Few things before you get started:
Read all about baking with yeast here
It is crucial to give ample amount of rising time to get that soft pillow-y texture which is why we double proof in this recipe
You don't necessarily have to make the jam. I used store-bought here but I've included the recipe if you want to make it from scratch. You can use store-bought jam of your choice or whatever you have on hand
Ingredients
Black Cherry Lemongrass Jam
2 cups of stoned black cherries
3-4 pieces of fresh lemongrass
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Dough
265 gm all purpose flour
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
100 ml buttermilk (100ml milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
80 gm melted butter
1 tsp whole wheat gluten
Syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Method
Black Cherry Lemon Grass Jam
To a saucepan, add the stoned (x_x) cherries and sugar. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally
Add in the pieces of lemongrass and let the mixture come to a rolling boil. Once it reaches a thick consistency, remove the pieces of lemongrass using a fork
Set the mixture aside to cool completely
Dough
Start by proofing your yeast. Take a tablespoon of your measured sugar and add it to the water. Heat the water to 43-46℃ (110-115͘℉). Sprinkle your yeast to to the warm water and sugar mixture and give it a little stir. Set aside for the yeast to bloom. Read all about baking with yeast here
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add flour, gluten and sugar and stir with a dough hook attachment. You can also do the entire process by hand using a whisk and a spatula
Make a well in the center and start adding your wet ingredients - melted butter, buttermilk, bloomed yeast and vanilla extract
Knead the dough. If you're using a standing mixer, knead it on medium high speed for about 10 minutes. If you're doing this by hand, you'll have to stretch and knead the dough for about 15 minutes. you'll know your dough is done when you poke it and it springs back
Grease your bowl and dough in some oil, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1.5 hours or until double in size
Shaping and Baking (Check out the video here to see the shaping process)
Grease a loaf pan with some oil and set aside
Punch down the proofed and roll it out into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick and spread the prepared jam evenly on the dough
Position your dough so that one short side is closest to you. Roll the dough like you would roll a scroll starting at one short side to the other. Cut the roll into half length-wise, dividing the roll into two long even halves, with the layers of dough and filling peaking through along the length of both halves
With the cut sides facing up, pinch together one end of each half. Lift the right half over the left half. Repeating this intertwining process, braid the two pieces to create a loaf and put it in the prepared pan
Brush the tops with melted butter or milk. Cover it up and set aside to proof again and Pre-heat your oven to 190℃
Brush again with melted butter and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until golden brown
Syrup
Add your sugar and water to a saucepan and bring it up to a boil
As soon as the sugar completely dissolves, remove from heat and cool
As soon as your Babka comes out of the oven, brush the syrup over it. Try to use all the syrup and give it time to soak
Let the babka cool completely before removing them from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature