Pumpkin Spice Babka

The perfect autumnal pastry.

Ingredients

• 4 ½ cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ cup lukewarm water
• ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
• ½ cup milk or almond milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground clove
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Filling

• 1 ½ cup canned pumpkin or pureed fresh pumpkin
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Syrup

• 2/3 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 whole cinnamon stick

Instructions

1.Place yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Add lukewarm water and set aside until foamy, around 5-10 minutes. 2. In a stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix together flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and allspice. In a separate bowl, mix together melted butter (or margarine) and milk (or almond milk). 3. Put mixer on low and begin adding the water yeast mixture, then the butter-milk mixture. Add the eggs one at a time. 4. When the dough begins to come together, after about 3-5 minutes, raise the speed to high and mix for another 5-10 minutes until the dough is shiny and elastic. 5. Place dough in a greased bowl with a damp towel on top. Allow to rise until it has doubled, about 1-2 hours. 6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 7. Cut dough into three equal parts. Roll out dough until it is a rectangular-like shape. Spread with ½ cup of pumpkin, ¼ cup brown sugar and ½ Tbsp cinnamon. Working from the longest side, roll up dough using quick fingers, like you would in order to make cinnamon rolls. 8. Once the dough is a long log, cut it straight down the middle so the filling is exposed. Secure the ends on one side, and twist both the pieces. Pinch and secure at the other end. 9. Repeat with two additional babkas. Place in a greased loaf pan. 10. Bake for 35 minutes. 11. While the babka is baking, combine 2/3 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 whole cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat and swirl around to ensure all the sugar is dissolved. 12. About 20-25 minutes into baking, spoon about half the syrup onto the baking babkas. 13. When you take the babkas out of the oven after they have baked completely, immediately brush extra syrup on top of all three babkas. You may have syrup leftover.