Cheese and chutney babka
The beautiful swirls of coriander chutney and cheese running through this loaf is not only gorgeous to look at but is extremely flavorful.
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on facebook
Share
Share on email
Email
So, what is babka? The word ‘babka’ means ‘grandmother’ in Jewish where this bread finds its roots. It refers to the grandmothers who twisted the leftover challah with nuts and seeds. Babka is essentially a sweet braided dense cake/bread that was originally layered with cinnamon, nuts and seeds and rolled in a wreath shape. As chocolate became more accessible, it evolved as one of the most widely used filling which you will see today in most babkas on the internet.
Instead of the sweet route, I decided to go savory as my inspiration for the babka filling came from those delectable chutney sandwiches that I have eaten at Candies (Bandra, Mumbai). Those petite rectangles slathered with coriander chutney – spicy, tangy and sweet at the same time are so addictive, you just can’t have one. So well, better to have a loaf then!
My version of babka has both semolina as well as plain flour to get that crumbly texture of the slice bread so typical of Mumbai sandwich bread. So, in all, make this to enjoy not one or two but a whole tempting loaf of coriander chutney and cheese.
You can have this slice plain but I would recommend toasting and then slathering it with some butter and some more of that delicious coriander chutney with a slice of cheese if you like. Telling you, it is a bite of heaven!! 🙂
For those, who would like to see a step by step process of how to make this amazing bread, do check ‘babka’ under highlights on my Instagram account. I have been doing a series of step by step process story on some of my recipes lately on my Instagram account and babka was voted as one of the story.
Some of the other breads on the blog may interest you:
- Softest oats and whole-wheat sandwich loaf
- Focaccia bites and cheesy masala pavÂ
- Chili cheese loaf
- Spinach sandwich loaf
- Tiger/giraffe bunsÂ
Update: I updated this recipe on 19/5/2021 with measurements in grams and new photos.
Recipe Card
Cheese and chutney babka
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
Fusion
PREP TIME
30 minutes
COOK TIME
3.40 hours
SERVINGS
makes one loaf
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: Fusion | Category: Breads
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 3.40 hours | Servings: makes one loaf
The beautiful swirls of coriander chutney and cheese running through this loaf is not only gorgeous to look at but is extremely flavorful.
Ingredients
- To activate the yeast:
- 100 ml water
- 6 gm (1 tsp) sugar
- 4 gm (1 tsp) instant yeast
- For the dough:
- 260 gm (2 cups) bread flour
- 190 gm (1 cup) semolina (unroasted)
- 6 gm (1 tsp) salt
- 24 gm (2 tbsp) oil
- 150 ml water
- For coriander chutney:
- 1 cup packed coriander with roots, washed and dried
- 1-inch ginger
- 6 green chilies
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20-25 curry leaves
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese (or any other hard cheese of your liking)
Method
- Make the chutney:
- Grind all the ingredients except coriander leaves in a coarse paste.
- Add coriander leaves and blitz again with 1 tbsp ice cold water at a time just until it all comes together.
- Keep the chutney thick as a thinner consistency would run over while spreading on the bread.
- Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.
- Activating the yeast:
- In a bowl, mix 100 ml of warm water, sugar and instant yeast. Stir well.
- Keep it aside till the mix becomes frothy.
- Make the dough:
- In a large bowl, combine bread flour, semolina, salt, oil and mix well.
- Add the activated yeast and the remaining water to make a sticky dough.
- Remove the dough on to a clean surface and knead the mix in a soft, pliable dough
- Place it in a greased bowl and cover it for an hour or until it doubles.
- Once the dough has risen, deflate the dough and gently knead for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the dough back to a greased bowl for second proofing till it doubles in volume.
- Shaping the loaf:
- Grease a loaf tin of 9×5 inches and line it with a baking paper
- Gently remove the dough from the bowl and roll the dough in a rectangle that has a similar length as that of your loaf tin.
- Spread the coriander chutney evenly all over the rectangle leaving ½ inch bare from the edges.
- Grate the cheese over the chutney.
- Roll the rectangle into a tight log.
- Pinch the seam together and place the log downwards on its seam.
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into two equal parts leaving 2 inches of the log uncut at the top.
- Separate out the two parts away from each other but intact from the top.
- Now, start to criss-cross the two parts like a braid.
- Twist the ends together and pinch it firmly.
- Gently lift it and place it in the greased loaf tin.
- Cover the loaf and keep it aside until it rises almost to the edge of your pan.
- Baking the bread:
- Pre heat the oven to 180 C
- Keep a tray with 2 glasses of water at the bottom rack to create steam in the oven
- Gently brush the top of your loaf with milk.
- Bake the bread in the oven for at least 30-35 minutes.
- If your loaf is turning too brown at the top, cover it with an aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes of the cooking time.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Gently, flip the pan and remove the bread on a wire rack to cool.
- Slice it when it has cooled completely.
Notes
- If you don’t have bread flour, you can use plain flour as well. Bread flour has a higher protein content which gives a higher rise and airy texture to the loaf but if you don’t have it, plain flour will do as well.
- Each flour is different. If you find your dough too sticky, add 1 tbsp of flour to the mix.
- The temperature of the water should be warm, not hot. To test, simply put your finger in the bowl. If you are able to comfortably keep you finger in, it is good to go. Instant yeast can be used without proofing but I personally like to proof it just to see it active and bubbling.
- Coriander, just like any other herb tends to go dark quickly if heated. Grinding all the ingredients first before adding coriander will help keeping it green. The heat from the blade of the blender can make it dark and therefore using ice cold water will also help retain its vibrant green colour.
- Do keep the consistency of the coriander chutney thick as the thinner chutney would run over making it very difficult to fold the loaf.
- Six chilies in the chutney is intentional as the plain bread and the cheese will make it taste just perfect. In fact I would suggest making some extra coriander chutney, so that you can slather it over the babka slice later 🙂
- I use US cup measurement which is 1 cup = 235 ml
- Recently, I did the same recipe in a nonstick 8-inch loaf tin with these dimensions: 8.5 inches in length, 4 inches in width and 4 inches in height and it fitted nicely, ending with a taller loaf.
- For those, who would like to see a step by step process of how to make this amazing bread, do check ‘babka’ under highlights on my Instagram account.
Did you make this recipe? Follow me on Instagram handle @acookwithin or @acookwithin on Facebook.
www.acookwithin.com
Previous image
Next image
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on facebook
Share
Share on email
Email
Let me know how this recipe turned out for you by writing to me in the comments below. And if you take a picture, please tag me on my instagram handle @acookwithin 
to share your creation😊 It would make my day!
10 thoughts on “Cheese and chutney babka”
Hema is a very talented baker. Not only are her designs and creations amazing to look at, they taste just as great if not better.
Thank you so much! 🙂
The twist in babka is absolutely amazing
Thank you so much Kavita 🙂
Hi Hema,
Thanks for this recipe. I tried my hand at it yesterday. Being a new baker, I struggled with the braids, especially as I put far too much chutney in my first roll. The next roll turned out much better as I applied just the right amount of chutney. The final product did not look like yours but the taste was yummy. Thank you for inspiring me to try something like this and look forward to trying more of your creations.
Love,
Rashmi
I am so happy to hear this! For the first bake, you did an amazing job 🙂 Thank you so much for putting faith in my recipe. Looking forward to more!!! 🙂
Tried my hands on the babka ( as an absolute new baker ) and it turned out to be super delicious. It was very soft. Followed the recipe exactly except for the chutney ( I used a pizza pasta sauce ) with cheese and it turned out to be superb. My family thoroughly enjoyed the bread and couldn’t stop complimenting how flavourful the bread was. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe. Also , special thanks to Hema didi for guiding and helping me patiently with every query.
Oh! Ankita, this is so wonderful 🙂 I am so happy to hear that your family enjoyed the bread. It truly makes my day!
Hey Hema .. I tried the babka recipe today and happy to say.. it came out perfect as I expected ! The flavours were such distinct n yum 🙂 Thanks a lot for sharing ur recipes !
Hi Twinkle, you make me so proud! I am so glad that you enjoy all my recipes and have so much faith to try them out. Thank you so much 🙂