Low Carb Babka. This was a really fun and easy recipe to make and even better to eat. My description of this low carb babka would be a moist sweet bread and most will think of it as a pastry. Today most babka is chocolate made with Nutella and I wouldn’t eat Nutella with a ten foot pole. In fact, I have never even tasted it so, no loss to me. Cinnamon and walnuts are originally traditional and what I have used. So, you can call this a bread, or a cake, or a pastry but I’m pretty sure you’ll call it really good eats.
Many years ago in the mountains of Colorado I used to cater lots of weddings. For whatever reason there was a small enclave of Slovenians and one of the things that was served in abundance was a pastry called Potica (poh-teet sah). My recollection is that it was served in honor of the bride for health, wealth, and prosperity and always served around the holidays of Easter and Christmas. The biggest difference between a low carb babka or a low carb potica is their final shape. I had never done it this way, sometimes my ego gets in the way, and I just wanted to see if I could do it. I’ll probably make a loaf of Potica at some point so you can see the difference. My problem is that I don’t eat much dessert so I end up giving a lot of it away and…my neighbors and friends are very appreciative. Low carb babka freezes very well and is just one step further from potica in that it is easily braided. Babka originated in the Eastern European areas of Poland~Lithuania while potica came to us from Slovenia and aren’t we lucky they made it to here.
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- ½ C Walnuts
- ¼ C Allulose***
- 1½ t Cinnamon
- 4 T Softened Butter (To Be Used Later)
- 1½ C Carbalose Flour***
- 2 T Coconut Flour
- 2 T Gluten
- ½ t Salt
- ⅛ t Guar Gum
- ⅛ t Xanthan Gum
- 2 T Golden Flaxseed Meal
- 2 T Warm Water
- 2 T Soft Butter
- 12 Drops Liquid Sucralose***
- ½ C Warm Water + More As/If Needed 1 T At A Time
- 2 t Yeast
- ½ t Sugar
- 1 t Butter (To Grease Bottom Of Pan)
- Place walnuts, cinnamon, and Allulose in a small processor and process until nut are very finely ground.
- Put first 6 ingredients in processor.
- Add 2 T warm water to flaxseed meal for 10 minutes, add to dry ingredients, and pulse to mix.
- Add 2 T softened butter and pulse to mix.
- Bloom yeast with sugar in warm water for 10 minutes.
- Add Sucralose to top of bloomed yeast.
- Start processor, add liquids, and process for 1-2 minutes or so.
- If needed, add more water 1-2 T at a time.
- Place dough in a small square or rectangular pan, cover with film and let rise about 30 minutes.
- I hope you have a small offset spatula because it will make spreading the butter very easy. Otherwise it is easy to put a hole in your beautifully thinly rolled out dough.
- With the tiniest amount of bench flour flop out dough and begin to roll it as thinly as possible. Best size should be about 12”x20”, you’re going to need a long counter so…just keep rolling along.
- Now spread dough all over with 4 T butter.
- Reserving about 2-3 T, completely cover with the nut filling and pat firmly into the butter.
- Starting with the long side begin tightly rolling just like you would for cinnamon rolls.
- With bottom seam firmly secure and on the bottom, start 1” in at the top and slice the length of the log all the way through the other end. So now, you have it completely sliced in half except that 1” at one end.
- Open to cut side up. To twist and being gentle, put one side over the other always keeping the cut side up and showing, until you have what looks like a braid that will be too long. Pinch the last end, lightly grease 4”x8” loaf pan and gently nestle in braid until it fits evenly.
- Sprinkle on reserved nut mixture, cover lightly with film and allow to rise about 30-35 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bake 27-30 minutes, remove from oven and leave loaf in pan to cool completely. If you can remember, cover it with film after about an hour. Reason: it will keep it totally moist and a bit chewy which is what you want.
- Cut into 10 slices.
- 10 Servings
- 133 Calories, 6.7g Protein, 9.9g Fat, 9.9g Carbs, 5.9g Fiber, 4.0g Net Carbs
- CAVEAT: I use the ingredients that I feel are the best available, for me personally. If you decide to make this (and I sure hope you do) I am unable to vouch for substitute sweeteners. I have multiple reasons for NOT using eryritol with or without oligosaccharides, food grade glycerin, or anything with probiotic tapioca fiber. None of them are as low in carbs as you may have been lead to believe.
- I do occasionally used EZ-Sweetz liquid Sucralose (and have for over 9 years with zero ill effects) as it adds a different depth of sweetness rather than leaving something one dimensional and neither of the products used here have any carbs in them no matter how much you use. None of the above mentioned can begin to say that which is why you see a nutritional label for 1 t or God forbid ½ t.
Is the “T” tablespoon or teaspoon?
Hi Linda,
Big T is Tablespoon, little t is teaspoon.