Blueberry Goat Cheese Sourdough Brioche Babka
This blueberry goat cheese sourdough brioche babka is a favorite, especially for the warmer months. The sweet blueberries pair so well with the slightly tangy goat cheese, and wrapped into a fluffy brioche loaf, it’s perfection. It comes together with a few simple, real ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A babka is one of those things that looks fancy and impressive, but is actually so simple to make! This makes such a beautiful addition to the table, or a gift for parties or holidays. The sourdough brioche makes the typically indulgent loaf incredibly gut healthy (especially when you go for an extended ferment - instructions and two options on that below!). And of course, the whole thing comes together with real ingredients only, no junk. It’s an impressive treat made simple and clean.
Ingredients
Makes 1 large loaf
For the main dough:
225g whole milk
100g sourdough starter (discard or active)
20g raw honey
7g mineral salt
1 egg
390g flour (organic heritage flour is my favorite - this link gives you 20% off!)
50g grass fed butter, soft
For the blueberry goat cheese filling:
80g blueberries (can use fresh or frozen - I prefer frozen)
10g pure maple syrup or raw honey (can add slightly more if you prefer sweeter)
50g goat cheese
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients except the butter for the main dough and mix until well incorporated and dough is smooth. Cover and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
Remove cover, mix on a low speed and add in butter in pat at a time. Increase speed and continue mixing until dough reaches windowpane (the point where you can stretch the dough as much as you can without tearing it, and see light through it - this tells you you’ve built enough gluten strength in the dough).
Cover dough and let bulk ferment until it’s about doubled in size. At the proper point of bulk fermentation, the dough should start “doming” and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. The time it takes to reach this stage will vary depending on the temperature of your ingredients, environment, etc. (For me, it’s usually anywhere from 4-8 hours, but this can vary.) (Note: from this point, you can move the dough to the fridge to continue cold proofing for an extended fermentation - I’ve done this for an additional 1-2 days!)
While dough is bulk fermenting, prepare the filling. In a small pot or saucepan, combine the blueberries and maple syrup. Mix, gently heat and cook on low until the filling has thickened and is almost a sauce-like consistency. Remove from heat and let cool. (Note: you can either add in the goat cheese and incorporate into the filling here, or just add the goat cheese separately when you shape your babka. It’s up to you - I’ve done it both ways and had great results either way.)
Once ready to shape, punch the dough down, remove from bowl and roll out into an even rectangle, about 1/4” to 1/2” thick (depending on preference).
Spread the blueberry filling evenly onto the dough. If you haven’t already added the goat cheese to the filling, layer pieces of it evenly over the top.
Roll the dough up tightly into a log (same as cinnamon rolls!).
Now let’s shape the sourdough babka. With a knife or bench scraper, cut the log in half, length wise - right down the middle.
Turn each piece facing up, side by side. On one end, gently pinch the two end pieces together. Begin twisting the two halves together, working one over the other as you move down the dough pieces. Once you’ve reached the end, pinch the bottom pieces together.
Carefully transfer the shaped babka dough into a prepared loaf pan. (A bench scraper or big spatula can be helpful for transferring the dough!)
Once in the loaf pan, tuck the end pieces under. From here, if you haven’t already done an extended cold proof, you also have the option to do it at this point. (Just cover the loaf pan and move to the fridge to cold ferment for a few more hours or even up to a day or so.) If you don’t want to cold proof here, move to the next step.
Time for the second proof. Again, cover the loaf pan and let it proof until the dough is nice and puffy (anywhere from about an hour to several hours depending on temperature).
When dough is ready, preheat oven to 375F.
Uncover and put loaf pan in the hot oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a nice golden brown color. If you want to check the internal temperature to make sure it’s done, it should temp between 190-200F.
Remove from oven and let cool in the loaf pan for about 30 minutes, then remove the babka from the pan and finish cooling on a wire rack/counter.
Enjoy!
How to Store Your Sourdough Brioche Babka
Soft, buttery sourdough brioche is always best fresh the day of, but this will still hold up well for a few days. I don’t normally recommend keeping bread in the fridge, but because of the blueberry goat cheese filling, it’s best to refrigerate this loaf. Store in a sealed container or beeswax wrap for up to 3-5 days, and gently warm slices/the rest of the loaf in the oven when you’re ready to eat it.
Don’t forget to tag me @bysourdoughmama and show me your babka!
Want to learn more about sourdough baking? Check out my full Sourdough Basics guide, or sign up for updates on upcoming sourdough workshops right here.