babka

American  

[bahb-kuh] / ˈbɑb kə /

noun

1. a sweet, spongy yeast cake with raisins, traditionally made in the form of a high cylinder, either solid or with a hole, often glazed, and sometimes flavored with rum.

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Etymology

Origin of babka

< Polish, diminutive of baba baba

Explanation

Babka is a sweet, braided yeast bread that originated in 19th-century Eastern Europe. Its many buttery layers and chocolate or cinnamon filling make babka a delicious treat. Eastern European Jewish communities invented babka, possibly to use up extra challah dough. It was traditionally made by spreading the dough with sugar, cinnamon, jam, or poppy seeds, rolling it, and baking it in a pan. Variations on this method include complicated braiding and weaving of the filled dough — and the 20th century saw the introduction of chocolate as a babka ingredient. Babka is a diminutive form of "grandmother," from the Yiddish bubbe.