Looking for something a little bit different? We love our cinnamon rolls, we’re enamored with babka bread. But with this little gem, you get the chew of sourdough, the richness of a brioche & the filling of baklava & yet it is still a straight forward recipe as simple as making cinnamon rolls. Bake this glistening beauty up for a decadent Sunday brunch. With a cup of coffee, it’s heavenly. Begin early in the morning or a day ahead if you desire it warm for brunch.

makes 2 gorgeous loaves or rings

Brioche dough.

• 2/3 cup whole milk

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1 cup active sourdough starter

• 3 cups bread flour (I use King Arthur, unbleached)

• 1 Tbsp. malt powder

• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, large at room room temp.

Baklava filling.

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  
  

• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (or pistachios)

• 4 seeds from a star anise

• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar, packed

• zest of 1 large orange (use a microplane zester for this)

Chef Notes: It’s imperative that your starter be healthy, alive & hungry for this recipe to succeed as this is the only leaven in the recipe. In other words, it will not rise properly if the starter is not healthy.

1.) In a small saucepan heat milk, sugar, butter & salt to 110f. Pour mixture into Kitchenaid mixing bowl (or a large bowl if mixing by hand) & whisk in sourdough starter. With a wooden spoon, stir in 1 1/2 cups of bread flour to combine along with the malt powder, attach dough hook & mix on low for five minutes. Add 3/4 cup flour & continue to mix until incorporated. Add egg & another 3/4 cups flour, mix on the second to the lowest speed for about 10 minutes. On a floured surface knead lightly while shaping into a smooth ball & place in a large buttered bowl, swirl top of ball in butter to coat then place smooth side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap & place in a warm place until it doubles in size. This will take several hours (mine took 5 hours) as the sourdough starter metabolizes the gluten. Alternately, you can refrigerate the covered dough overnight & finish rising & baking in the morning.

2.) Meanwhile, whisk together the softened butter & the honey; set aside 1/4 cup (the lemon juice comes into play later). Prepare the baklava filling by gently pulsing the toasted nuts, star anise, brown sugar & zest, set aside.

3.) Punch down dough & turn out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly to release air & cover with a towel to rest for 10 minutes. Cut into two pieces, cover one with a towel & roll the other one out to a rectangle 12” x 14.” Brush with half of the butter/honey mixture within 1” of the edge. Sprinkle with half of the baklava filling then tightly roll up lengthwise as you would for cinnamon rolls, pinch the edge closed, trim ends & place in the freezer for 20 minutes. Now make your second roll.

4.) Preheat oven to 350f & line a sheet pan with parchment. With a sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise, lay two halves side by side, cut side up, on one end pinch together. Braid the two pieces by crossing one piece over the other until you you reach the end then pinch that end together as illustrated below. Cover with a kitchen towel & place in a warm, draft free place to rise, about 2 hours if you used starter only, 30 minutes if you added yeast. Preheat oven to 350f. You can bake it in a prepared bread pan (sprayed with non-stick spray & fitted overlapping pieces of parchment) or twist into a wreath shape, pinching ending together. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown & bread is set up.

5.) Mix reserved butter/honey mixture with lemon juice & microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. The mixture should be bubbling, if not give it another 30 seconds, the mixture should be slightly thickened & syrupy. Brush the loaf with hot honey mixture & allow to cool.