Almond croissant babka starts with a soft, enriched brioche dough, gets filled with a homemade almond frangipane that bakes into every swirl, topped with sliced almonds and brushed with almond simple syrip after baking.
If you've made babka before, you know how beautiful that twisted cross section is when you slice into it. It's all the flavors you love about an almond croissant (without the lamination), in a stunning loaf that tastes like it came from a very good bakery.
I'm a big believer that baking from scratch should feel exciting, not intimidating, and this almond babka is proof that you can pull off something truly impressive with approachable steps and pantry staples.
I created this recipe because almond croissants are one of my all-time favorite pastries, and I wanted to capture that same butter, frangipane magic in a format that's attainable to make, and delicious to eat.
The sliced almonds on top get toasty in the oven, the simple syrup soaks right into the loaf, and a generous dusting of powdered sugar right before serving puts it over the top.
If you love this kind of enriched dough, my pistachio babka and chocolate babka are some other options to add to your list.
Jump to:
Why We Love It!
- Bakery-style mashup - this loaf has all the flavors of your favorite almond croissant without the hassle of laminating.
- Rich, nutty filling - the frangipane (the same one used in this peach galette and fruit tart) is made from scratch and bakes into every twist of the dough for maximum flavor in every slice.
- Impressive but doable - the twist makes it look fancy and impressive, but once you try it, you'll see it's just a fun assembly step that adds a lot to the final bake.
- Breakfast or dessert - this is versatile enough that you can make it for a sweet breakfast treat or a cozy dessert!
Ingredients
- Yeast. Active dry yeast is used here. You'll bloom it in warm milk first so you know right away that it's alive and working. If it doesn't get foamy after 5 minutes, start fresh - it's not worth risking the whole bake.
- Butter. Two jobs here. The butter in the brioche dough gets mixed in after the dough starts to come together, and it's what gives the crumb that soft, rich texture. The butter in the frangipane should be fully at room temperature so it creams up smooth.
- Eggs. Used in both the brioche dough and frangipane filling. Make sure they’re room temperature.
- Almond flour. This is the base of the frangipane filling. It gives the filling that soft, nutty, slightly dense texture that's so satisfying in every bite.
- Almond extract. Used in both the filling and the simple syrup. It's the flavor that makes this taste unmistakably like an almond croissant. Don't skip it.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar is in the enriched dough and simple syrup, and powdered sugar is used in the frangipane and dusted on top before serving.
- Sliced almonds. These go on top before baking and get toasty and golden in the oven. They add crunch and that visual bakery-style finish.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap almond extract for vanilla extract in the filling if you want a more subtle flavor.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of orange zest into the frangipane for a citrusy twist.
- Use a mix of sliced almonds and turbinado sugar on top for extra crunch.
- Add a thin layer of raspberry, cherry, or apricot jam on top of the frangipane for a fruity version! These all pair well with almond.
- If you find almond extract to be too strong, reduce the amount slightly in the frangipane and simple syrup to suit your taste buds.
📸 Step By Step Overview
This is a quick visual overview. See the recipe card for full, detailed instructions.
- Step 1: Mix together the milk, sugar, and yeast and wait ~5 minutes for the yeast to get foamy on top.
- Step 2: Add the remaining ingredeints to the mixer and knead (with a dough hook) until soft, pliable, and no longer sticking to the sides. Cover to rise.
- Step 3: Mix together all ingredients for the frangipane.
- Step 4: After the first rise, turn the dough out and pat it into a rectangle (this help with keeping shape).
- Step 5: Roll the dough out into a 10x14" rectangle (roughly), keeping the shape as much as possible.
- Step 6: Spread on the frangipane very evenly, going to the edges.
- Step 7: Roll up the dough from one of the long sides (just like a cinnamon roll).
- Step 8: Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough log in half longways.
Pro tip
Making the twist
After cutting the dough in half, pinch the top together, then turn each side so the cut side is facing UP. Keep the cut sides UP while twisting, then pinch the bottom together before placing it in the pan.
- Step 9: Wrap each piece of dough around each other and pinch the bottom closed.
- Step 10: Transfer to a lined loaf pan, cover, and rise in a warm place.
- Step 11: Risen dough should expand slighly and fill the pan a bit more.
- Step 12: Sprinkle generously with sliced almonds, then bake.
Pro tip
Checking for doneness
Start checking around the 45-minute mark. If the knife still feels like it's pushing through something stretchy or doughy, give it another 3-5 minutes. The knife should glide through cleanly.
- Step 13: Brush with almond simple syrup immediately when it comes out of the oven.
- Step 14: Cool, then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips for Success
- Room-temperature butter and eggs matter in both the dough and the filling. Cold ingredients don't incorporate as smoothly, and the filling can end up lumpy.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your flour. This dough is sensitive to too much flour, and even a small amount extra can make it stiff and dense instead of soft and pillowy.
- At first, the dough will look dry and shaggy. Keep mixing - once the butter fully incorporates, it will smooth out into something beautiful. Trust the process.
- Don't rush the second rise. The babka needs that full hour (or close to it) to puff up properly. Under-proofed babka can bake up dense.
- Keep the cut sides facing up as you twist. This is what creates that gorgeous swirled filling on the top of the loaf.
- A strip of parchment paper with overhang on both sides of the loaf pan makes it so easy to lift the babka out cleanly once it's cooled.
- Apply the simple syrup immediately when the babka comes out of the oven. The hot loaf absorbs it right away, and that's exactly what keeps it moist for days.
- Dust on the powdered sugar right before you serve it, otherwise it will melt into the simple syrup and loaf.
Testing Notes
- I originally overbaked the loaf because I was having a difficult time distinguishing when the loaf was done. The frangipane makes it feel like it's still too wet/raw, even though it was fully baked. This made the outsides much too brown, though the insides were still moist thanks to the frangipane.
- The rise time varied on different days. One time, my second rise took about 30 minutes longer than another time, simply due to the climate of my kitchen.
- I was worried about how much almond extract was in the simple sugar, but I found it to be the perfect amount and it seeped into the bread nicely.
- If you don't like almond flavor, this probably isn't the recipe for you. It has quite a strong almond flavor, though I don't find it to be overpowering.
Common Questions
Assemble the twisted loaf, place it in the pan, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight instead of doing the second rise at room temperature. The next morning, pull it out and let it come to room temperature and finish rising before baking. This will take a couple hours!
Brioche dough is naturally sticky and soft. As long as it's pulling away from the sides of the bowl and feels smooth and elastic, you're in good shape. Only add extra flour one tablespoon at a time if it truly won't come together at all.
Dump it and start again. Check the expiration date on the yeast package and double-check your milk temperature - it should be around 110°F. Too hot kills the yeast; too cold and it won't activate.
Totally, you just need to use some elbow grease! Bring the dough together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then turn it out and knead by hand. It takes about 15 minutes of active kneading to develop the gluten properly. It will be very sticky at first as the gluten develops - fight the urge to add extra flour.
It’s a bit tricky for this recipe because of the frangipane can give you a false sense of being under-done. Insert a sharp knife or skewer into the center. If it goes in with little to no resistance, it's done. If it still feels like it's dragging through something stretchy or doughy, give it another few minutes and test again. If you don’t feel any doughy areas when testing, it’s more than likely done!
Storage
Store the almond babka tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. It’s perfectly good to eat at room temperature, but I really love to give it a quick toast to warm it up a bit.
To freeze, let the loaf cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil, and place it in a zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature completely unwrapped before slicing and serving. A quick 10 minutes in a 350°F oven will bring it right back to life.
General Tid Bits
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Almond Croissant Babka
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
Ingredients
Brioche Dough
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup whole milk warmed to 110℉
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour + extra ¼ cup if needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature & cut into tablespoon pieces
Almond Filling
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg room temperature
Toppings
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Instructions
- Combine one tablespoon of sugar (from the ¼ cup), yeast, and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. Once foamy, add the remaining sugar, egg and yolk, flour (2¼ cups), salt, and butter.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, ¼ cup whole milk, 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed until it comes together into a rough ball.
- Mix on medium high speed until the dough is smooth, scraping down the sides and bottoms a few times. If the dough hasn't come together, increase the speed and keep mixing.
- When it’s ready, the dough should completely be pulled away from the sides and mostly or fully off of the bottom. If a bit is still sticking to the bottom of the bowl, that's ok. However, if it's very sticky, add an additional tablespoon of flour at a time until it mostly removes itself. The dough will be soft and supple when it’s ready.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest in a warm location for about 30 minutes.
- Right before rolling out the dough, make the almond filling.
Almond Filling
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl using a hand or stand mixer or mash it all together with a rubber spatula until smooth.6 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ¾ cup almond flour, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¾ teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 large egg
- Prepare a standard loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper overhangs and set aside.
Assembly
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, shape the dough into a rectangle with your hands, then roll the dough out into a 10x14 inch rectangle. Use a bench scraper to keep the dough in a rectangle shape.
- Once rolled out, spread the filling evenly over the dough with an offset spatula, taking it to the edges.
- Starting from one of the long edges, tightly and evenly roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together to seal, then turn and place the seam side on the counter. Gently push the dough inwards from each side, just to re-compact the log a bit.
- Cut the entire log in half lengthwise and place each piece in line with each other so the filling side is up. Pinch the top edges together, then, keeping the cut sides up, twist each piece of dough around each other as many times as possible. Pinch together the bottom pieces to seal.
- Place the dough in the prepared loaf pan. If it's too long to fit in, just tuck one of the edges next to it like an “s”.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a slightly warm location for about 1 hour until the dough puffs up and starts to fill out the pan a bit. If your kitchen is rather cold, try another room in the house, or allow it to rise in a closed oven (no heat) with just the light on.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190℃.
- Uncover the loaf and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.⅓ cup sliced almonds
- Bake for 45-50 minutes in the middle rack. The babka is done when you can insert a sharp knife and it has little resistance. If it still feels at all stretchy or doughy when you poke it in, allow it to bake for another 3-5 minutes and check again.
Simple Syrup
- As soon as the babka goes into the oven, make the simple syrup. Add the water and sugar in a small saucepan and heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.¼ cup water, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- As soon as the babka comes out of the oven, brush or spoon the simple syrup over the top, getting every nook, cranny, and edge, until it’s gone. It may feel like too much syrup, but it’s not! Cool in the pan.
- When ready to serve, dust generously with powdered sugar, then slice and enjoy.Powdered sugar
Leave a Reply