Christmas Cinnamon Pecan Babka

Dough:

1.5 c whole milk

2.5 tbs yeast

1 ¼ c sugar + 1 tbs

12.75 c flour

1.5 tbs salt

1 tbs vanilla

1 scant tsp nutmeg

12 eggs

30 tbs butter, + greasing (3.75 sticks)

Filling:

4 c brown sugar

½ c (scant) cinnamon

½ c flour

32 tbs butter (4 sticks), melted

5 tbs water

Coating:

1 c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c butter, melted

Topping:

1 c flour

½ c b sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

Pinch salt

8 tbs butter (1 stick)

Glaze:

2 c powdered sugar

4-5 tbs milk

Day One:

• Warm milk to lukewarm, add yeast and a tbs sugar. Let it foam for 5-10 mins.

• With dough hook, mix flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, yeast, and eggs, and beat until it is a soft mass, 2 minutes. Add bits of flour if needed.

• Add butter by halves, scraping as necessary. Beat 5-7 minutes, adding flour if necessary. Let rest in oven for 1.5 – 2 hours. Punch down, divide in half, put in two greased bowls. Refrigerate overnight.

• Remove from fridge, divide each half into thirds. Let chill come off while you make the topping and filling.

• Cut topping ingredients together, put in fridge overnight.

Day Two:

• Combine filling ingredients.

• Roll the dough to 9” x 17” and spread with the filling. Starting with the long side, roll into a tight coil. Transfer the coil onto a dish towel or a piece of plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer for ten minutes. Repeat with the other five loaves.

• Slice one of the dough coils in half lengthwise to expose the filling. Twist the halves together as if you were braiding them, then fold the braid in half so it’s about 9” long.

• Butter loaf pans, then line with parchment paper, leaving 2” of paper hanging over the sides to use as handles later. Place the shaped coil inside and form other loaves. Let rise 1.5 hours OR let it rise overnight in fridge; let it come back to room temperature for an hour before baking.

• Oven at 350.

• Skewer loaves to allow steam to escape so the layers don’t seperate.

• Combine coating ingredients until well combined; brush on loaves.

• Sprinkle streusel over the top of loaves.

• Bake 45 minutes.

• While the breads are baking, make the glaze in a small bowl.

• As soon as the breads come out of the oven, skewer them again to allow the glaze to slip inside, and turn them out, or they’ll become permanently attached to the pan.

• Put on a wire rack set over wax paper or something to catch drips.

• Drizzle with glaze and let cool.