Eve’s Apple Babka Excels at the Bakehouse
A sweet taste of Eastern European Jewish culinary culture
As we move through the Jewish holiday season, past Yom Kippur but a couple weeks ahead of Sukkot, this is an ideal time to cut into one of the Bakehouse’s super tasty apple babkas.
Babka, as you may likely know, is one of the many foods we make that comes out of the culinary traditions of Eastern European Jews. I did not grow up with it at all in Chicago, but almost every Jewish person I know from the East Coast definitely did.
Babka’s origins would likely lie in Belarus, the Baltics, Ukraine, and Russia. The old forms of babka were much larger, ranging from the size of a modern-day panettone up to a few feet high, and their original name was likely baba, meaning “grandmother.” One theory says that with the modern era’s smaller sizes, the name shifted to the diminutive babka, meaning “little grandmother.” Others say the tall shape they were made in resembles a grandmother’s pleated skirts. Yet another origin story claims that babka is indigenous to Ukraine, where it was part of ancient fertility rituals used in the matriarchal system once in place in the region. Whatever its true provenance, babka would have come to America along with the large waves of Jewish immigrants who arrived here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
We’ve been happily making Chocolate Raisin Babka at the Bakehouse for many years, and this apple babka celebrates the holiday season—it’s a natural lead-in to Sukkot, which celebrates the fall harvest. Apples and honey are classic Eastern European Jewish holiday foods, and now we can eat them in the form of this beautiful baked good! The hygroscopic nature of the honey (it absorbs moisture over time) and the juiciness of the roasted apples make the dough even richer and moister.
The apple babka is particularly delicious when cut into slices and browned lightly in butter. It’s great with gelato, more butter, or just as it is, and it’s also a perfect pairing with Georgia Grinders Almond Butter. Jewish cookbook author and longtime friend Joan Nathan notes that apple babka is a wonderful treat for breakfast—enjoy it with the Tree Town Blend coffee that’s on special all month. Or try sautéing some apple slices in Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter, with a tiny bit of sugar and salt, and serve them alongside a warm piece of babka.
While I can’t guarantee that Eve’s Apple Babka will make the entire coming year culinarily better than the past few, I can ensure that it’ll at least get things off to an awesomely flavorful start! Available throughout September at the Bakeshop, the Deli, and the Roadshow, as well as via Mail Order.
