Savory Babka with Pistachio Pesto

There’s no better way to spruce up dinnertime than making my Savory Babka with Pistachio Pesto. This gorgeous braided pesto bread is a perfect centerpiece that will pair beautifully with everything from soups and stews to pasta or roasted chicken.

Jump to:

• What is Babka?
• About This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• How to Make/The Method
• Other Babka Filling Ideas
• Expert Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Yeasted Bread Recipes
• Savory Babka with Pistachio Pesto
• 💬 Comments

What is Babka?

Traditionally speaking, babka is a braided bread made with enriched, yeasted dough that is stuffed, swirled, and baked. This beautiful Jewish bread originated in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine in the early 19th century.

While my recipe follows a more modern interpretation that is closer to French brioche dough, the original babkas were made from leftover scraps of challah dough that Eastern European grandmas – known as “Babkas” – would slather with jam or cinnamon sugar before rolling up and baking. Nowadays, this popular yeasted bread can be found stuffed with either sweet or savory fillings.

Some would argue that the twisted babkas that are popular today are actually Krantz cakes (which hail from Germany), but from what I can tell, that only applies to sweet babkas that have been brushed in a glaze for added richness.

Others might claim that the braided bread is actually a povitica (pronounced “poe-vuh-TEET-zuh”), which is another type of Eastern European braided bread that hails from Slovenia and Croatia. The biggest difference between babka and povitica that I can find is that the latter is apparently known for its tighter spiral pattern. 

Whatever you call this delightful braided pesto bread - babka, krantz, or povitica - one thing remains the same: it is equal parts stunning and delicious!

About This Recipe

While I’m a huge fan of sweet babkas – like my S’mores Babka or Chocolate Hazelnut Tahini Babka – I have to admit that I’m equally impressed by savory interpretations like this Pistachio Pesto Babka. The process of making the loaves is the same and the resulting show-stopping swirl pattern is just as gorgeous.

If you’ve never tried making yeasted dough before, I’m here to convince you that it’s easier than you might think. Using the modern convenience of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook means you don’t have to break a sweat by kneading; the machine does all the heavy lifting!

The process of filling babka is actually pretty similar to making cinnamon rolls, but instead of cutting the loaf into smaller slices, you actually cut the dough lengthwise or “hot dog” style. The “braid” is then made by simply twisting together the two pieces of dough.

While I opted to use a basil-pistachio pesto recipe for my babka filling, you don’t have to feel limited. Check out my post on how to make pesto with whatever greens, nuts, and cheeses you happen to have on hand for more options. 

Also, remember that babkas can be filled with either sweet or savory stuffings. Check out my Other Babka Filling Ideas section below the step-by-step recipe instructions!

Ingredients

Making enriched babka dough requires easy-to-find ingredients that you might already have on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Whole Milk - Prefer to make a dairy free babka? Simply swap in your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk alternative.
• Active Dry Yeast - If you only have Instant Yeast (also marketed as “rapid-” or “quick-rise”), don’t fret. You can skip proofing the yeast in liquid and cut the rise time by about 10-15 minutes.
• Granulated Sugar - You may be thinking, “Sugar? In a savory babka recipe?” Don’t worry, the primary aim of sugar here is to feed the yeast. There is also a bit leftover to ever-so-slightly flavor the babka dough, which should be a little bit sweet without being cloying.
• All-Purpose Flour - No kitchen scale? I suggest using the scoop-and-sweep method for measuring your flour. 
• Vanilla Extract - I love the added depth of flavor that vanilla gives to the dough, but you can omit it if you feel weird about putting vanilla in a savory loaf.
• Eggs - Make sure your eggs are room temperature here. Not only will they incorporate into your dough more easily, they’ll also keep the rise time of the loaf down.
• Unsalted Butter - Feel free to swap in dairy-free butter if needed.
• Pistachio Pesto - Use homemade or store-bought pesto, or swap in your own favorite sweet or savory spread. Check out the section titled “Other Babka Filling Ideas” for more inspiration.

Equipment

The great thing about making your own yeasted bread is that you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to do it! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Stand Mixer with Dough Hook - Do yourself a big favor and invest in a stand mixer before tackling homemade babka (or any other yeasted bread). Kneading by hand is an option, of course, but it’ll take longer and make a bigger mess.
• Ruler - Ensuring that your dough is rolled to an even thickness and a large enough rectangle will be paramount to your success.
• Serrated Knife - Cutting both bread dough and baked babka will be much easier with a serrated knife.
• 9x5 Loaf Pan - This is a standard loaf pan size. If needed, an 8.5 x 4.25-inch pan will suffice.

How to Make/The Method

Making the Dough

Proof Yeast: In a mixing bowl combine the yeast, warm milk, and sugar together allowing it to rest until the yeast has been activated and appears foamy (approximately 5 minutes)

Make Babka Dough: Add the flour and salt into the bowl and mix using a paddle attachment to combine before adding the vanilla extract and eggs.

First Knead: Mix thoroughly for a total of 3 minutes. If the dough is still sticking to the side of the bowl and quite wet, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of flour. 

Add Butter + Second Knead: Once the dough is not sticking to the side of the bowl anymore, it's time to add the softened butter in two separate parts. Add the first half of your butter and mix for five minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl, then add the last half of the butter and mix for an additional 6 minutes. As before, if the dough is still sticking to the side of the bowl is sticking, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of flour. 

First Rise: Place the dough into a large clean bowl that is lightly coated in oil. Cover in plastic wrap and let it slowly rise for 1-2 hours. Degas the dough by lightly pressing with your hands and place in the fridge overnight so that the flavor has plenty of time to develop. 

Shaping

Fill & Roll: Flour your counter and roll out the dough until it is about 9" by 15" and spread your pistachio pesto evenly over the dough. Roll up the rectangle so that the rolled log is 15 inches long and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will help to cleanly cut through the babka and allow for easy twisting.  

Cut & Braid: Once chilled, cut the log in half with a serrated knife so that you have two 15" pieces and the filling is exposed. Fold the two separate logs on top of each other keeping the sides up as you do so, creating a long twist of pesto-filled dough!

Here's a great video to give you an example of how the braiding process works. Braiding begins at the 5-minute mark!

Second Rise: Place the twist in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Cover and place in a warm area for 1.5 hours until the dough has slightly risen and feels puffy.

Baking

Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake your babka for about 35-45 minutes until the top is a golden brown shade. If you happen to have a thermometer handy, check that the interior of the babka is 185-190 degrees in the thickest center part of the bread and remove it from the oven. Transfer the Savory Babka with Pistachio Pesto to a cooling rack before serving and enjoy!

Other Babka Filling Ideas

There are endless amounts of flavors that you can twist into babka dough – the world is yours! The general rule is that if you can sprinkle or spread it, you can fill babka with it. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Go sweet with nut butter or Nutella
• Go savory with hummus or cheese
• Try making a compound spreadable filling with sweet or savory components. Strawberry cream cheese, sweetened matcha compound butter, or garlic-herb Boursin would all be amazing.
• Add extra texture with roughly chopped nuts or chopped dried fruit 
• Pump up the flavor by adding spices
• Top with a flavored syrup or a layer of crumble topping.

Did you come up with a winning babka filling idea that the world should know about? Let us know in the comments below, or tag me on your Instagram pics so I can cheer you on!

Expert Tips

• Don’t overheat the milk. Yeast is a living organism that has parameters for living. If the milk is too hot, you’ll risk burning and killing your yeast, which means your savory babka will end up dense and tough. 
• Keep salt away from yeast. Salt can serve to hinder yeast’s ability to rise. Make sure to add the flour first and then the salt to prevent this from happening.
• Create a proofing drawer in your oven. Depending on where you live and what the weather is like, you may not have a space on your counter that is suitable for proofing your bread. Not to worry! You can create a cozy proofing drawer in your oven. Simply place a bowl at the bottom of the oven and add a few inches of boiling water to it. Pop in your bowl or pan with dough to proof and shut the door. The heat and humidity from the boiling water will get trapped and should make for a very happy loaf.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Yeasted Bread Recipes

• Salted Honey Hawaiian Rolls
• Classic Raspberry Pecan Babka
• Olive Sun-Dried Tomato Foccacia

As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try the recipe for this Savory Babka with Pistachio Pesto, please share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!