Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Babka (2024)

Combine sugar, sourdough starter, milk, and flour in a bowl to make the levain. Place it in a warm spot, at around 75°F/24°C for 8-10 hours, or until the levain has doubled/tripled in size.

Add milk and flour to a small pot. Heat up over medium heat while stirring with a whisk. Once the mixture has thickened and reached the temperature of 150°F/65°C, it is ready.

Transfer the tangzhong to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that touches the entire surface of the tangzhong. Cool to room temperature before continuing with the next step.

Add all ingredients, except salt and butter, to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix until just combined. Rest/autolyse for 30 minutes.

Add the salt and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes.

Slowly add in cubed, softened butter, one cube at a time. When you have added all the butter, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and continue mixing at medium speed until the dough passes the window-pane test. This typically takes around 15-25 minutes, depending on your mixer.

Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and proof for two hours at around 75°F/24°C.

After the two hours proof, you can transfer the dough to the fridge and let it cold-proof for 8-12 hours. Meanwhile, prepare the blueberry and lemon filling:

Gather all your ingredients and add them to a small pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil while constantly stirring.

Taste to see if it's sweet enough for your liking. Add more sugar if desired. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to med-low, and let it simmer for 10-20 minutes until it is very thick and jam-like. Transfer the filling to a bowl, cover, and let it cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge.

Take the filling and dough out of the fridge. Give the filling a good stir.

Place the dough onto a floured work surface and roll it out into a square that measures approx. 13×13 inches/35×35 cm.

Evenly spread out the filling, leaving a ½ inch/1 cm border all around.

Use both hands to roll up the square like a roulade.

Push in the sides to even out the roll. Next, place it in the fridge, seam side down, and rest for at least 20 minutes before continuing with the next step.

With a heavily floured and sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise.

With the cut sides facing up, starting from the middle, lift the left half over the right half, followed by the right half over the left half. Repeat all the way down to create a two-stranded plait. (see pictures above for reference)

Gently tuck in the ends and transfer to a 10-inch/25 cm lined or buttered bread tin. Cover the tin and proof at 75°F/24°C for 6-8 hours or until the dough fills up about 80% of the tin.

Preheat your oven to 390°F/200°C. Bake the babka for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F/175°C and bake for another 20 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly.

While the babka is in the oven, prepare the syrup:

Add sugar, water, and lemon juice to a small pot over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Take the syrup off the heat and leave it to cool.

The babka is ready when the internal temperature is at least 203°F/95°C, and the exterior is golden brown.

When the babka is out of the oven, immediately brush/pour over the syrup. Then leave it in the bread tin until it is cool enough to handle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.