Almond Croissant Babka

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This almond babka is made with a soft, buttery brioche dough filled with homemade almond frangipane, twisted into a beautiful loaf, and topped with sliced almonds. It gets brushed with an almond simple syrup and dusted with powdered sugar.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Rise time1 30

Total Time2 45

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings:

Calories: 490kcal

Author: Callan Wenner

Equipment

Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
9x5 inch loaf pan
Parchment paper
Rolling Pin

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

US Customary - Metric

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

Notes

Store the loaf, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for 3 days. Freeze (wrapped in plastic wrap, foil, and in a ziplock bag) for up to 3 months.

If the yeast does not get foamy after 5 minutes, start again (checking yeast expiration and milk temperature).

It is crucial to properly measure your flour for this recipe. A digital scale is recommended.

Nutrition