Babka Easter Bread Recipe

Updated March 31, 2026: I’ve refreshed this post with my tried-and-true recipe tips and step-by-step photos in the recipe card below to help you master this 4-generation tradition! From freezing egg whites to creating a “DIY proofing room,” these secrets will make your holiday baking a breeze.

A Growing Tradition: 9 Loaves and Counting!

It is officially Babka season in our house, and let me tell you, my kitchen has never been busier! While I usually make a few batches to share, this year I am tackling a record nine loaves. As my family grows, so does the demand for this stunning, golden bread!

With both Calvin and Malia home from Ohio University for Easter, the house feels full and happy again. They’ve both made it very clear: they are not heading back to Athens without a full loaf of their own to share with friends! Plus, our family is expanding in the sweetest ways. I’m so excited to be tucking special half-loaves into the Easter baskets I’m putting together for their boyfriend and girlfriend this year. I’m also sending home loaves with my parents, sister, and nephew who has a family of his own now.

Looking at all these loaves rising in my warm “office-turned-proofing-room” makes my heart so full. It’s more than just flour and yeast; it’s a 100-year-old legacy that I get to pass down. I can already see a future with even more loaves on the counter as our family continues to grow. There truly is no greater joy than sharing this piece of our history with the people we love!

Babka Easter Bread Recipe

I look forward to Easter for many reasons. As a Christian, it is the most important holiday for me to reflect on my faith and lead my family in the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We also look forward to the fun time with extended family, Easter Egg hunts, Easter baskets, and lot of great Easter food.

My favorite Easter recipe is from my husband’s family. His family brought their Babka Easter Bread recipe with them 4 generations ago from Poland. I was happy to introduce this bread to our family as an Easter tradition and we all look forward to it. Once you taste it, you will want tot add it to your annual Easter holiday traditions.

We usually have the Babka Easter Bread for Easter morning breakfast at our home, then enjoy it again for Easter dinner with the extended family.  Each batch makes 3 loaves but I normally make at least 2 batches to share with family and friends. Last year, we ended up freezing 1 loaf to see if it would freeze well. To our delightful surprise, it freezes very well when wrapped with plastic wrap, then foil.

This recipe is moderate to difficult because of the amount of time it takes from beginning to end – about 6 hours. It is well worth the time and effort.

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Babka Easter Bread Recipe

This authentic Polish Babka is a 4-generation family recipe brought to Northeast Ohio directly from Poland. A rich, golden, and slightly sweet yeast bread studded with golden raisins and finished with a buttery sugar crumble, it’s the ultimate Easter morning tradition. Moist and delicious, it’s a stunning centerpiece for any holiday brunch.

Course

Appetizer, Bread, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine

dessert

Skill Level

kids can help, moderate

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Passive Time

5 hours

Servings

loaves

Ingredients

• 1.25 cup Milk
• 3-4 cup Flour
• 2 Yeast Cakes
• cup ½ and 1 tbsp. Sugar 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp Sugar per 3 loaves plus more for topping
• 15 Egg Yolks
• .5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• .5 cup melted butter
• .5 box Yellow Raisins 1/2 box per 3 loaves

Course Appetizer, Bread, Dessert, Snack Cuisine dessert Skill Level kids can help, moderate Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Passive Time 5 hours Servings loaves Ingredients 1.25 cup Milk 3-4 cup Flour 2 Yeast Cakes cup ½ and 1 tbsp. Sugar 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp Sugar per 3 loaves plus more for topping 15 Egg Yolks .5 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla .5 cup melted butter .5 box Yellow Raisins 1/2 box per 3 loaves

Instructions

1. 1. Scald Milk. Put 1 cup milk in large pot to mix. Add ¾ cup flour to milk. Stir till smooth.
2. 2. Let remaining ¼ cup milk sit till lukewarm. To this remaining milk, add 1 tbsp. sugar and 2 yeast cakes, crumbled. Mix until there are no lumps. Cover, and let form a sponge, no liquid will be left on the bottom. After the sponge forms, add to the flour & milk mixture above, cover with a pot lid or dish towel and sit aside for ½ hour until sponge bubbles.
3. 3. Beat egg yolks with salt and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until creamy.
4. 4. When sponge bubbles, add egg mixture, beat well. Add remaining flour and vanilla. Work till satin smooth. Add melted butter and kneed mixture longer. (You can use a bread dough hook on a KitchenAid mixer.) Add raisins and cover with pot lid or dish towel. Let the dough rise someplace warm until dough doubles in volume, about 1-1/2 hours. Once it doubles in size, knock it down, and cover with a pot lid or dish towel to rise again in a warm place, about 1-1/2 hours.
5. 5. Knead well on board. Put in 3 well buttered bread pans. (If you use the new silicone bakeware, your bread will cook the same but be much wider and not as tall.)
6. Mix additional sugar and melted butter with dough scraps and sprinkle over top of bread, the more sugar used, the sweeter the topping. I usually save about 1/4 cup of dough "scraps" per loaf and mix with 3 Tbsp of sugar and 1-2 Tbsp of melted butter per loaf. Place sugared scrapes on top of loaves. Let dough rise in the pans until light (reaches top of pans), about 2 hours.
7. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or less. Put tin foil under pans.
8. 6. May be served warm or cold, with or without butter on top.

Recipe Notes

• How to Scaled Milk: Bring milk to 180°F over medium heat, stirring often, remove it from the heat immediately. For the yeast step, make sure to let the milk cool back down to about 105°F–115°F before mixing it in, or you'll accidentally kill the yeast!

• The Egg White Dilemma: Since this recipe uses 15 egg yolks to get that stunning golden color and rich texture, you’ll have a lot of whites left over! Don’t let them go to waste—I usually whip up a healthy egg-white omelet for the family or save them (up to 4 days in fridge) to make angel food cake. Freeze each individual egg white in a standard ice cube tray for easy portioning, then pop the "cubes" into a labeled freezer bag so you can grab exactly what you need for your next Angel Food cake!

• Yeast Cake Substitute: If you can’t find fresh yeast cakes, you can substitute them with 4.5 teaspoons (or 2 standard packets) of Active Dry Yeast. Just make sure your milk is lukewarm (not hot!) so you don’t kill the yeast.

• The "Warm Spot" Trick: Our Northeast Ohio winters can linger into Easter, making the house a bit chilly for dough to rise. I like to turn a closet or small room like our office into a proofing room by adding a heater in the room to keep it consistent 75°F to 80°F.

• Freezing for Later: This recipe makes three loaves, which is perfect for gifting! If you want to save one for later, wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.

• The Microwave Refresh: If your Babka starts to get a little dry after a few days, here is my secret: wrap a slice in a damp paper towel and microwave it for just 5–10 seconds. It tastes like it just came out of the oven!

• Kneading Tip: While the tradition is to knead by hand, I usually "cheat" and use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook. It saves your arms and ensures that satin-smooth texture we're looking for!

Easter Breakfast

Traditionally, we serve Babka Easter Bread with hard-boiled eggs, Polish sausage and fresh fruit for Easter morning. It is a very sweet, moist bread that is devoured by kids and adults alike.

Babka Easter Bread Recipe Tips

This recipe makes 3 loaves. I always double the recipe and give loaves as gifts to special friends and family. This year, I’m tripling it!

Tip: Wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap to keep it moist. It starts to dry out in 2 or 3 days, if you have any left, put a piece in the microwave with a wet paper towel on top for a few seconds and it will taste fresh again. If you want to freeze it, wrap in plastic wrap, then foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

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If you live in the Akron area, you can shop all the ingredients for this bread on the Acme Fresh Market website!