reader, Meagan, commented: “AMAZING! I have baked a lot of Sally recipes, but this one is MY FAVORITE. It was honestly super easy and the taste, consistency, etc. was INCREDIBLE. LOVED and will make it again (and again and again). ★★★★★”
Another reader, Yudith, commented: “Thanks so much for this amazing recipe, Sally! I had never made Babka before, but your instructions were so clear that it was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Another delicious recipe from your blog, as always! ★★★★★”
Detailed Overview: How to Make Apple Cinnamon Babka
The full written recipe is below, but let me walk you through the steps so you can understand the process before starting.
- The dough. You need milk, yeast, sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt, and flour. Why only egg yolks? They make the richest tasting dough. We’re not wasting the egg whites, though—we’ll use one in the filling and one to brush on the dough before adding the topping. The dough is very soft, supple, and almost creamy-feeling. After the dough is prepared, it’s time to knead it. You can knead the dough with your mixer or by hand. You can watch me knead the dough in the video tutorial above, or in my separate How to Knead Dough post. Add additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to your work surface.
- Extended rise time. Allow the prepared dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 3–4 hours or until nearly double in size. This dough is rich with fat, so it takes longer than other doughs to rise. Don’t be nervous if it’s closer to 4–5 hours—it’s a heavy dough and needs extra time to rise.
- The apple cinnamon filling. First, soften the apples on the stove with a little butter. (Step 5 in the recipe below.) Second, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract until crumbly and combined. Stir in one of the leftover egg whites. The egg white helps solidify the cinnamon filling, so it’s extra thick and crumbly inside. Like cinnamon crunch bread and cinnamon swirl quick bread, this babka is heavy on the cinnamon. We really want it to stand out!
- Shape the babka dough: As noted in the written recipe below, punch down the dough then roll it out into a 12×16-inch rectangle. Gently spread the brown sugar cinnamon filling all over the dough, then top with the apples. We’re shaping today’s babka a little differently than the Nutella babka. In that recipe, you slice the rolled dough down the center to expose the Nutella inside. That proved to be very difficult here, as all the apples spilled out. Instead, tightly roll up the dough to form a 16-inch log. Fold in half, then twist it to form a figure 8. Use the video tutorial above for a visual and detailed directions below as your guide.
- 2nd rise: Let the shaped babka rise in a greased loaf pan for about 1–1.5 hours.
- Crumble topping: The crumble topping is totally optional. But it uses some of the same ingredients you need for the dough and filling, so why not? Mix a little brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add cold butter and using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut it into the brown sugar mixture until crumbles form.
- Finish it off before baking: Remember that other egg white? We’ll use it here. Carefully brush the surface of the babka with the last remaining egg white. Using a toothpick, poke 10–12 holes all over the top of the loaf. Why are you doing this? It actually allows steam to escape from inside the loaf so the layers don’t separate. I learned this trick from Food52. Finally, sprinkle the crumble topping on top.
- Time to bake: The bread takes about 1 hour, give or take. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.
Serving/Slicing Tip: For neat slices, I recommend cooling the babka completely before slicing. The bread has so much filling that it will fall apart if sliced warm.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here is the dough after you mix the dough ingredients together:
Here is the dough after it rises and then after you punch it down:
Soften the apples on the stove and make the cinnamon filling:
Spread cinnamon filling on rolled out dough and top with apples:
Roll it up into a log:
Left photo below (before 2nd rise): Fold log in half, then twist into a figure 8. Place into your greased loaf pan, then let it rise until puffy, about 1 hour.
Right photo below (after 2nd rise): Dough is nice and puffy. Brush with egg white, poke holes in the loaf to prevent separation, then top with crumble topping.
Bake until golden brown. The brown sugar cinnamon topping melts down, some apple cinnamon filling may seep out creating jammy-like edges and crevices, and the entire kitchen smells like fall. This is SO GOOD:
In Short, This Apple Cinnamon Babka Is:
- Extra flaky
- Buttery, moist, and overflowing with apple cinnamon filling
- Mesmerizing with all those delicious swirls
- Topped with buttery brown sugar cinnamon crumbles
- Irresistible & addictive (we COULDN’T STOP EATING THIS)
- Satisfying, especially on a cool rainy day
- Worth all the effort, trust me!
For an easier apple cinnamon recipe without yeast, you’ll enjoy this apple cinnamon bread. And don’t forget to try my classic apple pie & apple cobbler, fresh and easy apple cake, or apple cider French toast if you find yourself with a plethora of apples!
Print
Apple Cinnamon Babka
- Prep Time: 5 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Jewish
Description
This apple cinnamon babka features sweet apples and a thick cinnamon filling twisted inside a rich and buttery yeasted dough. See recipe notes for freezing and overnight instructions.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star (1 standard packet)*
- 1/3 cup (62g) granulated sugar, divided
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, sliced into 1 Tbsp-size pieces and softened to room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks (reserve 2 egg whites for filling and topping)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 and 2/3 cups (334g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed and extra for work surface and hands
Filling
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, divided
- 2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced into bite-size pieces (2–2.5 cups, or 250–313g)*
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar (or a mix of both)
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white (reserved from dough)
Crumble Topping (Optional)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Brush on Assembled Loaf
- 1 egg white (reserved from dough)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a handheld mixer or mix the dough by hand using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.*
- Add the remaining sugar, the butter, egg yolks, salt, and 1 cup (125g) flour. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add another 1 cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until relatively incorporated (there may still be chunks of butter). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Add 1/2 cup of flour and beat on medium speed until the dough begins to come together. As the mixer runs, add another 2–4 Tablespoons of flour depending on how wet the dough looks. (I usually add another 2 Tbsp, which makes it about 2 and 2/3 cups of flour total.) This should be a very soft and almost creamy-feeling dough. Do not add more flour than you need.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 6-8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 3–4 hours or until nearly double in size. This dough is rich with fat, so it takes longer than other doughs to rise. (If desired, use my warm oven trick for rising. See my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Towards the end of rise time, you can prepare the filling: Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the apples. Stir and cook until the apples are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice to help prevent browning. Set aside. For the rest of the filling in this step, make sure you don’t prepare it too far in advance because the butter will solidify and spreading onto the dough will be difficult. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium heatproof bowl in the microwave (or use the stove). Stir in brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract until crumbly and combined. Stir in the egg white. Set aside.
- Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a 12×16-inch rectangle. Carefully and slowly spread the cinnamon filling mixture on top. (The dough is quite soft underneath and you don’t want to tear it.) Add the apples in a single layer. Using floured hands, tightly roll up the dough to form a 16-inch long log. If any parts of the dough feel soft as you roll it up, add a sprinkle of flour as I do in the video above. Place the log on its seam. Fold in half, then twist it to form a figure 8. Pinch the ends together. Use the video tutorial and photos above as a visual. Place in prepared loaf pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover shaped babka with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it’s puffy and nearly reaches the top of the loaf pan, about 1–1.5 hours.
- Towards the end of rise time, you can prepare the crumble topping: Mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the cold butter and using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut butter into the brown sugar mixture until pea-size crumbles form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Place a baking sheet on a lower oven rack to catch any juices or crumbles that may drip/drop down. (Has only happened to me once!)
- Carefully brush the surface of the babka with last remaining egg white. Using a toothpick, poke 10–12 holes all over the top of the loaf. This allows steam to escape from inside the loaf so the layers don’t separate. Sprinkle with crumble topping.
- Bake: Bake for 60–65 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you gently tap on the loaf, it should sound hollow. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I usually add aluminum foil over the loaf around the 25-minute mark.) Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. For neat slices as pictured above, I recommend cooling completely before slicing. A serrated knife is best for slicing.
- Cover leftover babka tightly and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked babka freezes wonderfully. Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw wrapped loaf overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm to your liking. You can also freeze the dough. After punching down the dough in step 7, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then punch the dough down again to release any air bubbles. Continue with the rest of step 7.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the dough through step 3. Place into a greased bowl (use nonstick spray to grease). Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to come to room temperature, then let it rise until doubled in size, about 3 hours. Continue with step 5. I don’t recommend shaping the bread the night before as it will puff up too much overnight.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl | Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Rolling Pin | Pastry Cutter | Pastry Brush
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. Any instant yeast works. You can use a 1:1 substitution of active dry yeast instead with no changes to the recipe. Rise times will be slightly longer if using active dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Apples: Use your favorite variety of apple. I typically use Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp.
Reader Comments and Reviews
So I have made your previous babka recipe that creates two loaves when I had visitors, but love this more approachable single loaf! Could I fill this with chocolate or Nutella or is there something special about this dough that’s intended for heavier fillings?
A chocolate or Nutella filling works!
This bread is seriously delicious! What an awesome recipe — thanks for the inspiration! When I was making it, I was a little nervous because some of the filling oozed out of the dough when I rolled it up. I was afraid that it might leak out during baking and be a complete mess/ruin the bread. It did leak out a little but it made the bottom of the loaf gooey and delicious which I appreciated! All that to say that even if it’s a little messy, it still will turn out sooo good! Thanks, Sally!
This is without a doubt one of the best things I’ve ever baked!! Absolutely delicious. I don’t have much experience with yeast but your video and step-by-step instructions were so helpful. I used green apples and 1 honeycrisp. The only milk I had was unsweetened vanilla almond milk and it was just fine. Mine rose a lot so it did spill over while it was baking but I had a pan underneath like you recommended so all was well. Baked for 63 minutes. Took a long time to wait but the end result was seriously so tasty! Will be making again!!
Wonderful recipe! Although there are two proofs, this bread is worth the wait! The first time I tried the recipe, it was surprised that it came out perfect. I always like desserts on the very sweet-side so I tried the recipe again, ambitiously doubling the brown sugar filling. That didn’t turn out as expected — note to other bakers: double the filling is just too much! There was a lot of spillage during the bake, but the bread still taste good!
So, this bread is delicious!! As I was rolling it up I had a feeling it would be too big for the pan but I went along with the recipe instructions as it was my first time making it. I should have gone with my instincts and made it into two loaves because it was spilling over and isn’t super pretty to look at now! Not sure if it was just me with this problem. But I recommend making this recipe into two loaves instead of one!
Sally and team, you’ve helped make Babka a part of my baking repertoire! This recipe is AWESOME…the flavor, the smell, the gorgeous apple cinnamon filling…WOW! My first try I left off the crumble topping, and for my second I added the crumble and left the shaped loaf to rise a bit longer (so it split at the top just a bit…oops). Both Babkas were INCREDIBLE and all the folks we shared it with couldn’t agree more! The video was so helpful with the process, and I can’t wait to make this again and again 🙂
Sally, do you think this would work with a gluten-free flour substitute? I have some family with celiac disease.
Hi Fran, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you give it a try!
Hi Danah, the dough won’t rise much at all in the refrigerator. But after bringing it to room temperature the next day, it should begin to rise. (Try using my warm oven trick found under the Where Should Dough Rise? question in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
Yes yes! I did a second take on it and it turned out just glorious !
Your tips are superb ! Thank you for replying and feedback.
I took a bite of this and looked at my fiance and literally said “dare I say this is better than cinnamon buns?” its’s THAT good! It’s a labour of time but SUPER easy to make. Love it! I’m excited to try and add apples to the cinnamon quick bread like you suggested in your recent post, for times when you…well don’t have alot of time. It sure was worth the patience though!
This looks amazing! Do you think it would work with almond milk and margarine. I/d like to make it kosher for the upcoming holidays.
I haven’t tested the dough that way, but I can’t see why not. Let me know how it turns out!
I used almond milk and it worked great! 🙂
I made the babka for the first time and it came out wonderful. It rose so high and the texture was just right. My family loved it. They said if I would of put a cream cheese icing on it, it would be like a huge cinnamon roll.
However, what I did do was the next day I sliced thicker slices and made french toast for them. They went nuts and just loved it. So this babka has many uses. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe.
Sally, I made the Apple Cinnamon Babka and it was terrific. I did double the recipe (except for the salt) and it came out great. I only have one good loaf pan so I used 3 of the disposable loaf pans which are a little smaller than the ‘real’ ones. I probably could have even used 4 of the disposables because the dough rose beautifully and slightly spilled over the edges of the pans. Of course I baked them on a cookie sheet for the inevitable spillover. I kept on nibbling the chunks that fell over and boy were they yummy! I have already given them out to my 2 grateful daughters and a family friend who always gets a taste of my baked goodies. Really nice dough to work with. Very similar texture to my challah dough which I make every week. I did use margarine instead of butter to keep it non dairy and it was still amazing. Nice to have a new apple recipe in my baking repertoire especially with the holidays coming up shortly.
I couldn’t wait to try this recipe and it seriously turned out so good… I’m kind of proud because it’s so pretty on the inside I haven’t baked a lot with yeast recipes but this came together perfectly. The smell while baking was so good I wish my house would keep smelling like this! Now the taste is simply delicious… apples, cinnamon and butter… all so good!
Thank you for this recipe and doing what you do Sally… another keeper recipe!
This is the BEST thing I’ve baked this year! Wow. The texture of the dough is divine. The apples and cinnamon say: hello fall. It’s as if the apple pie and cinnamon rolls had a baby. Make this… and share if necessary.
I made this twice. First time was a failure (no rise at all), 2nd was a smash hit
Reason why it failed at first is that I refrigerated it directly after step 3. As I am one who follows a recipe to the dot
The recipe needs to be modified to mention a necessary step before refrigeration
((i.e. The first room temp proof. ))
So about tweaking, the successful attempt was marvellous !! Everything good mention about it on this page is true !
Highly recommended
Hi Sally, can we make this recipe without eggs?
P.S. I just discovered your website recently and since then even I’m addicted to baking! Thanks for the wonderfully detailed explanations.. and of course the recipes!!
Hi Joyita, Welcome to the site! We haven’t tested this recipe with an egg substitute but let us know if you try anything.
This looks delicious and I’m planning on making it next week!
Weird question-how do you suggest getting the temperature of the milk-will my candy thermometer do the job? Also, do you suggest microwaving or heating it on the stove?
Thank you!
Hi Stephanie! Yes, you can just take the temperature with a candy thermometer. I microwave it for about 30 seconds, but warming on the stove works too. Honestly, I never measure the temperature– just as long as it’s warm like bathwater and not HOT like a hot tub. Hope you love it!
I have this in my oven now and it smells beautiful! I love your recipes!!
This recipe sounds wonderful and I will be making it soon. Do you think this would work with just the cinnamon mixture; I have an older friend that does not like “chunks” in his baked goods.
Hi Sharon, Yes it would. Happy baking!
Do you think I could use whole wheat flour? I have to give this a try. How are Noelle and Elise doing? 🙂
Hi Annabel, I’m sure you could but the dough may not rise as much. The rise times will likely need to be extended. Let me know how it turns out!
i’m thinking about making your babka as gifts for friends. i have a mini loaf pan that measure 4×2 1/2 and has 12 attached pans. Do you think the loaf can be cut in thirds and still work?
I haven’t tested it, but I can’t see why not!
Superb!
My dough was a bit soft and sticky so after rolling, I did no twist. I decided to
divid in half and bake in two 4×8 loaf pans.
Then I delivered one (still hot) to my neighbor and hIs teen sons. They all agreed- it was superb!
We ate mine the next day and I agree!
This recipe is delicious! Rather than crumble topping, I sprinkled cinnamon and course sugar on top. The results were amazing
I’m your biggest fan and your site is my go-to stop for new recipes. I tried your salted caramel brownies. I did not add chocolate chips or nuts, it was still scrumptious. Love you!
This was delicious!! While my shaping could use some work because the «log » is very soft and a bit tricky to handle, it still baked up beautifully and tastes wonderful! Thanks for the tip to tent it at around the halfway mark, Sally! This is definitely a keeper!
This was amazing! It was cool and rainy here in IL today, so it was the perfect inspiration to make this recipe! My family gobbled it right up, and the house smelled so good while it was baking in the oven. 😀 I’ve never made babka before, I but always wanted to try it! I will definitely be making this again. 😀 I also used my SAF Gold yeast, and the dough was ready to use after 2.5 hours!
My dough is rising now. This was a super easy and beautiful dough to make. I only added 1 extra tbsp of flour but Canadian flour is different from Americna flour to it’s important to pay attention! I can’t wait to post a pic later today!
Could this be made by omitting the apples and just using the cinnamon sugar filling?
Absolutely!
Looks amazing- I assume you could sub a milk alternative due the milk, but what are your thoughts about subbing out the butter for a dairy free alternative?
Hi Susan, I haven’t tested any dairy free alternatives. The results will certainly be different since this is a butter-heavy recipe. Have you seen my cinnamon swirl quick bread? You can use dairy free yogurt and milk there!
Wow! Right in time for the Rosh Hashanah holiday when it’s tradition to eat apples in honey!
I hope I can make this:)
This recipe looks fabulous and I cannot wait to try it! Great way to welcome in the new season.