A braided sweet bread wreath that merges babka and baklava is finished with a honey syrup soak, a technique the recipe's author says convinced them the hybrid could work. The recipe, published on the blog Smitten Kitchen, draws on a baklava sweet bread first spotted on the blog Sprinkles Bakes in 2014. That earlier version was a pull-apart bread; this one is shaped as a babka wreath.
The honey syrup is central to the concept. Syrupy finishes are common in desserts across the Middle East and Levant, the author notes, citing baklava's crispy phyllo and nut layers and the shiny soak used in kranz-style babkas popularized by Ottolenghi. In this recipe, the soak gives the buttery, nutty bread a glossy finish and a flavor the author describes as deeply baklava-like.
The dough is made with melted butter, milk, instant yeast, sugar, eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, and fine sea salt. The filling combines cinnamon sugar with finely chopped mixed nuts—the author uses pistachios and walnuts—along with lemon or orange zest, sea salt, vanilla, and optional rose water or orange flower water, plus optional ground cloves or cardamom. The recipe yields two 9-by-4-inch loaves or one tube-pan ring.
After the dough is rolled out, brushed with melted butter, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and nuts, it is rolled into a tight tube, chilled briefly for easier cutting, then sliced lengthwise and twisted. The shaped babka proofs for about 45 minutes, bakes at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, and is done when the internal temperature reaches 185°F or a skewer meets little resistance.
While the babka bakes, the syrup is made by boiling honey, water, and a pinch of salt, then simmering until reduced by about one-third. As soon as the babka leaves the oven, the syrup is poured and brushed over it—or a quarter-cup is reserved for serving. The recipe makes 12 to 16 servings and takes about three hours total. It can be stored at room temperature for three days, in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for a month or longer.
Editorial Notes