Babkallah = Babka + Challah

If you are wondering what on earth is a Babkallah, you are definitely missing out! Babkallah is a hybrid bread combining a babka and a challah. So basically, here I used the dough from my Sourdough Challah recipe. Added some sweet red bean paste to the dough. Then, shaped it like a babka but braided like a challah.

Ever since my Sourdough Challah experiment last month, I have been obsessed with challah. Challah bread is so versatile. Not only does it taste amazing just slightly toasted with some vegan butter, it’s even better when you make French toast with it. Simply whip up a vegan French toast batter, dip several slices of challah toasts into it, then fry it with more vegan butter.

Matcha 🍵 & Red Bean – Classic Flavor Pairing

The flavor pairing of matcha and red bean paste (aka anko) is a classic Japanese combination. I’ve always wanted to make a sweet sourdough bun with matcha & red bean paste. Since the idea of making a babkallah came to my mind, I thought it would be a good idea to make a babkallah with a Japanese twist. I used the leftover anko I made for the Easter bunny rolls, but you can easily replace it with store bought ones if you prefer not to make yours.

Yudane Method 💦

This vegan sourdough challah have the texture that resemble most Japanese bread – super soft and fluffy. As I learned more about sourdough baking over the past year, I came across the Yudane Method. Yudane method is the secret to make a soft and fluffy Japanese style bread. In order to bake using this method, you simply mix an equal portion of flour and boiling water. The effect of adding boiling water to flour is that it gelatinises the starch. The gelatinised starch will allow the starch to absorb more water, and thus enhancing the sweetness of the bread.

Yudane method is in fact similar to the Tangzhong method I used in my sourdough shokupan recipe. Unlike the 1:1 flour-to-water ratio in Yudane method, the Tangzhong mixture is made by heating up a mixture of flour and water in the ratio of 1:5 to 65°C.

For more sourdough recipe using Yudane method, check out my vegan sourdough shokupan and sourdough cinnamon roll recipe.

Stiff Levain

In this recipe, I used a 50% hydration lievito madre as the stiff levain. Using a stiff levain is crucial in this recipe because the tanginess in sourdough starter does not go well with matcha flavor. You can of course convert your 100% hydration sourdough starter to a 50% hydration starter if you don’t have lievito madre. You can learn how to convert your starter by following the recipe below. If you are using lievito madre, remember to refresh at least 3 times (4 hours apart) before using it. You will need 180g of lievito madre for this recipe.

Baking Schedule

4pm: Prepare Levain
8pm: Mix the dough
8:30pm: Retard in fridge
Next day
8:30am: Shape and braid the challah. Proceed to final proof
12:30pm: BAKE!