Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Babka

Vegan pumpkin pecan babka - this sweet, sticky loaf is full of the flavours of Autumn and is addictively good!

A soft, brioche-like pumpkin bread dough is filled with a spiced, buttery brown sugar pecan filling and doused in syrup. The ultimate Fall treat!

This vegan pumpkin pecan babka is soft, gooey, sweetly spiced and totally amazing.

A tender, brioche-like pumpkin bread dough is swirled with a rich, sticky, buttery, pumpkin spiced pecan filling. No eggs, no dairy and no weird ingredients needed.

Once baked the babka is brushed generously with sugar syrup which not only makes it beautifully shiny, but also helps to keep it lovely and moist, preserving it for several days.

It is very indulgent, utterly delicious and makes an amazing treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

It does take a little while to make but it isn't difficult, and most of it is hands off time. I recommend making it over two days if possible - making the dough one day and letting it rise overnight in the fridge, then shaping the babka, letting it rise again and baking on the following day.

It is possible to do it all in one day if you prefer, but the overnight rise improves the flavour and firms up the dough, making it easier to roll out and shape.

What Is Babka?:

Babka is a sweet, cake-like braided yeast bread which developed in the Polish Jewish community in the early 19th century. It may also be referred to as a krantz cake.

It generally consists of a soft, brioche-like dough that is rolled out and spread with a filling such as cinnamon, chocolate or fruit then rolled up and braided before baking.

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Babka?:

Bread flour: White bread flour helps to give this vegan pumpkin pecan babka it's soft, fluffy, chewy texture. Plain (all-purpose) flour will also work though the texture isn't quite the same. I don't recommend using wholemeal flour as that will make the bread too dense.

Instant/fast action yeast: I always prefer to use fast action yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn't need to be activated first. See below for instructions if you only have active dry yeast.

Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don't omit it.

Pumpkin puree: The pumpkin adds flavour and moisture, making the babka lovely and soft. It also gives it a beautiful colour! I use tinned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling), but see instructions below for how to make your own.

Vegan block butter: I always prefer to use a block butter/margarine when baking, rather than the spreadable kind in a tub which has a higher water content so may not give the best results. Naturli Vegan Block is my favourite. (Spreadable will work if that is all you have).

Non-dairy milk: Soy milk is always my favourite for baking as it has the highest protein content so most closely resembles dairy milk. Any variety of non-dairy milk will work however, but go for an unsweetened one if you can.

Sugar: I use caster sugar (or granulated) in the dough and syrup and brown sugar in the filling. Either light or dark brown soft or muscovado sugar is fine, but I like to use half and half of each. You can swap the caster sugar in the dough for brown sugar if you want. You cannot use sweeteners or liquid sugars here.

Pecans: Pecans go really well with pumpkin and spices but you can swap them for other varieties of nut if you prefer. Or just omit them completely for a plain pumpkin spice babka.

Pumpkin spice: I use a shop bought pumpkin spice blend. In the UK it is readily available online. See below for a recipe to make your own blend from scratch.

Vanilla: I like to add a bit of vanilla to the filling but you can omit it if you want.

How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Babka:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Ideally you should start the day before you want to bake the babka. Place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix to combine.

Add the pumpkin puree and milk and mix to form a rough dough. Knead until it forms a smooth ball.

Add the softened vegan butter. Continue to knead until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic. It may seem greasy and messy at first but keep kneading and I promise you the butter will all mix in and the dough will become smooth.

Once the butter is fully incorporated the dough should look smooth and silky and it should pull away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.

It should still be soft and slightly sticky but if it seems too wet then you can knead in a little more flour; be careful not to add too much however, you don't want dry babka.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1 hour at room temperature then place it in the fridge to finish rising overnight.

The following day the dough should have doubled in size. Remove it from the fridge and set aside to warm up a little while you prepare the filling.

Chop the pecans finely.

Mix the softened butter, sugar, pumpkin spice, vanilla and a pinch of salt to a smooth paste then stir in the chopped pecans.

How To Shape Babka:

Punch down the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 30x40cm / 11x15in.

Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1cm border.

Roll the dough up tightly from one of the long edges into a sausage. Use a sharp knife to cut the sausage in half lengthwise, exposing the filling.

Twist the two halves together into a braid.

Grease an approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 in 2lb loaf tin and line it with baking parchment. Place the babka in the loaf tin, squishing it to fit if need be.

Loosely cover the tin and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ - 2 hours depending on how cold it is.

Bake the babka for about 45-50 minutes until deep golden. A probe thermometer inserted into the centre should reach about 90°C/195°F.

When the babka is baked, brush it generously with sugar syrup then allow to cool before slicing.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

If you want to make a chocolate pumpkin babka instead then you can use the filling recipe from my vegan chocolate babka.

Make sure that your yeast hasn’t expired! Out of date yeast can lead to bread that doesn’t rise.

If you are using tinned/canned pumpkin puree, make sure that it is 100% pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling.

The rising time of the dough will vary depending on how warm it is; on hot days it will rise much faster than on cold ones.

The best way to tell if a loaf of bread is cooked in the middle is to use a probe thermometer. It is impossible to give a one-size-fits-all baking time as ovens vary so much. The babka should be done when it reaches 90°C / 195°F.

I know it's hard, but you really should wait for the babka to cool completely before slicing it. It carries on cooking as it cools and slicing it too soon can cause it to be dense or gummy in texture.

The syrup helps to keep the babka moist for a few days so don't skip it. It may seem like a lot of liquid but trust me and use it all!

What Kind Of Yeast?:

I always use fast action yeast which is also known as instant or easy yeast as it doesn’t need to be activated first, you just add it straight to the flour.

If you only have active dried yeast then you can still use it, but you will need to mix it with some of the lukewarm milk and a pinch of the sugar first. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes until it has become bubbly then proceed with the rest of the recipe as written.

How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice:

Pumpkin pie spice blend isn’t readily available outside of the US. In the UK the closest thing we have is mixed spice (though M&S have started selling pumpkin spice!), but it is a different blend of spices to pumpkin spice so it’s not the best thing to use if you want a true pumpkin spice flavour.

The good news is that it is really easy to make your own using a few common spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.

To make it, just mix together 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves and 1 tsp ground allspice.

You can easily halve the recipe if you only want to make a small jar of it, but the homemade pumpkin pie spice will keep in an airtight container for ages and is perfect for using in all your autumnal and festive bakes.

How To Make Pumpkin Puree:

I used tinned pumpkin puree to make this vegan pumpkin pecan babka which I get from Sainsbury’s; it can also be found in some Tesco’s, Waitrose and on Ocado and Amazon. In the supermarkets it is often hidden away in a little ‘American section’ in the world foods aisles.

If you can’t find it however it is also really easy to make your own; you just need to halve, de-seed and roast an eating pumpkin (NOT a carving one) or a butternut squash until it is tender then scoop the flesh out of the skin and puree it until smooth.

Roast it at around 200C/400F/gas mark 6. The time it takes will very much depend on how large the pumpkin/squash is so just cook it until the flesh can easily be pierced with a fork.

I don’t recommend boiling the pumpkin to cook it as that will make the puree too wet.

How To Store Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Babka:

As with most home-made bread, this vegan pumpkin pecan babka is best eaten on the day it is baked. The syrup helps to keep it moist and soft for about 3 days however. It is nice if you warm it up gently before serving to refresh it.

Store it in an airtight container or bread bin at room temperature. It should not be placed in the fridge as that can make it go stale faster.

Can I Freeze It?:

Yes! You can freeze this vegan pumpkin pecan babka either whole or in slices. Place it in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to three months. Ideally it should be frozen on the day it is baked to preserve freshness (allow it to cool completely first).

Allow to defrost at room temperature and warm through gently to refresh it before serving.

Can I Make It Gluten-Free?:

No, I’m afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you.

It is best to use a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to adapt a non gluten free recipe.

More Sweet Vegan Bread Recipes:

• Vegan chocolate babka
• Vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls
• Almond bread twist
• Vegan cinnamon rolls
• Vegan hot cross buns
• Maple pecan bread wreath
• Banana bread cinnamon rolls
• Vegan lemon blueberry rolls
• Vegan gingerbread cinnamon rolls

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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