RUSSIAN BABKA RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Pour yeast into 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Set aside to soak.
• In a separate bowl mix together 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup melted shortening and 2 cups sifted flour. Beat well. Add in 2 beaten eggs and yeast mixture and mix well. Set aside to rest until bubbly and spongy.
• Add 3 1/2 cups of flour and blend well. Set aside to rise for 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again for 1 hour.
• To Make Filling: Beat together 2 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons flour and 1 cup of raisins. Add cottage cheese and mix well.
• Pinch off 1 inch balls from dough and press an indentation in the center of each. Put filling in. Let rise 15 minutes, then bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) until golden - 12-18 minutes.

Steps:

• Position two oven racks in top and bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt together. In a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and orange zest at medium speed until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl frequently. Add egg and mix. Add one egg yolk and mix. Add remaining egg yolk and mix. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
• Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment, leaving more than 1 inch between cookies. Press each one down lightly with 2 fingers to flatten to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Leave any ridges and valleys on top of cookie intact, but smooth the edges.
• Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies should be pale but baked all the way through. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.
• When ready to serve, make icing: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel orange, being careful to remove only outer orange zest, and cut into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; drain. Sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons milk. Whisk in more milk if needed to make mixture thin enough to spread. Add extract, salt and zest, and whisk to combine.
• Place cookies on a rack and drizzle icing over each one (make sure there is some orange zest in each spoonful). Icing will settle into cookie crevices; let harden.