Babke – Cinnamon Bread

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 packets of instant yeast

2/3 cups of sugar

3/4 cup of oil

1 Tbsp salt

6 eggs

10 cups of cake flour

FILLING

1  cup sugar

1/4 cup of cinnamon

1/4 cup oil

METHOD

1. In a large bowl mix the warm water, eggs, oil, sugar, salt, and yeast. Slowly add 9 cups of flour. Turn out onto a floured surface, using some of the flour from the 10th cup.
2. Knead until smooth and elastic, if needed add the last cup of flour a little at a time until the desired result is achieved.
3.  Cover and allow to rise until double in size. (about an hour on warm days and 1 1/2 on cold days.)
4. Separate Challah, without a brocha (blessing). This applies to the Jewish ladies making this recipe.
5. Punch down dough and separate into 3 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to about 20 cm x 30 cm.
6. Brush oil over each piece. Then either combine the cinnamon and sugar or sprinkle first the sugar and then the cinnamon. Leave a 2 cm margin around the edges. Roll up the the dough tightly as you would a Swiss roll.
7. Grease and flour your loaf tins. Place the dough in the tin, seam down.
8. Preheat oven to 180 C. Cover and allow to rise again for about 45 minutes.
9. Bake for 30 minutes until brown, remove from the tins immediately, do not allow the sugar mixture to harden and cool on a rack.
10. If you want a soft crust bread, brush with melted margarine or butter, while the breads are still hot.

ALTERNATIVE

To make cinnamon buns follow the recipe until step 5. Break the dough into 6 equal pieces and Instead of rolling it into 20 x 30 you will roll it long and flat about 10 cm wide and as long as your table, the dough should be about 1 cm thick. Then brush the dough with oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, down the centre. Fold your dough in thirds, length wise, top 3rd over the middle and bottom 3rd over that, so you have the filling in the centre. then start at one end and roll 3 times and cut, repeat this until you have about 30 pieces, bake in greased and floured muffin pans to help them retain their shape.

Now continue from step 8.