Babka in 10 Minutes

Everything Jewish - 10 Minutes at a Time · May 31, 2026 · 7m

Babka is a sweet, braided, yeast-leavened bread or Viennoiserie that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Western Ukraine, where it was traditionally made from leftover challah dough enriched with jam, cinnamon, or nuts. The Jewish version, which gained immense popularity in the diaspora (especially New York) and Israel (where it is known as Ugat Shmarim), involves rolling a rich, often brioche-like, dough into a thin rectangle, spreading it generously with a filling—most famously chocolate , and then rolling, slicing, and artfully braiding the loaf to create its characteristic…