Easter babka - martha stewart living

3 Cakes

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 cups Milk
½ pounds (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 packs (2 T) dry yeast
¼ cup Warm water
4 larges Eggs
4 larges Egg yolks
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Zest of 2 oranges
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Orange-flavored liqueur
9 cups Sifted unbleached flour
1 cup Slivered almonds, chopped
1 cup Muscat raisins
1 cup Golden raisins
3 tablespoons Confectioners' sugar (opt.)
1¼ cup Confectioners' sugar mixed WITH
¼ cup Lemon juice AND
1 teaspoon Water, for glaze

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, scald milk. Add butter and stir until melted. Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl, stir yeast into warm water; let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. In a large bowl, beat eggs, yolks, and sugar until thick. Add salt, zests, vanilla, and liqueur. Stir to combine. Stir in milk mixture, then yeast. Add flour, a cupful at a time, until dough is moist but not sticky, mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands. Stir in almonds and raisins. Knead dough on a floured board, adding more flour if dough is too sticky, until dough comes away from your hands, about 6 minutes. Place dough in a very large buttered bowl. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Heat oven to 350'. Butter three 9-or 10-inch kugelhopf or angel-food-cake pans. Sprinkle pans with a tablespoon of confec- tioners' sugar, if desired. Divide dough into 3 portions and form into balls; arrange in pans and cover loosely. Let dough rise to tops of pans, about 30 minutes. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until cakes are golden brown and tops make a hollow sound when tapped with knuckles. Cool for 5 minutes in pans; turn out onto racks and cool for 20 minutes more. Spoon glaze onto babka, allowing it to drip over sides.

Martha Stewart Living/April & May 94/Scanned & fixed by Di and Gary

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