Peanut Butter and Jelly Babka
Hanukkah is upon us. While oil is no doubt the star of the festival of lights (if you need me this week, I’ll be under a pile of crispy, golden latkes), you’ve got to make room for some sweet stuff. Warm sufganiyot oozing with jelly are traditional when it comes to Hanukkah desserts—more oil, duh—but if you’ve ever made doughnuts from scratch, you know they can be overwhelming. This year, why not open up your kitchen to some other Jewish treats, like babka? Shannon Sarna, author of the new cookbook Modern Jewish Baker, knows that frying and stuffing a batch of sufganiyot can be a little too much for a home cook, especially for those who are preparing a Hanukkah meal for the same evening. A veritable encyclopedia of Jewish baking, Sarna is often asked by readers and friends alike what they should make to accompany the latkes at their Hanukkah feast. Sarna’s recommendation for Hanukkah treats? “I love to serve babka,” she says. Sarna thinks the filled, twisted, and baked bread is “the perfect sweet treat to enjoy after some rich, fried latkes."While classic Jewish babka are filled with cinnamon and chocolate, Sarna proposes a more breakfast-oriented twist that’s a perfect swap for sticky-sweet sufganiyot: peanut butter and jelly. While sufganiyot are pretty much a classic jelly doughnut, PB&J babka reminds Sarna of another nostalgic treat. “It’s like a sweet peanut butter and jelly sandwich that sends me straight back to my childhood lunches,” she writes in her book. Sarna recommends creamy peanut butter and raspberry jam in this recipe, but notes that any combination of nut butter and jelly will taste great.Peanut Butter and Jelly BabkaExcerpted from Modern Jewish Baker by Shannon Sarna. Copyright © 2017. Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press. All rights reserved.
