Pumpkin babka is a lightly sweetened, braided bread that makes the perfect baking project for fall. It's filled with pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spices.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender, enriched pumpkin bread that's lightly sweetened and swirled with pumpkin pie spices.
Pareve: This recipe is dairy-free
Yield: One 8.5 x 4.5 loaf (about 10 slices)
Similar to: Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Flour - Bread flour works best in this recipe. All-purpose flour can work as a substitute as long as it's a higher protein brand, like King Arthur flour.
- Yeast - I use instant yeast in this recipe but dry active yeast will also work. If you're using dry active yeast, your rise times will be about 15-20 minutes longer.
- Pumpkin puree - Make sure you're using a can of plain pumpkin puree (the only ingredient is pumpkin) and not a can of pumpkin pie filling. Cooked and mashed pumpkin will also work as a substitute.
How to make pumpkin babka
- Whisk yeast and warm water to dissolve and add to remaining ingredients in a bowl.
- Stir until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a floured countertop and knead until smooth.
- Add to a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled and puffy.
- Roll out into a 12x18 rectangle.
- Spread filling mixture over dough.
- Roll dough up into a log (just like cinnamon rolls) and use kitchen shears or a knife to slice in half.
- Pinch two ends together and twist the two logs together with the cut sides facing up.
- Pinch the other two ends together and lightly grease a loaf pan.
- Place braid into your loaf pan and cover.
- Allow to rise for 1 hour or until almost doubled in size while oven preheats.
- Bake until golden brown and center reaches 195F.
Heather's top tip
Use an instant-read thermometer
It can be hard to tell when yeast bread is done using visual cues alone, so I use an instant-read thermometer. Bread is done when it reaches 195F in the center. A thermometer prevents doughy or dry bread and ensures baked goods turn out perfectly every single time.
Ways to serve babka
Room temperature or warmed - Serve babka room temperature or warmed for 10 seconds in the microwave. Pair it with coffee or tea for breakfast, brunch, or as a less-sweet dessert.
Pan-fried - Fry a slice of babka in melted butter or oil until crispy on both sides.
Toasted - Toast and spread with butter and a sprinkle of kosher salt for breakfast.
French toast - Day-old babka makes an excellent French toast. Substitute regular bread slices with sliced babka and serve with maple syrup.
A la mode - Warm up a slice of babka in the microwave for 10 seconds and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe works with an 8.5.4x5 loaf pan (shown), a 9x5 loaf pan (for a slightly wider bread) or a 9x4 pullman pan (for straight sides and a traditional store-bought look).
Yes, this recipe is dairy-free, meat-free, and vegan.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Babka
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (180) water, warm (about 110F)
- 1 ½ teaspoons (5) instant yeast
- 3 ⅓ cups (400 g) bread flour, or high protein AP flour*
- 1 ½ teaspoons (4 g) kosher salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons (58 g) maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) olive oil
Filling
- ¼ cup (53 g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (5 g) pumpkin pie spice blend
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add warm water and yeast and whisk until yeast is dissolved.
- Add flour, salt, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. This dough may look dry while mixing, but resist the urge to add water. Dough gets stickier in the kneading phase.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes. Dough will look smooth, slightly tacky, and slowly springs back when gently pressed.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, tossing dough to coat all sides, and cover with plastic wrap or an airtight lid. Allow to rise for about 1 hour at room temperature, or until doubled in size.
- Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into about a 12x18 rectangle.
- In a small bowl add brown sugar, pumpkin spice blend, and olive oil. Stir to create a paste. Spread over dough, leaving a 1 inch border around the edges.
- Starting at the long side, roll up to form a log. Place the log seam side down, then use a serrated knife or kitchen shears to slice it in half lengthwise to create two logs.
- Pinch two of the ends together. With the cut sides facing up, twist the two logs around each other about 3 times. Pinch together the other two ends.
- Transfer loaf, cut sides up, into a greased 8.5x4.5 loaf pan (or 9x4 pullman pan).
- Same day: Cover with plastic wrap (allowing space for the dough to expand) and allow to rise for 1 hour at room temperature, or until puffy, jiggly, and almost doubled in size.Overnight: Cover with plastic wrap (allowing space for the dough to expand) and transfer to the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. If your dough is refrigerated, set pan on the counter while the oven preheats.
- Transfer loaf to the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the center reaches 195℉. Tent your loaf with foil if the top is browning too quickly.
- Rest bread for a few minutes before popping out of the pan and transferring to a cooling rack (this ensures the bread doesn't get soggy while cooling in the pan). Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- *Flour variations: This recipe works best with bread flour, but an AP flour with higher protein content (like King Arthur) can also produce great results. Low protein flours like cake flour or white lily flour are not recommended.
- Yeast: This recipe can be prepared with instant or dry active yeast. If using dry active yeast, your rise times will take slightly (15 to 20 minutes) longer.
- Variations - Pumpkin pie spice blend can be substituted with cinnamon.
- Storage - Bread will keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!