Other Sweet Rich Breads

Babka has its origins in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Albania, where it is often baked in cylindrical, fluted pans. In Romanian tradition, babka serves as a Christmas and general holiday bread, but in the United States and Europe it is mainly associated with Eastern European Jewish communities, where the dough is typically spread with chocolate or poppy-seed fillings and then coiled into a loaf. In more contemporary versions, babkas are often made much like a baking-powder-leavened Bundt cake.