It took me some time to perfect my babka. It went through stages of trial and error until I finally perfected it to its finest. I love this bread so much! And I am so proud that I made a Filipino version for this or shall I say CEBU’s version because Cebuano’s are UBECrazyPeople! hahaha.. if you are a Cebuano reading this, you know what I meant 🙂 and if you’re somewhere outside Cebu, I totally get it – stay curious and just taste it! haha

Now, I have just read about Babka’s history and am delighted that it originates from Poland. Happier coz I’m a big tennis fan of a polish tennis player – IGA SWIATEK ( no.1 tennis player in the whole world) haha… Okay okay. HISTORY! from Wiki of course 🙂

HISTORY:

A babka is a sweet braided bread or cake which originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine. It is popular in Israel (often referred to as simply a yeast cake: עוגת שמרים)[citation needed] and in the Jewish diaspora. It is prepared with a yeast-leavened dough that is rolled out and spread with a filling such as chocolate, cinnamon, fruit, or cheese, then rolled up and braided before baking.

Babka developed in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in the early 19th century. Extra challah dough was rolled up with fruit jam or cinnamon and baked as a loaf alongside the challah. Chocolate was not originally used, as it was not generally available; the chocolate babka was likely a mid-20th century American development. Its name (though not necessarily the dish itself) may be related to a type of Easter cake popular in Poland and Ukraine known as baba or the diminutive babka, which means “grandmother”, related to the Yiddish bubbe.

Although the Polish and Ukrainian babka is mutually eponymous with their Jewish counterparts, the appearance and preparation of each babka are drastically different. The Eastern European babka draws its name from its tall, stout, fluted sides formed in a traditional pan, and reminiscent of a grandma’s skirt. In comparison, the variant introduced to Western culture by emigres to New York consists of strands of rich yeasted dough interwoven and baked in a loaf tin.

Babka mainly was unheard of outside of the Polish Jewish community until the latter part of the 20th century. European-style bakeries started to offer it in the late 1950s in Israel and in the US. In addition to chocolate, various fillings including poppy seeds, almond paste, cheese, and others became popular, and some bakers began to top it with streusel.

So my babkas are available in 4 flavors: Nutty Choco Babka, Choco Babka, Ube Babka, and Red Bean Babka. Now, I am thinking of adding more flavors! 🙂 EXCITING! Can’t wait to eat the new set! 🙂