Bakers are putting their stamp on this age-old baked treat for the masses //

By ACF Pastry Chef Robert Wemischner

Babka has come a long way from its earliest incarnations, thought to have been first made in 19th century Eastern Europe. Its precursor, challah, that eggy, rich, yeasted bread iconic to Jewish cuisine, was often enhanced with a spread of jam or nut filling, thus becoming the early versions of what we now know as babka.

Etymologically speaking, babka comes from baba, the Polish word for grandmother. In the early days, babka was typically baked in a tall, fluted pan (called a gugelhupf or kugelhupf) to resemble a grandmother’s skirt. In the early 20th century, babkas were transformed into braided rings of dough filled with nuts, cinnamon sugar, raisins and a whole catalog of other delicacies.

Flash forward to the present, babka is enjoying a true renaissance in this time of creative ferment, thanks, in part, to a few committed artisans such as Gadi Peleg , owner of Breads Bakery (with three locations in New York City); Shimi Aaron, a maker of artisan babka in Los Angeles; and Guy Frenkel, owner of Céor Bread, also in Los Angeles. From sweet to savory, babka is enjoying its place on the menu beyond just at Jewish delis.

At Céor, Frenkel focuses on naturally leavened products, including what he calls his line of “babka couture.” One example is filled with roasted Tahitian squash, white chocolate ganache and candied walnuts — a far cry from traditional versions. “I like the idea of the breads changing with the season, going with the flow of what farmers bring to the market every week,” says Frenkel, who even makes a vegan ganache for the filling of one his babkas and sells his creations to catering companies, restaurants, hotels, natural food stores and specialty food vendors throughout Los Angeles.

Aaron’s signature babka takes shape in different forms, from braided rings to loaves and individual rolls bejeweled with rose petals and house-made candied orange peel; the babka is then showered with pistachios, a staple ingredient from his Middle Eastern background. “My homeland, Israel, is a melting pot where people have come from everywhere,” he says. “My creative impulses were forged in a place with many different populations and ethnicities. Therefore, my babka reflects diverse influences. I intend it to be modern, certainly artisanal. Traditional babka is more bready; mine is meant to be eaten as a dessert, served perhaps with pistachio cardamom ice cream or poached seasonal fruit.”

His background in jewelry design can be seen in the eye-popping and luxurious look of his babkas that have taken Los Angeles by storm. Threaded throughout his creations are nods to the days when he cooked with his mother and grandmother. Making some of his loaves kosher and therefore dairy-free, he began his babka experiments using oil only. He then branched out to include a savory line of products featuring, in one case, a filling of za’atar, feta and mozzarella, enriched with olive oil. “I never wish to rest on my laurels; I enjoy changing the dough, making one more egg-rich and another enriched with butter, and still others in the savory category a bit leaner intended to end a dairy-based meal,” he says.

At Breads Bakery, Peleg uses a lightly sweetened laminated dough to create one-pound loaves. This dough lends itself equally well to sweet and savory uses, such as a bialy-inspired version filled with onions and poppy seeds.

Nutella and chocolate chips are the attraction in another babka version, harkening back to Peleg’s childhood habit of eating the hazelnut spread on a spoon right from the jar. “I like to think that we have taken a product that was somewhat marginalized, even irrelevant, and made it fresh and new — all by hand using no preservatives or chemicals, while also spinning the flavor combinations just a little,” he says. “I am fully focused — obsessed, even — with producing a line of babkas, baked several times daily, that have broad appeal for the traditionalists and those seeking something more ‘new wave,’ but above all, keeping it very accessible.”