Babka Knots Made Easy with Bread Machine Dough

Soft, swirled, and irresistibly delicious, babka knots are the upgrade your weekend baking has been craving. Perfect for a cozy brunch, these sweet twists combine everything you love about babka into a fun, shareable treat. Think of babka rolls as take-along miniature babka bread. If you’ve been searching for an easy mini babka bread recipe you can make in a bread machine, this guide shows how to make babka rolls step by step. Turn simple ingredients into beautifully knotted babka rolls with a video to show you the technique. These babka knots deliver big flavor in perfectly petite form. Read on for some fabulous baked goodness!

What is a Babka Knot?

Babka bread is a braided yeast bread that was first made in Eastern European Jewish communities. Most of the time it’s made as a sweet bread, but there are some savory variations. Chocolate babka bread is quite popular, and I’ve also made a cinnamon babka cake. For this recipe demonstration, I used some thick berry jam to make berry babka knots. If you would like the ingredients and instructions for making the chocolate babka filling, see my recipe for chocolate babka bread.
I was introduced to babka bread by my dad, then I took the recipe a step further by taking some of the bread machine babka dough and shaping it into mini babka rolls. The rolls are often called babka knots because of the basket-weaving done to shape the dough. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you might think, although sometimes a bit messy. When you’re ready, you can watch the video to see how it’s done.

My first babka bread experiment was made with a recipe from Modern Jewish Baker by Shannon Sarna. It turned out well, but took me all day. To save time, I adapted the basic sweet babka bread recipe for my bread machine, and have been pleased with the results. I love to use my bread machine for making dough for dinner rolls and pizza crust. Now I have a fun and easy babka bread dough recipe for the bread machine, and I’m thrilled to show you how to shape the dough into babka knots. I got the idea for basket-weaving the babka dough from a book called With Love and Babka by Elana Pearlman. All of the ideas came together for this recipe. Let’s get started!

Equipment for Babka Knots Bread Machine Dough

1 Bread machine

2 12-cup muffin tins

2 Wire cooling racks

Ingredients for Babka Knots

For the Babka Bread Machine Dough

The ingredients for babka bread are simple, basic pantry ingredients. Make sure your yeast is fresh and not expired. Here are the ingredients for the babka bread dough in the bread machine. It’s important that you add the ingredients in the order listed.
1/2 cup warm milk (whole milk is best)
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cups butter, chopped (unsalted is best)
4 and 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons yeast
This will make enough dough for three loaves of babka bread.

For the Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
This will make enough glaze for all 18 babka knots.

For the Filling

18-24 ounces of your favorite berry jelly, jam, or thick spread (For this recipe, I used homemade seedless raspberry jam that turned out to be a little too thick. It was perfect for a babka bread filling!)
For chocolate babka filling, also a favorite, see this recipe.

Instructions for Babka Knots

Warm 1/2 cup of milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add it to the bread machine.
Add all of the other babka bread dough ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed.
Run the bread machine on the dough cycle. My machine takes 90 minutes to complete a dough cycle.
While the bread machine is making the dough, make the simple sugar syrup. Mix the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.
Have the jam set aside, ready to spread.
Prepare two 12-cup muffin tins by greasing (grease thoroughly, as the dough is sticky).
When the dough cycle has completed, remove the dough from the bread machine pan and divide it into three equal pieces. You may choose to make all three sections into babka knots, or you may choose to make a section into something else, like babka bread in a loaf pan. Each section of dough will make six babka knots, and you can use the other sections of the muffin tins for the dough scraps you cut off each end of the babka dough rolls.
Roll out each section of dough into a rectangle, approximately 18 inches by 12 inches. Spread the filling evenly over the rectangle. Starting at the top, roll the dough down to encase the filling inside. Trim 1/2 inch off of each end so that the ends are even. (As previously noted, I like to place the rolled up scraps into a muffin tin and bake for about 15 minutes to have as a little snack.)
To shape the babka dough into knots, gently flatten the roll with a rolling pin. Slice the roll into six sections. Cut each section into 4 pieces. Arrange the four pieces into a number # symbol. Begin the basket-weaving technique. If you haven’t watched the video yet, now would be a good time. The video shows the technique, and you can pause it as often as you need.

Gently gather the woven bundle of dough and place it in the greased muffin tin. Once the muffin tins are filled, cover them and let the babka knots rise for 30 minutes.
While the babka knots are rising, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Bake the knots for 15 minutes, then brush each loaf with two coats of simple syrup. This would be a good time to remove the babka scraps from the muffin tins, as they bake more quickly.
Return the knots to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. When the knots are removed from the oven, brush each one immediately with another 3 light layers of syrup. Allow the knots to cool for 5 minutes, then gently go around the edge of each knot with a spatula or butter knife.
Gently lift each babka knot out of the muffin tins and allow them to cool.

Babka Knot Variations

There are many variations of babka bread and babka knot fillings, both sweet and savory. Here are a couple I have tried, with good results.

Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Babka Bread

As previously noted, for the bread machine babka video I made, I used Nutella for the filling. It will take about two cups of Nutella to fill three loaves of babka bread or 18 babka knots. It’s definitely a great shortcut if you don’t have time to make the chocolate ganache filling from scratch.

Chocolate Babka Bread

If you have a bit more time, making chocolate babka bread filling from scratch is delicious. You can get the full instructions and ingredients here.

Bread Machine Questions

Does dough rise in a bread machine?

Yes, the bread machines are designed to take the dough through the mixing and rising processes. You can even bake the bread in the machine if you like. I prefer to use the bread machine for dough and do my baking in regular pans in the oven.

Can you knead dough in a bread maker? 

Just as the bread machine is designed to take the dough through the mixing and rising processes, the machine will also do the kneading. That’s one reason why bread machines are so convenient. They do it all, and I especially like the way bread machine rolls dough turns out.

How long does a bread machine knead the dough? 

I haven’t ever timed the actual kneading process. The entire dough-making process, from mixing, kneading and rising, takes my bread machine an hour and a half. 

What order do you add ingredients to a bread machine? 

In bread machine recipes, the ingredients are usually listed in the order in which you need to add them. The general idea is to keep most of the liquid ingredients separate from the yeast until the mixing takes place in the machine. That way, the yeast will be activated at the right time.

Is it cheaper to make your own bread with a bread maker? 

If you do a Google search and ask that question, nearly all of the web results will answer “Yes”, with a few qualifiers. It depends upon the type of bread you are trying to make and the cost of the ingredients. Also, if you place a value on your time, that affects the true cost of the bread. Generally, when comparing a store-bought bread to a similar homemade bread, it’s cheaper to make your own. With a bread machine, the time factor is nearly nonexistent if you are baking the bread in the machine.

What to Serve with Babka Knots

Babka knots pair beautifully with both simple and elegant accompaniments, making them perfect for brunch, breakfast, or afternoon tea. For brunch, serve them alongside fresh fruit, berries, or citrus segments. Soft scrambled eggs, a vegetable frittata, or a lightly salted omelet add a savory contrast for brunch. For tea, offer babka knots with clotted cream, whipped butter, or lightly sweetened mascarpone.

Babka Knots Made Easy with Bread Machine Dough

Learn how to make babka knots with this easy babka recipe. Perfect for a cozy brunch, try this babka rolls recipe using a bread machine for the babka dough.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Teatime

Cuisine Eastern European

Servings 18

Calories 350 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Bread machine
• 2 12-cup muffin tins
• 1 Breadboard, pastry mat, or other surface
• 1 Dough cutter or large, sharp knife
• 1 Spatula
• 1 small saucepan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 2 Wire cooling racks

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup warm milk whole milk is best
• ½ cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ¾ cup butter unsalted is best
• 4½ cups flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2½ teaspoons yeast

Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

• 18-24 ounces thick jam, jelly, or spread

Instructions

 

• Warm 1/2 cup of milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add it to the bread machine.
• Add all of the other babka bread dough ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed.
• Run the bread machine on the dough cycle. My machine takes 90 minutes to complete a dough cycle.
• While the bread machine is making the dough, make the simple sugar syrup. Mix the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.
• Prepare two 12-cup muffin tins by greasing (grease thoroughly, as the dough is sticky)
• When the dough cycle has completed, remove the dough from the bread machine pan and divide it into three equal pieces. You may choose to make all three sections into babka knots, or make a section into babka bread. Each section of dough will make six babka knots, so if you make all three sections into babka knots, you will have 18, plus six extra muffin cups for baking the trimmed babka scraps, if you like.
• Roll out each section of dough into a rectangle, approximately 18 inches by 12 inches. Spread the filling evenly over the rectangle. Starting at the top, roll the dough down to encase the filling inside. Trim 1/2 inch off of each end so that the ends are even. (I like to place the rolled up scraps into a muffin tin and bake separately for about 15 minutes to have as a little snack.)
• To shape the babka dough into knots, gently flatten the roll with a rolling pin. Slice the roll into six sections. Cut each section into 4 pieces. Arrange the four pieces into a number # symbol. Begin the basket-weaving technique. If you haven't watched the video yet, now would be a good time. The video shows the technique, and you can pause it as often as you need.
• Gently gather the woven bundle of dough and place it in the greased muffin tin. When the muffin cups are filled, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
• While the babka knots are rising, turn the oven on to 350 degrees.
• Bake the knots for 15 minutes, then brush each loaf with two coats of simple syrup. This would be a good time to remove the babka scraps from the muffin tins, as they bake more quickly.
• Return the knots to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. When the knots are removed from the oven, brush each one immediately with another 3 light layers of syrup.
• Allow the knots to cool for 5 minutes, then gently go around the edge of each knot with a spatula or butter knife.
• Gently lift each knot out of the muffin cup and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

Video

Keyword bread, bread machine, breakfast, raspberry

More Easy Baking Recipes

I love the way these old fashioned gingersnaps fill the kitchen with their delightful fragrance when they are baking. Easy oatmeal apple crisp and blueberry rhubarb crisp are great ways to use fresh or frozen fruit in baked desserts. If you are hosting a tea party, easy white chocolate raspberry scones are a nice treat. Whatever the occasion, freshly baked goods make it even more special. Now that you know how to make babka knots using bread machine dough, I hope you get inspired to give this bread machine babka knots recipe a try.

More Meal Inspiration

It’s always nice to have a plan when it comes to meals. If you’re looking for a way to get more organized with your meal planning efforts, I’ve got something for you. Free, editable meal planners! The templates can be used over and over, as often as you need them. You can make as many duplicates as you like, and you’ll be able to save old meal plans for future reference. I hope it simplifies things for you.

Get the free templates!