Mince Pie Babka

Kind of a cross between a panettone, a mince pie and a cinnamon roll.

Recipe makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 300g flour

- 1 tsp salt (6g)

- 20g sugar

- 2 eggs

- 100g whole milk

- 4 g dried active yeast

- 100 g unsalted butter, cubed

For the mincemeat: 

- 1 apple, peeled and chopped 

- 150g dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, apricots, currants) 

- 1/2 teaspoon each: ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves  

-  Juice of 1 orange 

- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil 

Instructions:

- Bring all the ingredients for the dough, except the butter, together in a bowl. Using your hands or a stand mixer, knead for about 5 minutes. Let rest for a minute, then incorporate the butter slowly. Knead until smooth and elastic.

- Let proof for 30 mins to an hour, until doubled in size.

- Place, covered with cling wrap, in a bowl in the fridge, overnight.

- To make the mincemeat, place all the mincemeat ingredients into a pot and simmer for about an hour on low heat, until the apples are soft, adding water until it reaches a jammy consistency. Remove from the stove and let cool.

- Flour a surface and roll out your dough into a rectangle with a rolling pin, with the longer edge facing you. Spread the mincemeat, leaving a border around. Roll up tightly, starting from the bottom, sealing the edge at the top.

- Place seam side down, then slice lengthwise in half, so the cross section is exposed. Twist the two logs together, with the cut side up to form your babka. Seal the edges and tuck underneath. Transfer, carefully, into an oiled baking tin lined with baking paper. Cover and let proof for about an hour.

- Preheat your oven to 175C, and place the babka in. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the inside reaches the internal temperature of 200F. Remove, brush with sugar syrup (optional - I usually don’t do this!) and let cool before slicing.