Matcha Honey Babka W/ Matcha Streusel Topping

Babka is one of my family's favorite sweet breads to chow down on. Usually we like to make ours braided with chocolate ganache filling or Nutella, but I thought for this Instructables I would experiment with a different kind and it went over quite well. I even went big and tried my hand at a Matcha Streusel to top it with. If you like Matcha you will love this bread!

Step 1: Ingredients!

Yields - 2 Loaves

Babka Dough

1 Cup of Warmed Milk

2 1/4 Teaspoons of Active Dry Yeast

1/2 Cup of Sugar + 2 Teaspoons

1 Whole Egg + 1 Egg Yolk

1/2 Cup of Softened, Room Temp Unsalted Butter

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

4 1/4 Cups of All Purpose Flour

Matcha Honey Filling

8 Ounces of Honey

3 Tablespoons of Matcha Powder

1 Tablespoon of Hot Water

Matcha Streusel

1/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour

1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup of Melted Unsalted Butter

1/2 Tablespoon of Matcha Powder

Egg Wash

2 Eggs

2 T. Water

Step 2: Let's Start!

In your large mixing bowl of choice, along with a mixer equipped with a dough hook, pour in the heated milk (no hotter than 95 Degrees), yeast, and 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Step 3: Bubbles!

Mix until ingredients have combined, and then cover with plastic and let sit for 5 minutes to feed your yeast.

After the 5 minutes it should be frothy and bubbly looking. See photo for reference.

Step 4: Make the Dough!

Next, add in the rest of your sugar, the butter and your egg + egg yolk into the mixture and set the mixing speed to low.

Step 5: Just Keep Mixing!

As the dough is mixing on low speed, combining the fats you just added, start scooping in your flour a cup at a time until it is all added.

Step 6: Just Keep Mixing!

As soon as all the flour has been added (While mixer is still mixing on low) add in your salt.

Once everything has been added, you can up the speed to medium and let the dough mix continuously for 6 minutes. This will knead the dough, if you prefer you can do this part by had as well.

Step 7: Proof!

After the 6 minutes of kneading time, take the dough and place it in a greased up bowl. Wrap it up and allow it to rise somewhere warm until doubled in size. This takes around 1 to 1.5 hours depending on how warm it is where you place your dough to proof.

To speed things up I suggest warming your oven to 200 Degrees and then shutting it off entirely. Place the wrapped dough in the oven on a tray and let it sit in there with the oven door cracked open.

Step 8: Matcha Streusel!

While your bread proofs, it is a good time to prep up your filling and topping for the Babka.

For the Matcha Streusel, in a small bowl measure out your flour, brown sugar and Matcha powder and whisk them together.

Step 9: Matcha Streusel!

Add the melted butter to the whisked together Streusel ingredients.

Use a fork to mix in the butter until everything clumps together and you have a crumble. Set aside for now.

See photo for reference.

Step 10: Matcha Filling!

In another small bowl, combine the honey, Matcha powder and hot water listed under the filling ingredients. Stir them together until everything is combined into a cohesive spread. See picture for reference.

Step 11: Matcha Goodness!

With that you have your topping and filling prepped. Set them aside until your dough has proofed and is ready to go.

Step 12: Punch Out Air!

Once your dough has doubled in size and completed the proofing stage, unwrap it and press out the air.

Divide the dough in half into two equal parts.

Step 13: Roll Out!

Place one mound of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle shape as best you can. About a 1/4 inch thickness. See photo for reference.

Step 14: Fill!

Once your dough has been rolled out, pour half of the honey matcha filling mixture onto it and spread evenly across, leaving about a 1/2 inch edge empty all around it that you don't spread the filling to.

This filling is a bit runny and will try to escape so leaving some space at the edges helps to give it spreading room so you don't lose too much filling.

Step 15: Roll Up!

After the filling has been spread onto the dough, begin to
tightly roll it up.

Place the rolled up, filled dough onto a sheet pan and place in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes. This is just to chill and set the dough and filling a bit so make it easier to cut, and less messy for the next step! It should not fully freeze or you will not be able to work with it to twist.

Step 16: Cut the Roll!

After the roll has been set up a bit in the freezer. Take it back out and cut it in half length wise.

See photo for reference and all those layers of yummy goodness!

Step 17: Twist It!

Once cut in half, twist together the two halves of the dough to form a layered braid. See photos.

Place the braid in a lightly greased loaf pan and let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 18: Egg Wash!

While the braided loaves rest, mix up your egg wash recipe from the ingredients page.

Step 19: Top It, Bake It!

Once the braids have rested, brush on a nice thick layer of egg wash and top with the Matcha Streusel.

Place in the oven and bake at 350 Degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Step 20: Yum!

Once the bread comes out of the oven time to enjoy! This is a bread that is best served warm with the matcha honey filling gooey and delicious. This bread taste like tea time!

I hope you give this a try and enjoy this delicious combo of sweet bread, honey, and matcha! Thank you for checking out this Instructable.