Jewish · Authentic-ish Jewish
Babka
290 kcal a serving, against 531 for the traditional version. That is 241 kcal off, or 45%, with 9.8g of protein. Serves 8. 3 hours, including rising.
What the traditional version is
The classic babka is a luxurious brioche-style dough, enriched with butter, whole eggs and plenty of sugar.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter in the dough out for a tiny dash of oil, and eggs down from two to one
The wild richness in babka comes from all the butter and eggs. Swapping for oil and dropping an egg pulls the fat way down, tips the protein higher and keeps you from feeling like you need a lie down after a slice.
What it costs you. This is the first and worst hit - the bread loses its soft brioche texture. It's springy, but don't expect that billowy pull-apart crumb. If someone hands you a slice and you don't see a greasy napkin, it's probably mine.
Dark chocolate and extra butter in the filling for a cocoa and quark paste
Dark chocolate, plus more butter, is where all the dense filling comes from. I ditch the melting chocolate and mix cocoa powder with quark, a soft fresh cheese, and a bit of sugar to make a fudgey swirl with barely any fat.
What it costs you. It's fudgy, not silky. There's still a swirl, but it's not that deep, glossy vein of chocolate. If you miss that, you aren't wrong.
Syrup-brushing after baking for a very brisk paint with water and a bit of sugar
The gloss on top is pure syrup in the original. Here, a quick splash of sweetened water gives a bit of shine and keeps the crust from getting hard as a board.
What it costs you. Less sticky, less shine, fewer sticky fingerprints on your plate.
Plain flour unchanged and yeast unchanged
There's no point mucking about with the flour or yeast. You need that gluten for any hope of structure.
What it costs you. At least one thing survived.
Milk goes half-and-half with water
Milk gives tenderness and a faint richness. Dropping half the milk for water saves a bit on fat and sugar, and doesn't kill the dough.
What it costs you. Slightly less tender crumb, but if it bothers you, double the tea.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 531 | 290 |
| Protein | 8.4g | 9.8g |
| Fat | 24.3g | 4.3g |
| Saturated fat | 14.3g | 1g |
| Carbohydrate | 70.1g | 54.3g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.6g | 3.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Jewish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
If you want the original, you need butter, eggs and a bar of decent chocolate. There's no real way to fake that rich, soft crumb or the thick, glossy filling. This one is lean, a bit pious, and makes a better breakfast than dessert. Serve it with tea and good company. If you get complaints, remind people there's always toast.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Jewish, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.